YRI vs Indigo Research is a choice between a tiered menu and a single path to publication. Indigo Research sells one-on-one mentorship in three tiers of 10, 20 or 45 mentor hours over about 3, 6 or 12 months, with tuition starting at $3,900 and higher tier prices not published. The YRI Fellowship is one program at $2,997: 10 weeks of weekly one-on-one work with a PhD mentor, an editing team on every draft, and a publishing team that gets the paper into IEEE, Springer or Elsevier journals and conferences, with free help until it is published.
We run YRI, so read this knowing that. Facts about Indigo Research come from Indigo's own pages as of November 2026, linked in the Sources section. Where something is our opinion, we say so. For the full picture of Indigo on its own, see our Indigo Research review.
YRI vs Indigo Research at a glance
| Indigo Research 1:1 | YRI Fellowship | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | "Tuition starts at $3,900"; tier prices not published | $2,997, or 3 payments of $999 |
| Mentor time | 10, 20 or 45 hours by tier | Weekly 1:1 sessions for 10 weeks, then free help until published |
| Length | About 3, 6 or 12 months by tier | 10 weeks |
| Mentor | Faculty or PhD mentors from US and UK universities | PhD mentor matched by field, from 1,000+ PhD mentors |
| Designed outcome | Literature review, secondary-source paper or primary-source paper, by tier | First-author research paper |
| Target venues | Self-publish or blog; high school or collegiate journal; competition or selective journal, by tier | IEEE, Springer and Elsevier journals and conferences |
| Publication support | None, 3 hours or 6 hours by tier | Editing team on every draft and a publishing team, until published |
| Publication rate | Not published | 87% of Fellows publish |
| Competition prep | Science fair coaching as an add-on at higher tiers | ISEF and JSHS preparation included; 73% place |
| College credit | Two UCSB Extension credits | None |
| Scholarships | Indigo says it does not currently offer scholarships | Case by case |
The three Indigo tiers, and why they matter
Indigo's high school program page is clear about what each tier includes, which is useful for families:
| Tier | Mentor hours | Length | Outcome | Stated goal | Publication support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explorer | 10 | About 3 months | Literature review or short academic essay | Self-publish or blog | Not included |
| Researcher | 20 | About 6 months | Paper with secondary source analysis | High school or collegiate journal | 3 hours, submission to 2 journals |
| Innovator | 45 | About 12 months | Paper with primary source analysis | Competition or highly selective journal | 6 hours, submission to 3 journals |
The practical point: if your student wants a paper submitted to a journal, the Indigo tiers to compare with YRI are Researcher and Innovator, and Indigo gives those prices on an intro call rather than on its site.
What each program costs
Indigo Research states that one-on-one tuition "starts at $3,900 USD" and that its IRIS group intensive starts at $4,200. Prices for the Researcher and Innovator tiers, Indigo at Oxbridge and the Innovator Global Lab are not published. Indigo's site says it does "not currently offer scholarships." Payment plan terms are not published.
YRI has one price: $2,997, or three payments of $999. It covers weekly 1:1 sessions with a PhD mentor, an editing team on every draft, a publishing team that handles venue selection and submission, ISEF and JSHS preparation, a mentor letter of recommendation, and help at no extra cost until the paper is published. Scholarships are considered case by case. The details are on the pricing page.
Who mentors your student
Indigo lists faculty and PhD mentors from US and UK universities, and names many of them, including professors and lecturers at universities such as Princeton, Northwestern, Cambridge, MIT Sloan, UCL and LSE. Named mentors are a strength, and families who want a professor in a specific field may value that.
YRI matches each Fellow with a PhD mentor whose own research is in the student's field, from a network of more than 1,000 PhD mentors. The student meets the mentor 1:1 every week, and the mentor stays through submission and peer review.
Our opinion: for a student whose goal is a published paper, what matters most is how much time the mentor has, and whether that time continues when reviewers ask for revisions. A fixed bank of 10, 20 or 45 hours works well for some projects; others need more support after submission.
What your student finishes with
Indigo Research outcomes depend on the tier: a literature review or short essay at Explorer, a secondary-source paper aimed at a high school or collegiate journal at Researcher, and a primary-source paper aimed at a competition or selective journal at Innovator. Indigo cites more than 140 papers from its IRIS course in the International Journal of High School Research and names student journals such as Curieux Academic Journal and the Journal of Student Research, plus its own journal, Convergence. Every program carries two UCSB Extension credits, and students present at Indigo's virtual academic conference.
YRI ends with a first-author research paper submitted to IEEE, Springer or Elsevier journals and conferences, and a competition entry built on the same work. 87% of Fellows publish and 73% place at science competitions.
One example: Ashwajit W. went from YRI enrollment to a first-author Springer paper in two months, then presented the work in a 15-minute talk at BICA 2026 in Mexico. His second paper was accepted at SPIE Medical Imaging 2027. Every result is listed on the Published Work page.
The venue question is worth understanding before you decide what "published" should mean for your student. Our guide to journals that publish student research explains the difference between student journals and professional peer-reviewed venues.
Time and schedule
Indigo one-on-one tiers run about 3, 6 or 12 months at a pace the student and mentor set. IRIS is a six-week online group course with 13 spots per course and live classes twice a week; Indigo lists a winter cohort from December 14, 2026 to January 25, 2027. Indigo at Oxbridge and the Innovator Global Lab are two-week in-person programs.
YRI runs 10 weeks at 5 to 8 hours a week, including the weekly 1:1 session, with rolling admissions and a decision within 48 hours. For an 11th grader who needs a finished paper before college applications, a 10-week timeline is easier to plan around than a 12-month one.
Who should choose Indigo Research
Indigo is a good fit for some families, and we would rather say so:
- College credit matters. Two UCSB Extension credits come with every program.
- You want an in-person option, at Oxbridge or in a wet lab, and can travel.
- Your student is early and a literature review or a six-week group course is the right first step.
- A named professor in a specific field matters more to you than the publication venue.
- A twelve-month project with original data suits your student's schedule.
Who should choose YRI
- The goal is a first-author paper in an IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venue, at a known price.
- Your student needs a finished paper within months, not a year.
- You want ISEF and JSHS preparation included rather than added on.
- You want help that continues until the paper is published, with no hourly cap.
- You want scholarships considered, case by case.
Questions to ask both programs
Our checklist on how to tell if a research program is legit covers more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Indigo Research or YRI better?
It depends on the goal. Indigo offers flexible tiers, named faculty mentors, college credit and in-person options. YRI is built for one outcome, a first-author paper in IEEE, Springer or Elsevier venues, at $2,997 with competition preparation included, and 87% of Fellows publish.
How much does Indigo Research cost?
Indigo's site says one-on-one tuition starts at $3,900 and IRIS starts at $4,200. Prices for the Researcher and Innovator tiers and the in-person programs are not published. Indigo says it does not currently offer scholarships.
How much does YRI cost?
$2,997, or three payments of $999. That includes the PhD mentor, editing, submission, ISEF and JSHS preparation, a mentor letter of recommendation and help until the paper is published.
Is Indigo Research connected to Crimson Education?
Yes. Crimson Education markets its research mentorship under the Indigo Research name. See our YRI vs Crimson Education comparison.
Does Indigo Research include publication support?
At the Researcher tier, 3 hours and submission to 2 journals. At Innovator, 6 hours and submission to 3 journals. The Explorer tier does not include publication support.
How the YRI Fellowship helps your student publish
If the goal is a published paper, science fair results and a stronger college application, the YRI Fellowship is built for that. Your student meets a PhD mentor 1:1 every week for 10 weeks, the editing team reviews every draft, and the publishing team submits the paper to IEEE, Springer or Elsevier journals and conferences. ISEF and JSHS preparation and a mentor letter of recommendation are included, and help continues free until the paper is published. More than 1,000 students from 50+ countries have joined, and no research experience is needed.
See how the YRI Fellowship works, and compare every inclusion on the pricing page.
Sources
- Indigo Research: High School Research Program (Explorer, Researcher and Innovator tiers, hours, outcomes, publication support, tuition from $3,900, scholarships)
- Indigo Research: homepage (formats, mentors, journals, UCSB credit)
- Indigo Research: one-on-one mentorship page (tuition, mentor network)
- Indigo Research: IRIS (six weeks, 13 spots, cohort dates, tuition from $4,200, IJHSR papers)
- Crimson Education UK: Indigo Research landing page
- YRI: Indigo Research review
- YRI Fellowship: program details
- YRI Fellowship: pricing
- YRI case study: Ashwajit W., Springer paper in two months
