Internships for High School Freshmen 2026 | Entry-Level Programs

Internships let high schoolers test-drive a field, build professional skills, and earn references long before college. Even a few weeks of real work experience helps clarify your interests and strengthens an application narrative. Ninth grade is for exploration. Try several activities, join a club or two, and start building habits — depth can come later once you have found what genuinely interests you.

Opportunities range from NIH and NASA programs to local startups, hospitals, law offices, and research labs; many are summer-based, and a growing number are remote.

Hands-on experience signals maturity and direction, and an internship often becomes the seed of an essay, a recommendation letter, or a long-term mentor relationship.

How to get started with internships

  1. Get concrete about the field and the kind of work you want — 'help a bio lab run assays' beats 'an internship somewhere.'
  2. Map your network first: teachers, family friends, alumni, and local businesses are the most reachable entry points.
  3. Apply early to structured summer programs (NIH, NASA, university labs) as your backbone while you email locally.
  4. Send a short, tailored pitch: who you are, one specific reason you want their work, and exactly how you'd help.
  5. Say yes to small, unglamorous tasks — reliability early turns a two-week trial into a real reference and mentor.

Featured programs

Browse 15+ curated programs for high school students:

  • 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.
  • Washington State Legislature Page Program — Washington State Legislature: Paid one-week page service in the Washington State House or Senate for students aged 14-16: floor duties, daily Page School on state government, and $
  • Virginia House of Delegates Page Program — Virginia General Assembly: Full-session paid page service in the Virginia House of Delegates for 13- and 14-year-olds: capitol duties in Richmond, nightly study hall, and a Page
  • UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Academy — UPMC Hillman Cancer Center / University of Pittsburgh: Free 7-week summer research internship in Pittsburgh pairing high school students (15+) with University of Pittsburgh mentors for 30-35 hours a week o
  • Saturday Academy ASE Internships — Saturday Academy: Eight-week, full-time summer STEM research internships placing ~70 Oregon and SW Washington high schoolers with mentors at universities, research inst
  • Science for Success Teen Internship — Cleveland Museum of Natural History: Paid multi-year museum internship for Cleveland-area students starting as rising 9th graders: earn $11/hour with the Cleveland Museum of Natural Histo
  • Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program — California Academy of Sciences: Multi-year, year-round paid internship at the California Academy of Sciences for San Francisco public school students from communities underrepresente
  • 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;
  • Youth Journalism International — Youth Journalism International: Free global online newsroom (since 1994) where students 19 and under report real stories with coaching from experienced editors, publish international
  • Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Internships — Smithsonian Institution: Smithsonian internships in folklife research, the Folklife Festival, Folkways Recordings, archives, and education - explicitly open to high school stu
  • MediaWise Teen Fact-Checking Network — The Poynter Institute: Poynter MediaWise's virtual newsroom where US middle and high schoolers debunk viral misinformation, publishing fact-checks and 'Is This Legit?' media
  • CodeDay Labs Internship Program — CodeDay: Build real open-source software in this free virtual internship for high schoolers. Gain hands-on coding experience, boost college apps, and learn fro

Frequently asked questions

What should a freshman focus on?

Explore broadly, build study habits, and start one activity you can commit to long term. There is no need to specialize yet.

Can high school students really get internships?

Yes, though many formal corporate internships have age limits. Smaller organizations, university labs, nonprofits, and structured summer programs are the most accessible entry points.

Are high school internships paid?

Some are (NIH and certain government and corporate programs), many are unpaid, and some are part of a paid summer program. Filter by cost below.

How do I find an internship with no experience?

Lead with curiosity: email local professionals, use school and family networks, and apply early to structured programs. Our internships guide walks through the process.