High School Intern Program

The UCSF SEP High School Intern Program is a paid summer biomedical research internship at UC San Francisco for high school juniors in San Francisco public schools. It is run by UCSF's Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP). Interns spend 8 weeks working 35 hours per week alongside a UCSF scientist mentor on their own research project. Past project areas include infectious disease, neuroscience, molecular biology, immunology, cancer, stem cell research and developmental biology. Interns also practice communicating science and join a cohort of 25 students. The program pays a $4,500 stipend to interns who complete it. SEP usually interviews about 50 applicants for the 25 spots. SEP has an interest form for students who want to be notified when the 2027 application opens.

Applicants must be current juniors enrolled in an SFUSD high school or a San Francisco public charter school, and the program makes no exceptions to this rule. Students apply with an online application form, and selected applicants are interviewed. Grades are not used to judge an applicant's potential, and low-income and first-generation students are especially encouraged to apply.