SSP Admission

Admission

Admission to the Summer Student Program is competitive, and students of all backgrounds are selected.  All students receive a stipend of $6,500 for the 10-week program, including room and board.  The cost of round-trip travel between the student's home and the Laboratory is also provided. 

Students are required to attend the entire program.  Students with date conflicts are encouraged to apply despite the conflicts; JAX staff will assist admitted students in negotiating early release, early finals, etc., to facilitate their on-time participation in the program.  Students with significant date conflicts — such as early departure for overseas study — are encouraged to delay their application for another year. Students must not hold another job or internship during the program.

The 2025 application opened October 26, 2024. 

 Virtual Open Houses

Register for a Virtual Open House and join us to learn more about the program and ask your questions.

• Wednesday December 11 4:00pm EST / 1:00pm PT
• Tuesday January 7 @ 7:00pm EST / 4:00pm PT
• Thursday January 9 11:00am EST/ 8:00am PT

Questions can also be directed to: summerstudents@jax.org.

Application Deadline

The 2025 Summer Student Program application opened October 26, 2024.  The deadline is January 27, 2025 at 5pm EST.

Application materials received after these posted deadlines will be considered late and may not be reviewed. We advise giving your recommender ample time to provide a thoughtful letter. 

Eligibility and Selection

Who is eligible?

Bar Harbor campus accepts applications from eligible high school seniors and undergraduate students.

Farmington accepts applications from eligible undergraduate students only.

The SSP does not restrict applications to a given state or region.

At the time of participation in the 2025 program, a high school student (Bar Harbor) must:

• have completed Grade 12;
• be at least 18 years old; and
• be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

At the time of participation in the 2025 program, a college student (Bar Harbor and Farmington) must:

• be at least 18 years old;
• be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student; 
• have at least one semester of undergraduate study remaining before graduation; and
• be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

How the selection process works:

JAX Genomic Education staff review each individual application.  Considering only the materials submitted within the context of the application (supplemental materials are not permitted), the Summer Student Program will offer fellowships to students whose applications best match our review criteria and programmatic goals.  For example, we look for evidence of the following characteristics:

• an indication of a deep desire to conduct an independent, mentored-research project in the broad area of genetics and genomics;
• academic achievement;
• curiosity and passion for science;
• resilience and problem-solving;
• personal maturity and acceptance of responsibility; and
• aptitude for working independently and within a team.

A diverse community of learners

The Summer Student Program seeks to admit students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.  These efforts enhance the impact of the SSP experience for all participants and support national efforts to expand the biomedical research workforce to individuals from groups underrepresented and underserved in biomedicine.  The SSP will include a diverse community of learners, including members of racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in biomedicine, people from disadvantaged socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities.

Students from groups underrepresented in the sciences are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Application checklist

In addition to standard personal and school information, to complete the online application, you will need to provide:

1. Two letters of recommendation.  Within the online application, you will provide the name and email address of two references.  Each referrer will receive an automated email from Jackson Laboratory Admissions (admissions_noreply@jax.org via technolutions.net) requesting a letter, along with online submission instructions.
   •  Your recommenders should be people who know you and your work well.  To help them write the best letter possible, you should provide your recommender with information about the JAX Summer Student Program as well as why you want to participate in it.  Share a copy of your resume/CV, a list of specific projects that will remind the recommender about the quality of your work, and any other information that you feel is relevant. 
   • Before you submit names into this application system, ask potential recommenders if they are willing and able to provide a strong letter of support and by the deadline.  A strong letter conveys details about you as a student or employee, specific examples of your work, and reasons that you are a good fit for the JAX SSP. 
2. Your informal or unofficial transcript in PDF format. First year college students must also provide their high school transcript. Official transcripts may be requested from those admitted to the program;
3. A list of the science, technology, engineering, and computer science courses you have taken within the past three years, noting which had laboratory components;
4. Your current CV or resume;
5. A ranked list of your top three research interests, or labs, after reviewing our faculty research summaries;
6. A written description of your research interests and rankings of your research area choices; and
7. Four short answer responses (each one in 3,000 characters or less, including spaces) to the following questions:

• What questions in the fields of genetics and genomics are you curious about?
• Describe your role in a recent research project you have done as part of your coursework, as part of the science fair, or in a research position.  What was the project, how long did you work on it, did you have collaborators (if so, who were they), what did you actually do to work toward the project’s current status? 
• Discuss the personal qualities you bring to a team or project environment.  Provide a specific example of a contribution you made to a collaborative project.  If applicable, please describe a collaboration with someone whose customs, habits, and/or traditions are different from your own.
• Please tell us more about yourself by giving us information about what you do when you are not in classes or studying?  Are you a reader, a baker, a dancer a musician or something else?  Do you play a sport?  Do you have a job? Describe what you enjoy about this activity and what glimpse into who you are this activity shows. 

Important notes:

• We suggest that you work on the answers to your essay questions offline and then paste them into your application.
• The application will allow you to save the form and return to it at a later date.  After the application deadline, students will be able to return to their application in read-only mode to review their application status.
• Students can edit their application up to the deadline but must 'submit' by January 27 at 5:00 pm EST (Eastern Standard Time).  Applications that are not submitted, even if complete, will not be reviewed. Application materials received after these posted deadlines will be considered late and may not be reviewed.
• Acceptance notification will be sent via email no later than March 31.

Questions? Email us at summerstudents@jax.org.

Apply Now 

The 2025 application opened October 26, 2024.

High School Students

High School Students Apply Here

College Students must apply through the NSF ETAP application. Follow the steps below to apply:

College Student Application