Participating in a summer internship as a high school student is a good way to gain practical experience in your chosen field beyond classroom learning. Whether you’re interested in science, technology, business, or public service, summer high school internships can help you develop advanced skills early. You’ll get to participate in hands-on research, data analysis, engineering design, laboratory work, or professional projects in collaboration with field experts. They also provide a valuable opportunity to explore your academic and career interests before college, helping you gain clarity on potential future pursuits.
Why summer internships matter?
Several reputable organizations and institutions across the United States offer solid internships for high school students in various fields. Many of these programs also provide stipends, allowing you to gain experience while earning an income. In addition to providing you with the opportunity to gain real-world work experience, paid summer internships for high school students also enable you to establish connections with industry experts and professionals, helping you begin to build your professional network at an early stage.
Below, you’ll find a curated list of 15 of the best paid summer internships for high school students. You can also check our guide on free online research programs for high school students for another fruitful way to spend your summer!
15 Paid Summer Internships for High School Students
1. Simons Summer Research Program
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: June 29 – August 7
Application Deadline: February 5
Eligibility: Current high school juniors (16+) who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The Simons Summer Research Program is a highly selective program with an acceptance rate of less than 5%. It offers you the chance to join an active research group at Stony Brook University, where you will work on projects within fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, or computational sciences. You’ll work directly with faculty mentors, running experiments, analyzing datasets using tools like Python, R, or lab-specific software, and documenting results in research abstracts and digital lab notebooks. You’ll also attend weekly seminars that will expose you to advanced scientific methods, from microscopy workflows to computational modeling pipelines. The program concludes with a poster symposium, during which you will present a research poster, gaining the chance to practice scientific communication using discipline-standard formats.
2. Youth Neurology Education and Research Program
Location: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: June 30 – August 8
Application Deadline: November 1 – January 31
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors or recent high school graduates from Massachusetts
The Youth Neurology Education and Research Program places you directly in a neuroscience or clinical neurology research environment where you’ll work with mentors on ongoing investigations. You’ll gain experience with common lab workflows such as data logging, neuroimaging annotation, electrophysiology basics, or literature-based hypothesis building. You can expect to become familiar with tools often used in neurology labs, including Python for data analysis, Excel-based datasets, imaging viewers, and digital lab notebooks. You’ll also participate in structured mentorship and skill-building seminars that help you convert your project work into presentations or manuscripts.
3. Lockheed Martin Space High School Internship Program
Location: Multiple locations across the U.S.
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: November 3 – December 19
Eligibility: High school students (16+) who live within commuting distance of a participating Lockheed Martin Space facility (high school seniors graduating in May are not eligible)
As a high school intern at Lockheed Martin Space, you’ll work alongside engineers on aerospace and defense-related technical projects, giving you exposure to applied physics, systems engineering, and robotics workflows. You’ll gain hands-on experience with tools used across the space industry, such as CAD platforms, basic programming environments, data-collection systems, and engineering documentation software. The program also integrates job shadowing, professional development workshops, and structured mentorship so you understand how large-scale engineering teams coordinate design, testing, and integration cycles. You’ll also participate in facility tours and networking sessions that help you see how subsystems move from concept to production.
4. Bank of America Student Leaders
Location: Various locations across the U.S. + Washington, DC
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: 8 weeks
Application Deadline: October 14 – January 15
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors legally authorized to work in the U.S. and in good academic standing; More info here
As a Student Leader, you’ll spend your summer working in a local nonprofit, where you’ll see up close how programs, budgets, and community partnerships are actually run. You might help track program metrics in spreadsheets or basic databases, support outreach campaigns using email platforms and social media tools, or contribute to event logistics and reporting so your team can evaluate impact. Alongside the on-the-job work, the DC leadership summit pushes you to analyze policy discussions, nonprofit case studies, and cross-sector collaborations using a structured leadership and civic-engagement lens. You’ll get used to reading briefs, preparing talking points, and presenting ideas in small groups, which mirrors how real community decisions get made.
5. Broad Summer Scholars Program
Location: Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA
Stipend: $3,600
Program Dates: June 29 – August 7
Application Deadline: November 24 – January 21
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors attending a MA high school within commuting distance; Must have a B or above in math/science classes
In this six-week program, you join a Broad Institute research group and work on a defined project in areas like genomics, cancer biology, chemical biology, infectious disease, or computational biology. You’ll learn both wet-lab techniques and computational workflows, ranging from PCR, imaging, and cell culture to Python-based data analysis or genomic dataset exploration. The program emphasizes scientific communication, so you’ll build a research poster, practice presenting your findings, and receive direct feedback from mentors and on-staff tutors. Weekly seminars expose you to emerging biomedical research and the computational tools that drive large-scale biological discovery.
6. The Met High School Internship Program
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Stipend: $1,100
Program Dates: July – August
Application Deadline: Early February – early March
Eligibility: 10th-11th graders who live in and attend school in NY, NJ, or CT; Must have working papers and SSN/ITIN; Must not have previously completed a Met internship
During this internship, you’ll work alongside museum professionals across departments such as curatorial, imaging, education, digital media, design, and collections management. You’ll gain hands-on experience with tools used in museum workflows, from digital asset systems and cataloguing software to imaging equipment, gallery interpretation tools, and social media content platforms. The program emphasizes project-based work, giving you opportunities to support exhibition prep, research tasks, visitor engagement, or digital content creation, depending on your placement. You’ll also participate in cohort workshops and networking sessions that introduce you to museum career paths and professional communication standards. By the end of the summer, you’ll have completed structured assignments that reflect real museum operations and build your portfolio for future internships or college applications.
7. Microsoft High School Discovery Program
Location: Microsoft, Redmond, WA, and Atlanta, GA
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: July 7 – August 1
Application Deadline: Opens early February
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors living within 50 miles of Redmond, WA, or attending eligible districts in metro Atlanta; Must have completed pre-calculus
In this four-week internship, you’ll work on technical and design-oriented project tasks that mirror early-career software development workflows at Microsoft. You’ll explore structured exercises in problem-solving, interface design, and basic coding using tools like Visual Studio Code, GitHub, and introductory scripting frameworks. The program integrates mentorship from Microsoft engineers who help you break down project requirements, debug prototypes, and communicate design decisions. You’ll also participate in professional-skills sessions on teamwork, documentation, and iterative development cycles that reflect actual engineering team practices. If you’re considering a future in CS, UX, or engineering, this internship gives you an applied introduction to how large tech organizations run product-focused work.
8. Camp Zon
Location: Virtual
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: July 14 – 25
Application Deadline: Typically January – March
Eligibility: High school students or rising college freshmen (16+) residing in Massachusetts; No prior research experience required
In this two-week virtual research internship, you’ll work with zebrafish as a model system to study blood development and anemia. You’ll design a small research project, formulate hypotheses, and interpret live data generated by scientists running your experiments in the Zon Lab. The curriculum includes training in reading primary scientific literature, basic data-analysis coding, and interpreting microscopy outputs such as GFP-tagged blood cells. You’ll also attend lectures from researchers across cancer biology, stem cell biology, and clinical translation, giving you exposure to real lab workflows and problem-solving approaches. Throughout the program, you’ll receive feedback on experimental design and scientific communication, and you conclude by presenting your team’s findings to the lab.
9. Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) Internship
Location: Amazon offices across the U.S.
Stipend: $40,000 scholarship towards an undergraduate degree
Program Dates: Typically, June – August (exact dates vary by team)
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school seniors applying to or enrolled in the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship program; Must plan to pursue a CS/engineering undergraduate degree
As an AFE intern, you’ll join an Amazon engineering team and work with professional tools used in large-scale systems, including AWS services, code repositories, continuous-integration pipelines, and internal debugging environments. You’ll be paired with mentors and a co-intern to develop features or components that integrate directly into Amazon products such as Alexa, AWS applications, or retail workflow systems. The internship emphasizes disciplined software engineering practices like version control, test-driven development, code reviews, and documentation standards. You’ll also gain exposure to Amazon’s engineering culture through design discussions, stand-up meetings, and technical deep dives that reflect how high-scale systems are built. Most interns complete and ship production-level code by the end of the summer, giving you concrete technical experience before starting college.
10. Monell Science Apprenticeship Program (MSAP)
Location: Monell Center, Philadelphia, PA
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: January 9
Eligibility: High school students eligible to work in the U.S.; Must reside in Greater Philadelphia or Camden, NJ
MSAP is a highly competitive program (with an acceptance rate of approximately 10%) offering a hands-on biomedical research internship. During the summer, you will work closely with a Monell scientist’s laboratory on projects related to chemical senses, genetics, physiology, or behavioral science. You’ll use real research tools, like PCR workflows, microscopy, data acquisition software, and statistical analysis environments, to support experiments and interpret biological data. You will also participate in ethics workshops, scientific writing modules, and lab-meeting discussions, giving you exposure to research design and data communication. The program includes a final symposium where you present your findings to researchers and guests, giving you practice in scientific presentation and Q&A.
11. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
Location: Various locations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, or Puerto Rico
Stipend: $3,000
Program Dates: June – August (8 weeks; exact dates set with mentor)
Application Deadline: November 21 – January 25
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors; Must be eligible to work in the host country
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program, sponsored by the American Fisheries Society, is an eight-week, mentor-based internship focused on fisheries and aquatic science. You will be paired with a professional fisheries biologist at a local host institution, where you’ll support real field and lab work such as fish sampling, habitat assessment, population monitoring, and ecological data collection. The program emphasizes applied biology, so you may work with field survey protocols, GIS or mapping tools, basic statistical analysis, and scientific data logging systems rather than classroom-style instruction. Alongside hands-on research, you engage in structured mentorship that exposes you to career pathways in fisheries, conservation, and environmental science. The internship concludes with professional development activities that help you reflect on research practice, scientific ethics, and communicating field-based findings.
12. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
Location: 38+ Department of Navy labs across the United States
Stipend: $4,000 (new participants); $4,500 (returning)
Program Dates: 8 weeks in the summer (varies by lab)
Application Deadline: August 1 – November 1
Eligibility: U.S. high school students who have completed grade 9 and graduating 12th graders (16+)
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) offers you the chance to conduct real Naval research alongside Department of the Navy scientists and engineers. Over eight weeks, you will work inside federal research labs on projects in fields such as robotics, materials science, ocean engineering, cybersecurity, and aerospace systems. You’ll receive close mentorship, contribute to ongoing research, and gain exposure to cutting-edge defense technologies. SEAP is especially valuable for students considering engineering, physics, or computer science pathways, and many alumni go on to pursue technical careers within the DoN ecosystem.
13. AFRL Scholars Program (Air Force Research Laboratory)
Location: Multiple AFRL sites across the U.S.
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts in a year, including summer (dates vary by site and project)
Application Deadline: October 10 – January 10
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors or seniors (16-18) with a GPA of at least 3.0
The AFRL Scholars Program provides you with the chance to work alongside Air Force scientists and engineers on real defense research projects. You’ll contribute to ongoing work in aerospace engineering, cybersecurity, materials science, planetary science, autonomous systems, and other STEM areas, depending on your assigned AFRL directorate. You’ll receive mentorship from leading researchers, gain experience with laboratory techniques, data analysis tools, and engineering workflows, and often work on components of larger Air Force research missions. The program is competitive and offers exposure to federal research environments, technical presentations, and STEM career pathways.
14. Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Summer Student Program (SSP)
Location: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Manhattan, NY
Stipend: $1,200
Program Dates: June 29 – August 21
Application Deadline: December 1 – February 6
Eligibility: Current high school juniors (14+) living in NY, NJ, or CT within 25 miles of MSK; U.S. work authorization and a 3.5+ GPA in science are required
This eight-week biomedical research internship places you in an MSK lab where you’ll contribute to a self-directed project supporting active cancer or computational biology research. Depending on your placement, you may work with techniques in molecular biology, immunology, pharmacology, structural biology, imaging, or genomics, alongside exposure to tools like microscopy workflows, basic coding for data analysis, or computational pipelines used in oncology research. You’ll participate in lab meetings, analyze data with your mentor, and gain experience in research documentation and experimental design. The program also includes professional development sessions that introduce clinical translation, scientific communication, and pathways into biomedical careers.
15. Futures and Options Internship Program
Location: Various sites across NYC
Stipend: Minimum $17/hour
Program Dates: Summer or school year (dates vary by placement)
Application Deadline: Opens January 5
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors (ages 16-19) attending a New York City high school
The Futures and Options Internship Program, run by Futures and Options, is a paid, mentored internship program designed to build real workplace readiness. You will be placed at small businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, or multinational companies, where you’ll contribute to day-to-day operations rather than shadowing passively. Alongside internship hours, you’ll complete structured career readiness workshops covering communication, interviewing, financial literacy, resume writing, and professional norms. The program also includes career exploration field trips to employer partners, giving you exposure to different industries and roles. Ongoing support from a dedicated program coordinator ensures consistent feedback, workplace problem-solving, and skill development throughout the internship.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that allows you to engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choice. Horizon has worked with over 1,000 high school students so far and offers more than 600 research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – Stony Brook University