About

The Broad Summer Scholars Program (BSSP) is a six-week, immersive research internship for rising high school seniors offered by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The program places a small cohort of motivated students inside active research labs, matching them one-on-one with Broad scientists to contribute to original research in fields such as cancer biology, psychiatric disease, and computational genomics.

The 2026 session runs from June 29 to August 7, 2026. Participants commit to a full-time schedule from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, attending weekly scientific talks, professional development workshops, and a college fair. A core component of the program is the weekly meeting with an on-staff instructor to support the student's understanding of complex scientific concepts. The internship culminates in a scientific poster session where students present their original findings to the Broad community.

Admission to BSSP is highly selective. Eligible applicants must be rising seniors who attend a high school in Massachusetts within commuting distance of the Broad Institute and have earned a B or better in science and math classes. The application period for the 2026 cohort closed on January 21, 2026, with admission notifications scheduled for mid-March.

BSSP is free of charge, and all participants receive a $3,600 stipend plus partial reimbursement for transportation costs. Because the program is non-residential, students are responsible for arranging their own housing and travel. By providing direct mentorship and exposure to professional laboratory culture, BSSP serves as a critical pipeline for students from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in biomedical research and genomics.