Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program guide | RISE Research

TL;DR: The Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program (ESRP) is a competitive, school-based research program run by Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. It gives high school teams access to Argonne's scientific facilities to conduct original experiments over an academic year. Acceptance is limited and requires a faculty sponsor. If you want a guaranteed individual research outcome with a published paper, RISE Research is the strongest alternative. Our deadline is closing soon.

Introduction

The Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program guide begins with one important fact: Argonne National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy facility that has operated for over 75 years and hosts research across more than 200 scientific fields. Access to its resources is rare for high school students. The ESRP is one of the few structured pathways that makes that access possible.

The challenge is real. The Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program is school-based and team-based. It requires a faculty sponsor, a school in a qualifying region, and a competitive application. Many students find out about it too late, or their school does not have an active sponsor. Others apply and are not selected.

RISE Research exists for exactly that situation. RISE is a selective 1-on-1 mentorship program where high school students in Grades 9 through 12 conduct original, university-level research under PhD mentors from Ivy League and Oxbridge institutions. Every student who completes the program produces a peer-reviewed published paper, regardless of which other programs they apply to. With a 90% publication success rate and mentors published in 40+ academic journals, RISE delivers a verifiable research outcome that appears directly in your Common App.

What Is the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program and Who Is It For?

The Argonne ESRP is a school-year research program for high school students in the Chicago metropolitan area. Teams of students work with a faculty mentor and Argonne scientists to design and conduct experiments using Argonne's advanced scientific equipment. It is run by Argonne National Laboratory and targets students in Grades 9 through 12 with strong interest in STEM fields.

The program is administered through Argonne's Educational Programs Office. Participating schools must apply as a team, led by a faculty sponsor who coordinates with Argonne staff. Students gain access to facilities and instrumentation that are not available in standard high school labs, including synchrotron beamlines and high-performance computing resources.

The program runs across the academic year rather than as a short intensive. Teams develop a research question, collect and analyze data at Argonne, and present findings at a concluding symposium. It is designed for students who want genuine scientific inquiry rather than a structured curriculum or lecture series.

Eligibility is effectively limited to schools in the greater Chicago region with an engaged faculty sponsor. Students outside Illinois, or whose schools do not have an active ESRP sponsor, cannot participate. For more on research opportunities available to students in the region, see our guide to research programs for high school students in Chicago.

Official program information is available at: https://www.anl.gov/education/exemplary-student-research-program

How Competitive Is the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program?

The Argonne ESRP does not publish a numerical acceptance rate. Acceptance depends on the strength of the proposed research question, the qualifications of the faculty sponsor, and the availability of Argonne scientists to mentor the project. Competition is real: not every school that applies is accepted, and not every proposed project is approved.

A strong ESRP application typically includes a clearly defined scientific question, evidence that the team has the background to pursue it, and a faculty sponsor with prior research experience or a relationship with Argonne. Schools that have participated in previous years have an advantage because their sponsors already have established contacts within the lab.

For first-time applicants, the barrier is higher. Without an existing sponsor relationship, a school must invest significant time building one before the application is competitive. Students who are highly motivated but attend schools without an active ESRP sponsor are effectively excluded from the program regardless of their individual ability.

RISE Research takes a different approach. Acceptance is based on research readiness and intellectual curiosity, not school affiliation or geographic location. Any student in Grades 9 through 12, anywhere in the world, can apply. The 90% publication success rate reflects a model built around individual student outcomes rather than institutional access. View RISE admissions and publication results to understand what that looks like in practice.

What Does the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program Actually Involve?

ESRP students work in teams across the academic year. The program is not a summer intensive. Students visit Argonne's facilities multiple times to collect data, then work with their faculty sponsor and Argonne scientists to analyze results and develop conclusions. The program culminates in a symposium where teams present their findings.

The research topics vary by year and by the scientific interests of participating teams. Past projects have spanned materials science, environmental science, biology, and physics, depending on which Argonne facilities are available and which scientists agree to mentor a given team.

The program produces a research presentation and a written report. These are meaningful outputs. However, they are internal to the ESRP symposium and are not independently peer-reviewed or published in an academic journal. For college applications, this means the output is verifiable as participation in the program, but it does not carry the same weight as a peer-reviewed publication in an independent journal.

RISE Research produces a different kind of output. Every student publishes a peer-reviewed paper in one of 40+ academic journals. That paper is independently verified, citable, and can be listed directly in the Common App Activities section. It is the strongest research signal available to a high school student. See RISE student publications to review examples across subject areas.

How Does the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program Compare to Doing Research with RISE?

Both the Argonne ESRP and RISE Research offer high school students access to real scientific inquiry. They are different paths designed for different students.

The Argonne ESRP is place-based, team-based, and school-mediated. It gives students access to world-class physical infrastructure that cannot be replicated online. If your school has an active sponsor and your team is accepted, the experience of working inside a national laboratory is genuinely distinctive.

RISE Research is fully online, individually focused, and produces a guaranteed verifiable output. The 1-on-1 mentorship model means your research question is developed around your specific interests, not a team consensus. Your mentor is a PhD-level expert, published in your field. The 10-week program ends with a peer-reviewed paper in an independent journal, which is directly listable in your college application.

RISE scholars have achieved an 18% acceptance rate to Stanford (versus 8.7% for the general applicant pool) and a 32% acceptance rate to UPenn (versus 3.8%). These outcomes reflect what a published research credential does for an application. Explore the RISE mentor network to see the depth of expertise available across scientific fields.

Many students pursue both. They apply to ESRP through their school and simultaneously complete a RISE project that produces a published paper. The two outcomes complement each other on a college application.

Our deadline is closing soon. Book a free Research Assessment to find out what is achievable in your timeline.

RISE Research is open to students across the United States and internationally. Our deadline is closing soon. Book a free Research Assessment to find out what is achievable in your timeline.

What to Do If You Do Not Get Into the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program

Rejection from the ESRP is common and does not reflect your potential as a researcher. The program's constraints are structural: limited spots, geographic requirements, and school-based access mean that many strong students are excluded for reasons unrelated to their ability.

RISE Research is the strongest first alternative. It is open to any student in Grades 9 through 12, requires no school sponsor, and produces a peer-reviewed published paper with a 90% success rate. You work 1-on-1 with a PhD mentor in your subject area, and the output is directly usable in your college application. View RISE student research projects to see the range of topics students have pursued.

Beyond RISE, students in the Chicago area can explore other regional research opportunities. The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) runs student inquiry programs for Illinois residents. The University of Chicago's Collegiate Scholars Program offers academic enrichment for Chicago-area high school students. For a broader view of what is available in the region, see our guide to research programs for high school students in the Chicago suburbs.

The key point: not getting into the ESRP does not mean losing your research opportunity. RISE removes the access barriers entirely and delivers a stronger application outcome through publication.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program

How do I apply to the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program?

Applications to the Argonne ESRP are submitted by a faculty sponsor on behalf of a student team, not by individual students. Your school's science teacher or department head must initiate contact with Argonne's Educational Programs Office and submit a team application. Individual students cannot apply independently. Visit Argonne's official ESRP page for current application guidance.

If your school does not have an active ESRP sponsor, the first step is identifying a faculty member willing to take on that role. This process takes time and is not guaranteed to succeed before the next application cycle.

Is the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program free or paid?

The Argonne ESRP does not charge tuition to participating students or schools. Access to Argonne's facilities and scientist mentorship is provided at no cost as part of the program. However, there may be transportation costs for schools traveling to the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois, which individual schools are responsible for covering.

Students should confirm current cost details directly with Argonne's Educational Programs Office, as program logistics can change between cycles.

Does the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program help with college admissions?

Participation in the Argonne ESRP is a meaningful credential for college applications. It demonstrates access to a national laboratory, genuine scientific inquiry, and the ability to work on a team research project. Admissions officers at selective universities recognize Argonne as a credible institution.

The limitation is that the program produces a research presentation rather than a peer-reviewed published paper. A published paper in an independent journal is independently verifiable and carries more weight as an admissions signal. RISE Research produces exactly that outcome, with scholars achieving a 3x higher acceptance rate to Top 10 universities compared to the general applicant pool.

What do I do if I do not get into the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program?

RISE Research is the strongest first step. It is fully online, open to any student in Grades 9 through 12, and produces a peer-reviewed published paper with a 90% publication success rate. No school sponsor is required. You work 1-on-1 with a PhD mentor in your chosen field and end the program with a credential that appears directly in your college application.

Other options include university-affiliated research programs in the Chicago area and national programs open to individual applicants. RISE remains the most accessible path to a guaranteed published research outcome. See RISE scholar awards and recognition for the full scope of outcomes students have achieved.

Can international students apply to the Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program?

The Argonne ESRP is designed for high school students in the greater Chicago metropolitan area and requires in-person visits to Argonne's campus in Lemont, Illinois. International students are not the target population for this program and would face significant logistical barriers to participation.

RISE Research is fully online and open to students in any country. International students make up a significant portion of the RISE scholar community. If you are outside the United States and want a genuine research outcome for your college application, RISE is the most direct path available.

Conclusion

The Argonne Exemplary Student Research Program offers something rare: direct access to a national laboratory for high school students. For students whose schools have an active sponsor and whose teams are accepted, it is a distinctive experience worth pursuing.

But the program's structural limits are real. It is regional, team-based, and school-mediated. Many strong students are excluded before the application even begins.

RISE Research removes those barriers. Any student in Grades 9 through 12, anywhere in the world, can work 1-on-1 with a PhD mentor, conduct original research in their field of interest, and publish a peer-reviewed paper in an independent academic journal. RISE scholars achieve an 18% acceptance rate to Stanford and a 32% acceptance rate to UPenn. Those outcomes are built on published research credentials that admissions officers can verify independently.

Our deadline is closing soon. If you want a real research outcome on your college application, schedule a free Research Assessment and we will tell you exactly what is achievable in your timeline.