High School Internship Opportunities

Discover professional internships and work experience programs designed for high school students. Build your resume with real-world experience.

Types of Internships

  • STEM research internships at universities and labs
  • Business and finance summer internships
  • Government and nonprofit internship programs
  • Tech company high school internship programs
  • Medical and healthcare shadowing opportunities

Current internship listings

47 matching programs are listed in the directory right now. The most recently added:

  • White House Internship Program — The White House: Gain hands-on leadership experience with this prestigious White House internship. Perfect for building government skills and boosting college applicat
  • Microsoft High School Internship Program — Microsoft: Paid summer internship offering hands-on computer science experience for high school juniors and seniors. Boost college applications while developing
  • Scripps Research High School Internship Program — Scripps Research: Gain hands-on biomedical research experience in this free high school internship for grades 11-12. Build STEM skills and boost college applications th
  • Girls Who Invest Summer Intensive Program — Girls Who Invest: Highly selective free 4-week summer program placing high school girls and nonbinary students at top investment management firms for training in financ
  • Goldman Sachs Possibilities Summit — Goldman Sachs: Selective multi-day career exploration program at Goldman Sachs headquarters for high school juniors from underrepresented groups interested in financ
  • Fermilab TARGET Program — Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory: Summer research internship at premier US particle physics laboratory. Work with world-class physicists on cutting-edge experiments. Exceptional prepar
  • Science Internship Program (SIP) at UC Santa Cruz — UC Santa Cruz: 8-week summer research internship. Students work in UCSC research labs. Competitive admission.
  • NIH Summer Internship Program — National Institutes of Health: Eight-week paid research internship at National Institutes of Health. Work alongside NIH scientists on biomedical research projects.
  • Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: Paid laboratory internships in cancer and biomedical research.
  • Garcia Summer Scholars Program — Stony Brook University: Residential research program at Stony Brook University.
  • American University Washington Semester for High School — American University: DC-based government and policy summer program at American University. Internships and coursework in the nation's capital.
  • NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research — National Institutes of Health: Paid 8-week research internship at NIH. Work with leading scientists.
  • Mikva Challenge Summer Fellows — Mikva Challenge: Gain hands-on experience in government and civic leadership with this paid summer internship for grades 10-12. Build skills and strengthen your colleg
  • WCS High School Internship Program — Wildlife Conservation Society: Explore a paid summer internship at the Bronx Zoo or New York Aquarium! Gain hands-on biology and conservation experience to boost skills and strength
  • Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Internships — Smithsonian Institution: Explore hands-on high school research internships in environmental science at the Smithsonian. Build skills in ecology, boost college applications, an
  • State Department Student Programs — U.S. Department of State: Explore leadership and government through free State Department internships and exchange programs. Gain hands-on diplomacy experience to boost college
  • NASA Internships - High School — NASA: Gain hands-on STEM experience through a paid NASA internship. Perfect for high school students in grades 10-12 to boost college applications and build
  • NIH High School Summer Internship Program (HS-SIP) — National Institutes of Health (OITE): Explore biomedical research through a paid summer internship at NIH labs. Gain hands-on STEM experience, boost college applications, and work with top
  • BioBuilder Apprenticeship Challenge — BioBuilder Educational Foundation: Selective biotech internship and training for high school students in grades 10-12. Build real-world synthetic biology skills and boost college applic
  • AIMI Summer Research Internship — Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine & Imaging: Two-week fully virtual Stanford AIMI internship where high schoolers do mentored, small-team AI-in-healthcare research with lectures from Stanford exp
  • TurnUp Pre-College Program — TurnUp: Pre-college program at TurnUp for high school students focusing on youth activism remote internship.
  • Ladder Internships — Ladder Internships: Virtual internship program connecting high school students with startup and organizational work experiences.
  • Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Internship — The Ronald Reagan Foundation: Internship at the Reagan Presidential Library focused on leadership, communication, and civic engagement.
  • Youthcast Media Group Journalism Boot Camps and Workshops — Youthcast Media Group: Virtual journalism boot camps and reporting workshops where high schoolers nationwide cover health and safety issues with veteran-journalist mentors;

View all internships in the directory

Frequently Asked Questions

Can high school students get internships?

Yes, many organizations offer internship programs specifically for high school students. These range from summer research programs at universities to corporate internship tracks at major companies. Some programs accept students as young as 14-15, while most target juniors and seniors.

Are high school internships paid?

It varies by program. Many high school internships are unpaid or offer modest stipends rather than hourly wages. Some competitive research programs provide housing and living expenses. Always check program details for compensation information.

When should I apply for summer internships?

Most summer internship applications open in fall or early winter, with deadlines between December and March. Competitive research programs like RSI have November deadlines. Start researching opportunities early in the school year.

Do internships help with college admissions?

Internships can strengthen college applications by demonstrating initiative, intellectual curiosity, and real-world experience. They provide concrete material for application essays and may lead to recommendation letters from mentors outside school.

How do I find local internships?

Check with your school counselor, search local business directories, and reach out directly to organizations that interest you. Many small businesses and nonprofits are open to hosting high school interns even if they don't formally advertise programs.