Research Science Institute (RSI)

The Research Science Institute (RSI) is a free summer science and engineering research program for high school juniors, run by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE). Each summer, 100 students take part at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and for 2027 CEE is adding a site at Stanford University for 50 more. The six-week program opens with a week of intensive STEM classes taught by professors. Next comes a five-week research internship in which each student carries out an individual project under a mentor who is a working scientist or researcher, and the program ends with a written research paper and a conference-style presentation. Mentors and projects are matched to each student's interests; students cannot bring or continue their own project. RSI is cost-free to participants, with instruction, housing and meals covered. CEE reports more than 2,500 U.S. and 600 international applications each year and an admission rate below 2.5 percent.

Students apply during 11th grade, with one year of high school left, and must be at least 16 by July 1 of the program year. Seniors are not eligible. U.S. citizens and permanent residents, including those studying abroad, apply directly to the Center for Excellence in Education, while international students go through their country's participating selection agency. The application includes essays, recommendations, an official transcript, standardized test scores and a $75 fee that may be waived for students with financial need. Applications for RSI 2027 close at 11:59 p.m. on December 11, 2026, and decisions typically arrive in March.