Research opportunities for high school students

Your passion is your college edge

Make your college application unforgettable. Work with an expert mentor to create and publish a personalized project that helps you stand out.

92%

acceptance rate to R1 universities

2,000+

Completed projects, and counting!

1,500+

Expert mentors from top US universities

Why Polygence?

Polygence is an online research program founded by Harvard, MIT and Stanford researchers dedicated to democratizing access to research opportunities for high school students.

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A proven edge in college admissions

  • 92% acceptance rate to R1 universities
  • 56% acceptance rate to Top 25 US universities
  • Research projects can raise your chance of admission to Harvard to 68%
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A passion that will help you thrive

  • Work 1-on-1 with a PhD-level mentor
  • Test drive potential college majors and careers
  • 84% of students say work with their mentors made them excited about their future
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A publication that will make you stand out

  • 91% of our students publicly showcase their work
  • 70% who publish do so in peer-reviewed journals
  • Other ways to publish include podcasts, plays, websites, apps, open source software, and more

Projects that help you get into your dream college

92%

of Polygence students accepted at R1 research universities

88%

of students said things they learned in their Polygence projects will help or have already helped them succeed in college

80%

of students said Polygence had influenced what they’d like to study in college or do for their career

Which Polygence Program is right for you?

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The Core Program

The Polygence Core Program pairs students with an expert mentor to explore their unique research interest over a structured 10-session project, deepening the student’s research skills and building a student-driven research outcome they can proudly showcase.

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The Pathfinders Bundle

The Pathfinders Bundle is a two-part research program that pairs students with expert mentors to explore areas of research and refine a unique project idea. Students then partner with an expert to complete that research over the course of a 13-session project.

A student showcasing her research

Premium Showcasing Bundle

The Premium Showcasing Bundle is a two-part research and publication project experience that pairs students with a set of expert mentors to both support their research and design a structured plan for sharing their research work creatively in a publication or showcasing opportunity.

Polygence and UCI x Gifted and Talented Institute (GATI) college credit program

We are proud to partner with the pre-collegiate Gifted and Talented Institute at University of California Irvine, one of the top US research universities, to award college credits for research papers written in our mentorships.

Polygence and University of California partnership

Passion Project Examples

Mentor Spotlight

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Expert mentors from top universities and industries

Polygence mentors are selected based on their exceptional academic background, teaching experience, and unique ability to inspire the next generation of innovative thinkers.

Our expert mentors come from the top universities in the world. Once you embark on your Polygence project, we take into account your background and passion to match you with the best mentor for you. Polygence has a pool of 2000+ mentors with over 40 subjects represented, so we can find the right expert to guide you throughout your research. Your mentor will coach you through your project and expose you to academic research beyond the high school level.

Universities and Industries

Interested in becoming a mentor?

Our Innovation Partners

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Stanford University and Polygence research partnership

Polygence has partnered with Stanford University to provide state-of-the-art pedagogical feedback for our mentors.

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MIT and Polygence partner through the Sandbox Innovation Program

Polygence was incubated at MIT as part of its Sandbox Innovation Program.

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Forbes recently recognized Jin’s far-reaching impact on education with a place on its 30 Under 30 List for 2023

Polygence co-founder Jin Yun Chow