Updated October 28, 2026.
Four research programs still publish a current offering on their own sites: the Research Science Institute, the Simons Summer Research Program at Stony Brook, MIT PRIMES, and the Summer Science Program. RSI and PRIMES do not charge students. Simons charges a $75 application fee. The Summer Science Program's 2026 fee was $11,800, with aid, and its 2027 fee was not posted yet. Deadlines for the next cycle run from November 2, 2026 to February 5, 2027.
The four programs
| Program | When | Cost | Who | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Science Institute | MIT, June 20 to July 31, 2027. Stanford, June 27 to August 7, 2027. Six weeks. | Cost-free to attend. | Students who have completed the equivalent of three years of high school. Typically juniors. Sophomores and seniors are not eligible. | December 11, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern. |
| Simons Summer Research Program | June 28 to August 6, 2027, at Stony Brook. | $75 application fee, not refundable. A waiver exists for financial hardship. The program page does not list a tuition charge. | High school juniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and at least 16 by the start. A school nominates up to three students. | School nomination January 29, 2027. Application February 5, 2027. Recommendations February 12, 2027. Decisions in early April. |
| MIT PRIMES and PRIMES-USA | A school-year program, not a summer institute. | Free. | Sophomores and juniors. PRIMES is in person for Greater Boston, in mathematics and bioinformatics. PRIMES-USA is remote for students outside Greater Boston. | November 2, 2026, for PRIMES, PRIMES-USA, and PRIMES Circle. |
| Summer Science Program | Five weeks, beginning mid-June 2027. The 2027 fee is due to be posted in December 2026. | In 2026, $11,800, including tuition, room, board, supplies, and local field trips. Application is free. Aid covers demonstrated need. | Current juniors, at least 15 and not yet 19 during the program. Freshmen, sophomores, and seniors are not eligible. | Applications open December 2026. International deadline expected in January 2027. Domestic deadline expected in February 2027. |
What each one asks the student to finish
RSI, sponsored with MIT and Stanford, is six weeks. The first week is STEM classes. The next five are an individual research internship. Students read the literature, write a research plan, and give a conference-style oral report and a written report. CEE says the program is cost-free. It does not publish an acceptance rate in the October 2026 announcement, so this page does not invent one.
Simons places juniors in a Stony Brook faculty group for six weeks. Fellows run experiments, analyze data, take on a question of their own, and present a poster. Prior research is not required. Mentors are in chemistry, computer science, geosciences, marine science, neurobiology, and other departments. Stony Brook reports 1,864 applications and 60 fellows for 2026. It also notes 41 cohorts across the life of the program. The 1,864 figure is that year's applicant count, not a lifetime total. Ten of the 2026 fellows were named Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars. The application link for 2027 is scheduled to appear on November 15.
PRIMES is the odd one out because it is not a summer. It is a free year of research or guided reading. The local section meets in person. PRIMES-USA is the remote section for students who do not live in Greater Boston. The site also lists PRIMES Circle, a free spring reading program for Greater Boston, and other sections that are not the main research track. The deadline of November 2, 2026 is days away from the date of this page. A student who is not already in the application should not count on that cycle.
The Summer Science Program is five weeks of research with about 35 other students, in one track. The 2027 tracks and the coursework they require, which must be taken for a grade and finished by June, are astrophysics (physics and precalculus, or calculus if the student has no physics), bacterial genomics (biology and algebra II), biochemistry (biology, chemistry, and strong algebra), and cell biology (biology and algebra II). SSP is not using PSAT, SAT, ACT, or AP scores for 2027 admission, except English proficiency scores for international students. It says it admitted around 700 students in 2026. Admission is need-blind. The aid form comes after the decision.
What the Summer Science Program costs a family
SSP says the 2026 fee of $11,800 was below its cost of about $14,600 per student, with the difference covered by donations. Full 2027 prices are promised for December 2026. In 2026 the program says it granted more than $4,100,000 in fee discounts, travel aid, and cash stipends, and that more than half of participants received some aid. It commits to 100 percent of demonstrated need, which can include a student's airfare. Aid is not a loan.
On the income bands SSP publishes, and assuming typical expenses and assets for a family of four, a family income of $75,000 or less means the program is free, and an income under about $140,000 often means full aid or a partial discount. No one pays more than the posted fee. A limited number of $3,000 stipends, on top of a free place, are available for students who would otherwise need to work. International students can request aid.
How to choose among them
Start with eligibility, not prestige. A sophomore cannot apply to RSI or to the Summer Science Program. A student outside Greater Boston cannot do in-person PRIMES, and can apply to PRIMES-USA. Simons requires a school nomination and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. A program the student is not allowed to enter is not a backup.
Then look at the work. RSI and Simons are individual projects inside a research group. SSP is a team research project with a set curriculum. PRIMES is a year, which means it collides with school, sports, and testing. A family that needs a weekly structure and does not have a nomination or a lab nearby is in a different market. Our guide to choosing a research mentorship program is written for that decision. Ask what most students finish, who the mentor is, and what the net price is after aid. A promise of publication is not a substitute for those three answers.
Questions families ask
Which research programs are free?
The Research Science Institute is cost-free to attend. MIT PRIMES, PRIMES-USA, and PRIMES Circle do not charge tuition. The Summer Science Program charged $11,800 in 2026 and says it meets 100 percent of demonstrated need. The 2027 SSP fee had not been posted when this page was checked.
When is the RSI deadline?
The Center for Excellence in Education set the RSI 2027 deadline at December 11, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. RSI runs at MIT from June 20 to July 31, 2027, and at Stanford from June 27 to August 7, 2027. Sophomores and seniors are not eligible. Students apply in the year they are juniors.
How competitive is the Simons Summer Research Program?
Stony Brook reports 1,864 applications and 60 fellows for 2026. For 2027, the program runs June 28 to August 6. A school may nominate up to three juniors. The nomination deadline is January 29, 2027, and the application deadline is February 5, 2027. The application fee is $75, with a waiver for financial hardship.
Does MIT PRIMES cost anything?
No. PRIMES describes MIT PRIMES, PRIMES-USA, and PRIMES Circle as free. The application deadline posted on the PRIMES site is November 2, 2026. Local PRIMES is in person for Greater Boston sophomores and juniors. PRIMES-USA is remote for students outside Greater Boston.
Will a paid mentorship replace one of these programs?
Not as a substitute for a program whose own site still shows a lab, a mentor, and a finished report. A paid program can be the right structure when a student needs a weekly plan and will not have a university placement. Judge it by the mentor, the work the student will actually finish, and the net price. Selectivity alone is not the product.
Sources
- Center for Excellence in Education, RSI 2027 applications, October 6, 2026.
- Simons Summer Research Program and the application guidelines.
- MIT PRIMES.
- Summer Science Program, application, getting started, fees and financial aid, and FAQs.
Where to go next
- RSI application guide
- Simons summer research guide
- How to choose a research mentorship program
- Research summer programs, a wider list
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