Professors do take high school students into their labs and projects. Not most of them, and not often, but it happens, and it almost always starts with a short, specific email. This guide shows you how to find the right people, what to write, and what to do when (not if) most of them do not reply.
Set realistic expectations first
Cold emailing is a numbers game with a quality filter. Most professors are busy, many have policies or liability rules that make hosting minors difficult, and some simply never answer unsolicited email. A low response rate is normal and says nothing about you.
What raises your odds:
- Writing to the right people (not the most famous ones)
- Showing you read their work
- Asking for something specific and small
- Sending enough emails, over a few weeks, to get a few real conversations
Plan to contact 10 to 20 people, carefully, rather than 100 people with a template.
Step 1: Figure out what you actually want
Before you search, decide:
- Your field. Be as specific as you can. “Biology” is broad. “Plant responses to drought” or “computational models of protein folding” gives you search terms.
- Your format. Do you want to help in a lab in person, work remotely on data or code, read papers and discuss them, or get advice on your own project? Remote and project-feedback asks are much easier for professors to say yes to.
- Your time. Be honest about how many hours a week you can commit during the school year and summer.
Step 2: Find the right professors
Start local
Universities near you are the best bet, especially for in-person work. Go to the department website, open the faculty list, and read each person’s research summary.
Look beyond big names
Assistant professors, postdocs, and graduate students running their own projects often have more time and more need for help than senior faculty. A grad student who says yes is a real opportunity.
Read their recent work
For each person on your list, look at their lab website and one or two recent papers or abstracts. You do not need to understand every detail. You need to understand enough to ask one good question. Google Scholar is useful for finding recent publications.
Keep a tracking sheet
Columns: name, title, university, email, research area, one specific thing from their work, date emailed, follow-up date, response.
Step 3: Build something to show
Professors respond to evidence that you can do things. Before emailing, have at least one of these:
- A small project in the field: a data analysis, a coding project, a science fair experiment, a literature review
- Relevant coursework or skills (Python, R, lab techniques, statistics)
- A short resume or a one-page project summary
If you do not have anything yet, start a small independent project first. Our list of passion project ideas has research-friendly options, and running a project with others (like a research club, see how to start a club in high school) also shows initiative.
Step 4: Write the email
Keep it under 200 words. Professors skim.
Subject line
Make it specific: “High school student interested in your work on drought-tolerant crops.” Avoid “Research opportunity?” or “Hello.”
Structure
- Who you are (one sentence): name, grade, school.
- Why them (two to three sentences): something specific from their work and why it interests you. This is the most important part.
- What you have done (one to two sentences): a relevant project, skill, or course.
- Your ask (one sentence): specific and easy to say yes to.
- Thank them and sign off with your full name and contact info.
Attach a resume or one-page summary as a PDF.
Sample email
Subject: High school junior interested in your work on urban heat islands
Dear Professor Rivera,
My name is Maya Chen, and I am a junior at Lincoln High School in Portland. I read your 2025 paper on tree canopy and surface temperatures across city neighborhoods, and I was struck by how much the gap changed between residential and commercial blocks.
This fall I mapped tree cover around my school using public satellite data and Python, and I would like to learn how researchers handle this kind of analysis rigorously.
Would you or a member of your lab be open to a 15-minute call, or would there be any way I could help with data processing on a current project? I can commit about six hours a week.
I have attached a one-page summary of my project. Thank you for your time.
Best, Maya Chen [email] | [phone]
Write your own version. Do not copy this word for word, because professors can tell when an email is a template.
Mistakes to avoid
- Calling a professor “Mr.” or “Ms.” instead of “Professor” or “Dr.”
- Sending the same email with only the name swapped
- Asking for a “research position” with no detail on what you can do
- Writing a long autobiography
- Typos. Have a teacher or parent read it first.
Step 5: Follow up once
If you do not hear back in about a week or two, send one short, polite follow-up in the same thread: “I wanted to follow up on my note below in case it got buried. I would still love to learn more about your work.” If there is still no reply, move on and do not take it personally.
Step 6: If someone says yes
Reply quickly and be easy to work with:
- Clarify expectations. Hours, tasks, whether it is remote or in person, and who you report to.
- Loop in your parent or guardian. Universities often have rules for minors on campus, including forms, supervision, and lab safety training. Expect paperwork and be patient with it.
- Show up prepared. Read the papers they send. Take notes. Ask questions.
- Deliver on small tasks first. Reliability on boring work leads to more interesting work.
Keep a log of what you do. If the work leads to a poster, a paper, or a presentation, you will want details later.
Step 7: If no one says yes
That is common, and you have options:
- Ask for a call instead of a position. A 15-minute conversation can lead to advice, reading lists, or introductions.
- Email graduate students in labs you are interested in.
- Do independent research and ask a teacher to advise you.
- Look for structured programs: some universities and organizations run research programs for high schoolers, though many are competitive and some charge tuition.
- Connect through college clubs. College research clubs and student organizations are often more approachable than faculty. Venn is a free program that connects high schoolers who are already building things with college clubs and companies in their field.
The same cold email skills also help if you want mentors for a nonprofit or a business.
FAQ
Is it okay for a high school student to email a professor?
Yes. Professors get emails from students all the time. Be polite, specific, and brief. The worst outcome is no reply.
How do I get a research opportunity in high school?
Start a small project in your field, identify 10 to 20 professors or grad students doing related work, send short personalized emails with a specific ask, and follow up once. Structured research programs and college clubs are other paths in.
What should I say when emailing a professor for research?
Introduce yourself in one sentence, explain what specifically interests you about their work, mention a relevant project or skill, and make a small, clear ask, like a short call or helping with a specific task.
How long should I wait before following up with a professor?
About one to two weeks. Send one polite follow-up in the same email thread. If there is no answer after that, move on to the next person on your list.
Do professors take high school students?
Some do, especially when the student has relevant skills and the work can be done remotely or with supervision. Many cannot because of time or university policies on minors, so contact several people.
Get help building it
If you are already working on a research project or something else in your field, apply to Venn. It is free, runs seasons, and picks a small batch of high school and college students who are building things, then connects them with college clubs and companies in their field. Apply here.