About

The Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a six-week, fully funded residential research experience for rising 10th–12th graders from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Administered through the Grainger College of Engineering's WYSE program, it places students directly in UIUC faculty research labs for hands-on work in fields spanning cancer immunology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, quantum mechanics, bioengineering, electrical engineering, materials science, and more. Students are matched in pairs to specific research groups and mentored by faculty, graduate students, and in some cases a teacher from their home school. The program culminates in a research symposium where scholars present their work.

The program runs two parallel tracks: GEnYuS (Grainger Engineering Young Scholars) focuses on engineering and physical science research groups, and SpHERES (Sparking High Schoolers' Excitement for Research in Engineering and Science) focuses on health, medicine, and life science-adjacent research. Students apply to one or both tracks. The program is entirely free — there is no cost to accepted students beyond transportation to Champaign-Urbana. Housing is provided for non-local students, and accepted scholars receive a fellowship stipend for their participation. There is no application fee and no course credit awarded.

The program is genuinely selective: in 2022 and 2023, over 600 students applied for approximately 25–30 lab spots, placing the acceptance rate around 4–5%. Applications open in February; the priority deadline for Summer 2026 is March 31. The application requires two personal statement essays and an online recommendation form from a teacher or counselor. Notifications are sent in late April or early May. Young Scholars is an explicit Broadening Participation initiative — all eligible students are welcome to apply, but priority is given to students from groups historically underrepresented in STEMM, including by gender, race, ethnicity, disability, and socioeconomic status.

For an eligible Midwest student committed to STEMM research, Young Scholars is one of the most compelling free research programs in the country — six weeks of genuine faculty-embedded lab work at a world-class engineering university, with all costs covered.