Seattle Children's Summer Scholars Program: $7,100 Paid Undergraduate Research Internship (2026 Historical Reference)

Seattle Children’s Summer Scholars Program (2026 historical reference)

Status: historical reference. The summer 2026 application period has closed. Seattle Children’s official applicant guidelines say to check back for information about summer 2027 programming in the fall, but they do not publish a 2027 application date, deadline, or application link yet. There is no open application to submit at this time. This page keeps the confirmed 2026 details available so prospective applicants can prepare without mistaking an old deadline for a live opportunity.

The program is a nine-week, full-time undergraduate research internship at Seattle Children’s Research Institute in Seattle, Washington. Scholars join research teams under the mentorship of experienced researchers and work in areas such as biomedical science, behavioral health, public health, and related STEM fields. The official program describes the work as authentic research carried out as an integral part of a Seattle Children’s research team, not simply a tour, lecture series, or short observation placement.

Confirmed 2026 cycle details

The official guidelines list this timeline for the cycle that has ended:

• Application period: November 17, 2025 to January 2, 2026
• Letters of recommendation due: January 16, 2026
• Acceptance notifications: by the end of March
• Project matching: April to May 15, 2026
• Internship: June 15, 2026 to August 14, 2026, for nine weeks

The January 2 date is the closed cycle’s application deadline recorded in this page’s metadata. The later January 16 date applied to recommendation letters, not to the initial application. Because the official site has not announced the next cycle, neither date should be presented as a current opportunity deadline. When Seattle Children’s posts the 2027 information, applicants should use that new page content rather than assume that the prior calendar will repeat exactly.

Compensation and program structure

The official program page says that scholars receive a $7,100 stipend, a $400 food stipend, and an ORCA card for Seattle-area public transportation to use during the internship. The compensation is tied to participation in the internship; it is not a general scholarship or a payment for submitting an application. The program does not state on the current official page that it provides housing, so applicants should plan for their own accommodation and living arrangements in Seattle.

The research placement lasts nine weeks and requires 35 hours per week of mentored research activities. Seattle Children’s matches each scholar with a mentor whose research aligns with the areas the applicant identifies. The program also includes a planned curriculum, biweekly professional development activities, instruction related to responsible and ethical conduct of research, networking, and community-building opportunities.

The final work has a public-facing academic component within the program: each scholar publishes an abstract of the research project and presents the research at the poster symposium in the program’s final week. That means the experience includes more than time in a laboratory or research office. Participants are expected to learn how a project is communicated to an audience and how research findings are presented in a concise format.

Eligibility

The following points come from Seattle Children’s applicant guidelines and describe the published 2026 requirements. They should be checked again when the 2027 information appears because an updated cycle can change its rules.

Applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years old by the start of the program.
• Have a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
• Be currently enrolled, or be enrolled by the relevant time, in an undergraduate, community, or technical college.
• Be in good standing with their academic institution.
• Have a strong background and interest in the biomedical sciences, behavioral health, public health, or a related STEM field.
• Have strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, including attention to detail.
• Follow procedures protecting confidential research information, personal privacy, and Seattle Children’s business operations.
• Conduct themselves consistently with Seattle Children’s values of compassion, excellence, equity, innovation, integrity, and collaboration.

Students currently in graduate school or medical school are not eligible to apply. Students who graduate before the program start date are also not eligible. If graduation timing is close to the start of a future cohort, an applicant should ask the program team for a written answer before relying on eligibility.

The internship is in person. Scholars must be able to reside in Seattle or within commuting distance for the full duration, and Seattle Children’s does not arrange or provide housing. The guidelines also say that scholars must attend the entire program: the planned full-time curriculum does not allow for vacations or other time away, and late starts or early departures cannot be accommodated. An applicant living elsewhere needs a realistic housing and transportation plan before applying.

Prior formal research experience is not required. The program says that applicants seeking their first formal research internship will be prioritized over applicants who have completed other research internship programs. Coursework, volunteer work, employment, community involvement, and careful explanations of scientific interests can therefore matter even when an applicant has never held a formal lab position.

What the 2026 application required

No application is currently open, but the official guidelines identify three materials for the closed cycle. These are useful preparation targets for a future round, not a guarantee that the 2027 form will be identical.

Resume

The resume was expected to include the applicant’s name; contact information, including address, phone number, and email; college and anticipated graduation year; major or anticipated major and minor if applicable; awards and honors; volunteer or work experience such as community service or clubs and organizations; leadership roles; and relevant skills and strengths.

This list leaves room for applicants who have built useful skills outside a laboratory. A campus organization, a community project, a job requiring careful records, or sustained volunteer work can help a reviewer understand how the applicant handles responsibility and works with other people. The strongest resume should be accurate, easy to scan, and connected to the research interests named elsewhere in the application.

Personal statement

The official prompts asked applicants to address four subjects:

1. Who they are and why they are interested in the internship.
2. Their role in ensuring that scientific advancements and biomedical research benefit everyone.
3. Their career goals and how the internship would help them reach those goals.
4. Previous work, volunteer experience, or skills relevant to the program.

The second prompt is not answered by saying only that science is important. It asks the applicant to consider who benefits from research, how access and representation affect outcomes, and what responsibility the applicant would carry in that work. A focused example from coursework, employment, volunteering, or a community setting is more useful than a broad claim about wanting to help people.

Mentor letter of recommendation

The applicant needed to identify someone who could speak about their passion, natural curiosity, goals, career aspirations, and likely benefit from the program. The application was not complete until the letter arrived, and the applicant was responsible for giving the reference enough advance notice and ensuring that the letter was submitted on time. For the 2026 cycle, letters were due January 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

A future applicant should choose a recommender who has actually observed their work or growth. A detailed letter from a professor, supervisor, or community mentor who can describe how the applicant asks questions, handles feedback, or follows through is more useful than a generic endorsement from someone with a prestigious title but little direct knowledge of the applicant.

How to use this historical entry

There is no current application action to take from this page. The correct next step is to monitor the official Seattle Children’s Summer Scholars Program page and its applicant-guidelines page for the 2027 announcement. The organization says the next programming information will be provided in the fall. Until that announcement appears, do not submit materials to an old form, rely on the 2026 January dates, or treat an unofficial page as a substitute for the Seattle Children’s instructions.

Preparation can still be concrete. A prospective applicant can assemble a resume with the requested sections, write responses to the four personal-statement topics, identify a mentor who knows their work, and think through the Seattle commuting or housing requirement. They can also review the research areas represented by Seattle Children’s Research Institute so they can describe an informed interest when the next form opens. None of that creates eligibility for a closed cycle, but it reduces the rush when the official announcement arrives.

Applicants with questions that the published criteria do not settle should contact the Summer Scholars Program team through the official Seattle Children’s page. This is especially important for questions about graduation timing, SSN or ITIN requirements, enrollment status, work authorization, and the practical meaning of residing within commuting distance. The official source is the right place to confirm those issues when the next cycle is posted.

Quick reference

The dates and requirements in this table describe the official 2026 cycle. The next cycle may use a different schedule or ask for different materials. Check the official page before treating any item here as current.

Official source

Seattle Children’s Summer Scholars Program — Guidelines for Applicants

The page is maintained by Seattle Children’s and is the source to use for the next application announcement, deadline, eligibility rules, compensation, and submission instructions.