Stanford Medical Youth Science Program 2026

Stanford Medical Youth Science Program (SMYSP) is a five-week medical summer program for low-income and/or underrepresented students from select counties in Northern and Central California.

The program includes intensive coursework in medicine and health science, professional development workshops, networking opportunities with health professions and faculty, a college-level public health research project, and advising on college planning.

Participants are mentored by faculty, health professionals, and college students on preparing for college, navigating careers in medicine, and becoming a leader today.

Program Overview
Stanford Medical Youth Science Program bolsters students’ science skills while introducing them to a host of health-related careers and empowering them to begin their path to college and beyond. The thirty admitted students work closely with Stanford faculty, researchers, students, and health care professionals.

SMYSP follows both a mentoring and team approach to learning and encourages peer teaching. This approach fosters an atmosphere that is supportive, without an emphasis on testing or competition. Special attention is given to developing leadership and interpersonal skills, with offerings such as workshops and discussions on networking, public speaking, and multicultural issues.

Program participants engage in a variety of activities to advance the academic, professional, and social development of students, including:

medicine and public health lectures by Stanford Faculty,
virtual tours of hospital and health care organizations,
college admissions workshops,
completion of a health disparities research project,
and more!

Eligibility
Stanford Medical Youth Science Program is open to low-income and/or underrepresented high school juniors who live in Northern and Central California. You qualify and are invited to apply if you:

Are a current junior high school student (at the time of your application) who lives and attends high school in one of the 20 Northern or Central California counties from which we recruit.
Are from a low-income family whose members have little or no history of attending college.
Have demonstrated an interest in science and have received a B-average in some of your science classes.
Have demonstrated an interest in medicine and/or health-related careers and show maturity, intelligence, initiative, and curiosity about the world around you.

Only applications received from the following California counties will be considered: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Madera, Marin, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, and Yolo.

Students must have taken adequate science and math courses to understand the lectures and labs. This program is tuition-free to all participants.