About

The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital High School Research Immersion Program is a 10-week summer internship that places motivated students inside active biomedical research environments in Memphis, Tennessee. Designed to support early pathways into scientific careers, the program offers a structured, hands-on experience where students work on authentic research efforts under the mentorship of St. Jude scientists and near-peer undergraduate mentors.

The 2026 session runs from June 1 to August 7, 2026, with a full-time 40-hour weekday schedule that mirrors professional research work. Participants are assigned in "peer pairs" to research teams in areas such as molecular biology, psychology, epidemiology, or data science. Throughout the summer, students engage in experimental techniques, attend professional development seminars, and participate in a community exhibition poster session to present their findings to the St. Jude scientific community.

Admission is highly competitive and restricted to rising high school seniors from Memphis-Shelby County and surrounding counties in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Applicants must be at least 16 years old by the program start date. The application window for the 2026 cycle closed on December 8, 2025. While the program does not provide housing, it is free of charge and provides a $4,800 stipend to support local access.

Beyond laboratory exposure, the program utilizes a "triad" mentorship model designed to build confidence and professional networks. By embedding high school students directly into one of the world's premier pediatric research hospitals, St. Jude helps clarify scientific career goals and fosters a sense of belonging in the global research community.