What is BU RISE, and what does it cost? Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) is Boston University's six-week, in-person summer research program for rising high school seniors who are US citizens or permanent residents. In 2026 it cost $6,415 for commuters and $10,735 for residential students, plus a $75 application fee, with limited need-based aid and no stipend. The 2027 deadline is February 3, 2027, the 2027 session is planned for June 27 to August 6, and about 190 students attended in 2026 out of thousands of applicants.
This guide is written by YRI Fellowship, a paid research mentorship program. Facts about RISE come from Boston University's own pages and named third-party guides as of November 2026, all linked in the Sources section. Opinions are marked.
What BU RISE is
RISE is run by Boston University Summer Term and has offered research to high school students for more than 45 years. Students spend six weeks on BU's Boston campus, live in the dorms with the High School Honors and Academic Immersion programs (or commute from a relative's home), and finish by presenting at the RISE Poster Symposium.
There are two tracks, and choosing between them is the biggest decision on the application.
- Internship. The student joins a BU lab and works about 40 hours a week on a project designed by a mentor, who may be a faculty member, a postdoctoral fellow or a graduate student.
- Practicum. The student takes a structured research course: a two-hour lecture each morning, then four hours of group research in the afternoon, under instructional staff rather than an individual lab mentor.
Both tracks meet one day a week for workshops on the scientific process, research ethics, reading a paper, making a poster and networking. RISE is noncredit. Every student receives a certificate of completion, and Practicum students also receive a letter of evaluation from their instructor.
For the full list of Boston-area options, see our Massachusetts research programs guide.
BU RISE Practicum vs Internship
| Internship track | Practicum track | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily shape | About 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a lab, 40 hours a week | 2-hour morning lecture, 4 hours of afternoon group research |
| Who supervises | Faculty member, postdoc or graduate student mentor | Course instructor and instructional staff |
| Project | Individual project in an existing lab, assigned by the mentor | Group computational project with a set syllabus |
| Subjects | Astronomy, biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, medical laboratory research, neuroscience, physics, psychology, public health | 2026: Computational Neurobiology and Data Science; 2027 options announced in December |
| Extra essay | Name three BU faculty and explain how their research fits yours (250 words) | None |
| Industry exposure | Weekly workshops | Weekly site visits; 2026 stops included Alnylam, the Broad Discovery Center and the Koch Institute |
| Laptop | Strongly encouraged | Required, and Chromebooks will not run the software |
| Extra document | Certificate of completion | Certificate plus an instructor's letter of evaluation |
Which track is better? BU does not rank them. Opinion: the Internship is closer to how science works day to day, and it is the track where a mentor can later write about you, but placement depends on a lab agreeing to host you. The Practicum is more predictable and suits a student who wants structured training in coding, statistics or neuroscience before doing independent work.
Two details matter on the Internship side. BU says it cannot guarantee placement in a lab you name, and it cannot provide a list of available mentors. You learn who your mentor is before you accept, but you learn your specific project only in the first week.
The 2026 Computational Neurobiology practicum mixed modeling with wet lab work, including motor circuits in crickets and earthworms and optogenetics in fruit flies. The Data Science practicum covered time series forecasting, statistical method benchmarking and scientific software development.
Who is eligible
| Requirement | RISE rule (summer 2027) |
|---|---|
| Grade | Entering senior year of high school in fall 2027, so current juniors |
| Citizenship | US citizens and legal permanent residents only; international students are not eligible |
| GPA | No published minimum; BU says the most competitive applicants have an unweighted A minus to A average |
| Test scores | Optional for summer 2027 (SAT, ACT, PSAT or PreACT accepted) |
| Commitment | Full six weeks; no refund for arriving late or leaving early |
The citizenship rule is strict and rules out many strong applicants. Sophomores cannot attend either. For younger students, see research programs for 10th graders, and for current juniors weighing several options, research programs for 11th graders.
What BU RISE costs
RISE is a paid program. BU's tuition page lists 2026 figures and says 2027 rates will be posted December 17.
| Item | 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| Commuter total | $6,415 |
| Residential total (tuition, housing, 19 meals a week, all fees) | $10,735 |
| Application fee | $75, nonrefundable, not included above |
| Tuition deposit | Nonrefundable, amount set in the offer letter |
| Extras | Spending money, Student Health Services visit fees, optional gym membership |
Textbooks, materials and sponsored activities are included. There is no stipend; BU's pages do not mention one.
Financial aid. Limited, need-based aid is available. The request must be uploaded with the application by the same February deadline, with pages 1 and 2 of a parent's 2025 or 2026 federal tax return and a letter describing the family's finances. Late aid requests are not considered. BU says admission decisions are made without regard to aid requests.
For how RISE compares with other paid and free programs, see how much high school research programs cost and free research programs for high school students.
Dates and deadline for 2027
| Milestone | Summer 2027 cycle |
|---|---|
| Application opens | December 17, 2026 |
| Application deadline | 11:59 p.m. Eastern, Wednesday, February 3, 2027 |
| Recommendation and aid deadline | Same day as the application |
| Decisions | About 6 to 8 weeks after the deadline, so mid to late March |
| Reply to offer | Within one week of the offer, with a nonrefundable deposit |
| Residential session | Sunday, June 27 to Friday, August 6, 2027 |
| Commuter session | Monday, June 28 to Friday, August 6, 2027 |
BU lists the 2027 session dates as pending approval and subject to change. Our 2027 summer research deadlines calendar tracks RISE alongside RSI, SSP and the rest.
What the application asks for
- Transcript from 9th grade onward, including at least first-quarter, first-trimester or first-semester grades from fall 2026. Unofficial copies and portal screenshots are accepted if your name is visible.
- Three essays: why you chose your subject (300 words), your academic achievements (250 words), and why you want to attend RISE (200 words).
- Internship only: a 250-word essay naming three BU faculty members and explaining how their research aligns with your interests.
- One recommendation from a STEM teacher, counselor or research supervisor who has known you for at least six months. Tutors, coaches and test-prep instructors are not accepted. The recommender fills out BU's form, a set of multiple-choice questions and one open response; outside letters are not accepted.
- Test scores, optional, uploaded as an unofficial copy.
- $75 application fee by credit card.
Our guide to asking for a research recommendation letter covers what to give a teacher so the form's one open response says something specific.
BU RISE acceptance rate
BU does not publish an acceptance rate. Its FAQ calls RISE "highly competitive and selective" and says about 190 students attended in 2026 out of thousands of applicants.
Third-party figures vary:
- College Essay Guy reports roughly 15% to 20%, citing online reports.
- Lumiere Education says BU publishes no rate or application counts and treats exact percentages found online as unreliable. It reports that Internship applicants who pass initial review enter a matching phase and receive an offer only if a faculty member agrees to host them, and that Practicum offers go mostly to students who ranked the Practicum first.
Opinion: if "thousands of applicants" means at least 2,000, about 190 seats puts the rate under 10%. Treat any single number you see as an estimate.
How to be competitive
Opinion, based on BU's published criteria:
A frank look at the odds
RISE takes about 190 students a year from a pool BU describes as thousands. Every international student and every sophomore is excluded by rule. Add $6,415 commuting or $10,735 residential, with aid that BU calls limited, and the strongest candidate is a US junior with an A average, a clear field and a family able to pay.
For that student, RISE is a strong summer: six weeks in a research university lab, a poster at the end, and in some cases work that goes on to the Regeneron Science Talent Search, as BU notes. It does not award credit, and BU's pages make no claim about publications. Six weeks is also short for original work to reach a journal. The paper, if it comes, usually takes months more.
If you do not get in
Most students who arrive at RISE with a strong file already had research behind them. They started a project, found a mentor and kept going until something was finished. That path does not depend on a February deadline or a six-week window.
If RISE says no, or the citizenship rule, grade rule or cost rules it out, the YRI Fellowship offers the same outcome on your timeline. It is ten weeks of 1:1 work with a PhD mentor matched to your field, ending in a first-author paper submitted to peer-reviewed IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venues, with ISEF and JSHS preparation and a letter of recommendation from the mentor. It costs $2,997, with a 3-month payment plan and scholarships case by case, and mentorship continues at no extra cost until the paper is published. 87% of Fellows publish and 73% place at competitions. Fellows come from more than 50 countries, so international students are welcome, and admissions are rolling.
| BU RISE (2026 costs, 2027 dates) | YRI Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | 6 weeks in person in Boston | 10 weeks online, 1:1 |
| Cost | $6,415 commuter, $10,735 residential, plus $75 fee | $2,997, payment plan, scholarships case by case |
| Eligibility | US citizens and permanent residents entering senior year | High school students, any grade, any country |
| Mentor | Lab mentor (Internship) or course instructor (Practicum) | PhD mentor matched to your field |
| Designed output | Poster at the RISE Poster Symposium | First-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue, plus fair prep |
| Admissions | One deadline, February 3, 2027 | Rolling, 10-minute application, no fee |
A student who applies to RISE in February and starts a YRI project in the spring can arrive in Boston with a paper under review, or skip the wait if the answer is no. See how to publish a research paper in high school for what that process looks like, and research internships for high school students for other lab options.
Download the YRI Fellowship brochure
The program, the outcomes, the mentors and the tuition, in one PDF you can read with your family.
Related guides
- Research programs for high school students in Massachusetts
- Summer research programs for high school students: 2027 deadlines
- Free research programs for high school students
- Research internships for high school students
- Garcia Summer Research Program guide
- Research mentorship vs internship
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BU RISE acceptance rate?
Boston University does not publish one. It says about 190 students attended in 2026 out of thousands of applicants. College Essay Guy reports 15% to 20%, while Lumiere Education says no reliable figure exists; if the pool is 2,000 or more, the rate is under 10%.
How much does BU RISE cost in 2027?
2027 rates will be posted December 17, 2026. In 2026, RISE cost $6,415 for commuters and $10,735 for residential students, including housing and 19 meals a week, plus a $75 nonrefundable application fee. Limited need-based aid is available.
When is the BU RISE application deadline for 2027?
The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, February 3, 2027. Recommendations and financial aid documents are due the same day. Applications open December 17, 2026, and decisions arrive about 6 to 8 weeks after the deadline.
What is the difference between the BU RISE Practicum and Internship?
Internship students work about 40 hours a week on an individual project in a BU lab with a faculty, postdoc or graduate student mentor. Practicum students take a morning lecture and do afternoon group computational research in a set subject, which in 2026 was Computational Neurobiology or Data Science.
Is BU RISE paid or does it give a stipend?
No. RISE charges tuition and fees, and BU's pages do not mention a stipend. It also does not award college credit; students receive a certificate of completion.
Can international students apply to BU RISE?
No. Only US citizens and legal permanent residents are eligible. Applicants must also be entering their senior year of high school in fall 2027.
Is BU RISE worth it compared to a mentored research program?
For a US junior who can pay and wants six weeks in a Boston lab, RISE is a strong choice that ends in a poster. For a student who wants a finished first-author paper submitted to a peer-reviewed venue, on a rolling timeline from any country, the YRI Fellowship delivers that for $2,997, with ISEF and JSHS preparation and mentorship until the paper is published.
Sources
- Boston University: RISE Internship/Practicum overview (six weeks, tracks, fields, 2027 dates, 45 years)
- Boston University: RISE How to Apply (eligibility, essays, recommendation, test-optional, February 3, 2027 deadline)
- Boston University: RISE Tuition, Aid & Payment (2026 costs, $75 fee, need-based aid documents)
- Boston University: RISE FAQ (fall 2027 senior eligibility, citizenship, about 190 students, decisions in 6 to 8 weeks, noncredit)
- Boston University: RISE Internship Track (40 hours a week, mentors, workshops, Regeneron STS)
- Boston University: RISE Practicum Track (2026 subjects, site visits)
- Boston University: RISE Calendar & What to Expect (daily schedule, 2027 dates pending approval)
- Lumiere Education: BU RISE acceptance rate and how to get in (no official rate, matching phase, Practicum offers)
- College Essay Guy: Boston University RISE program guide (15% to 20% estimate)