How to Apply
1. View the eligibility criteria below. If you are ineligible, please consider visiting www.pathwaystoscience.org to find a number of other research opportunities (note that this site is unaffiliated with the American Chemical Society).
2. Receive your parent or guardian’s permission to apply and participate. You will have to verify that you have received this permission, and also provide a parent or guardian’s email address so we can send a confirmation of your application to them.
3. If you are eligible, you can apply to the 2025 Summer Program through the application link. Contact the ACS Project SEED office via email at projectseed@acs.org if you have any additional questions.
Eligibility Requirements
1. All students under 18 must receive the expressed permission of a parent or guardian.
2. Your family’s annual income must not exceed 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines based on family size. Below is a table of those figures for 2024. Students will have to provide documentation to verify household annual income for 2022 or 2023. Please visit the Federal Poverty Guidelines website to see guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii.
3. Preferably a current high school sophomore, junior or senior (2024 high school graduates are eligible). Must have completed at least one course of high school chemistry.
| Household / Family Size | 300% | Household / Family Size | 300% |
| 1 | $45,180 | 8 | $158,160 |
| 2 | $61,320 | 9 | $174,300 |
| 3 | $77,460 | 10 | $190,440 |
| 4 | $93,600 | 11 | $206,580 |
| 5 | $109,740 | 12 | $222,720 |
| 6 | $125,880 | 13 | $238,860 |
| 7 | $142,020 | 14 | $255,000 |
NEW! Methods of Demonstrating Eligibility: Students must provide one of the following to demonstrate financial eligibility
- A copy of a 1040 tax form showing that the annual adjusted gross income within the last 2 years has been 300% or less of the federal poverty guideline for household size
- Documentation showing that the student is eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch Program (FRPL) at his/her/their school
- Documentation showing that the family is eligible for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, SNAP, or WIC for Infants and Children (also referred to as EBT or food stamps)
- Documentation showing participation in a TRIO program such as Upward Bound or other programs geared towards socioeconomically challenged families
- Documentation showing eligibility for SAT/ACT fee waiver