About

The UC San Diego Research Scholars Program (RSP) is a rigorous pre-college initiative that embeds high school students in authentic research environments across STEM, business, and medicine. Unlike general summer camps, RSP follows a "Tiered" progression—such as the Bioengineering BE-BOAT (Techniques), BE-ROW (Orientation), and BE-SHIP (Internship) sequence—allowing students to build foundational skills before proposing independent projects. Participants collaborate with UC San Diego faculty and researchers on topics ranging from neurobiology and bio-imaging to marine biodiversity and sports medicine.

For 2026, the program offers both in-person (commuter) and live-online formats. Admission is competitive, typically requiring a minimum 3.0 to 3.3 GPA and high school transcripts. Application deadlines for Summer 2026 generally fall on May 8, with tuition ranging from $1,300 to $3,500 per session. Notably, most tracks award 3.0 Pre-College units of credit upon completion. As a self-supported program, institutional financial aid is generally unavailable for high school participants, though students are encouraged to seek external scholarships.

Instruction is delivered by world-class faculty and graduate mentors. Depending on the track, students may spend 30+ hours a week in a lab or synchronous online environment. Activities include using custom lab kits for home-based experiments, computational modeling, and professional development seminars. The program culminates in a mandatory Research Symposium, where scholars present their findings via professional posters or presentations.

Institutionally, RSP is grounded in UC San Diego's mission as a premier research hub. By providing students with university-level tools—such as 3D-printing bio-imaging data or analyzing cosmic ray patterns—the program bridges the gap between high school learning and collegiate research. Participants leave with a UC San Diego transcript, a portfolio of original work, and a sophisticated understanding of the scientific method in practice.