If you’re a high schooler looking to explore psychology beyond the school curriculum, consider gaining some professional experience in the field! One way to do this is by applying and engaging in psychology internships. Interning as a student of psychology can be a powerful way to go beyond textbooks and dive into the science of the mind, and build a strong professional network. These internships can provide you with the chance to develop an advanced skill set, whether through mentored research, hands-on clinical exposure, or immersive workshops that simulate professional practice.
By working alongside professionals, you gain insights into areas such as neuroscience, therapy, and behavioral studies, while also developing workplace discipline and academic confidence. Such experiences not only deepen your understanding of psychology but also prepare you for future college majors and careers in the field.
In this blog, we’ve compiled the 12 psychology internships for high school students to help you discover programs that provide meaningful exposure and real-world learning.
1. Ladder Internship Program
Stipend: Unpaid
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Cost: Varies depending on program type (financial aid available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form.
2. American Psychological Association (APA) Internships
Stipend: Paid internships available; unpaid academic-credit internships are also offered
Dates: Year-round (spring, summer, fall, winter sessions).
Application Deadline: Rolling applications; students may apply for up to three internships
Cost: Free
Location: Remote (with some D.C.-based roles; restrictions on certain U.S. states).
Eligibility: High school students (must be at least part-time enrolled in an academic institution; under-18 applicants require a D.C. Work Permit).
Interning with the American Psychological Association exposes you to applied psychology beyond the classroom, across areas like policy, research, education, publishing, and communications. You’ll gain experience in analyzing psychological research, contributing to education projects, and learning how professional associations shape public understanding of psychology. This program is particularly beneficial if you’re interested in understanding how psychology relates to advocacy, publishing, and organizational work, beyond just laboratory environments. You can also participate in workshops, networking events, and collaborative projects, building both subject knowledge and professional skills.
3. UT Southwestern Medical Center – High School Student Internship in Psychiatry
Stipend: Unpaid
Dates: June 2 – 6 and June 9 – 13
Application Deadline: February 5
Cost: Free
Location: Online (hosted by UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX)
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th-grade high school students and rising college first-years.
This two-week summer internship introduces you to the spectrum of mental health careers, led by psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, clinical social workers, and physician assistants. You’ll study topics like psychotherapy, neuroscience, interventional psychiatry, and neuropsychological testing, with guided readings from both media articles and scientific journals. Interactive sessions let you ask clinicians about their training, day-to-day responsibilities, and pathways into psychiatry and psychology. The program is academically structured, featuring preparatory readings, live demonstrations, and career-focused discussions. Additionally, mentoring connections often extend beyond the summer.
4. Child Mind Institute – Youth Mental Health Academy (YMHA)
Stipend: Up to $2,000 for the first‑summer academy; paid internship in the second summer
Dates:
- First summer academy: June 23 – July 24
- Academic year: August – May (monthly workshops & mentor support)
- Second‑summer internship: July – August (~100 hours over 5–7 weeks; in‑person, hybrid, or remote).
Application Deadline: March 31
Cost: Free
Location: California (onsite academy; second‑summer internships may be in‑person, hybrid, or remote).
Eligibility: Enrolled in a California high school, GPA ≥ 2.5, strong interest in mental health, and ability to commit to the full 14‑month sequence; the program especially encourages applicants from structurally marginalized communities.
This is a two‑stage pipeline into mental‑health careers: a 5‑week paid academy where you cover mental‑health science, inequities, and career pathways, followed by a ~100‑hour paid internship the next summer. You’ll complete a mentored capstone that includes a research paper and public display, attend “Psych Talks,” and build college‑readiness skills through workshops. Your responsibilities include data work, such as fielding research, analyzing datasets, and translating findings into recommendations for community mental health interventions. If you’re targeting psychology internships for high school students that offer real project work and sustained mentorship, YMHA provides structured, paid exposure to clinical, research, outreach, and communications tracks.
5. Barrow Neurological Institute – Summer High School Internship Program
Stipend: Unpaid (volunteer program)
Dates: May 30 – July 3
Application Deadline: February 14
Cost: Free
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Eligibility: High school students, age 16 or older
Hosted by the Department of Translational Neuroscience, this 5-week internship places you directly in Barrow research labs or support offices like neuroscience publications, marketing, or foundation work. You’ll gain training in reading scientific literature, conducting experiments, and applying advanced lab techniques to study disease mechanisms and treatments. You are also expected to present your project at the High School Symposium and may even pursue competitions or publications. This is a rigorous immersion for those interested in neuroscience, psychiatry, or clinical psychology research pathways.
6. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA IRP) – Summer Internship Program
Stipend: Paid (stipend amount varies depending on education level)
Dates: Typically June – August (8 weeks)
Application Deadline:
- PI registration: September 27 – October 20
- Intern applications: January 3
Cost: Free
Location: Baltimore, MD (Intramural Research Program facilities).
Eligibility: High school students age 17+ by June of the internship year; must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
This NIH-affiliated program places you in NIDA research labs focusing on the neuroscience of addiction, treatment methods, and behavioral health. You will support scientists with lab experiments, data analysis, and literature reviews while learning advanced techniques in neurobiology, psychology, and pharmacology. You’ll have the opportunity to present your work at NIDA’s annual Poster Day, gaining early experience in scientific communication within a professional research setting. The internship focuses on mentorship, critical data analysis, and developing skills relevant to psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience.
7. Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA) – High School Internship Program
Stipend: Unpaid; students can earn Student Service-Learning (SSL) hours toward graduation
Dates: Flexible scheduling year-round
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: Free
Location: National Capital Region (Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia)
Eligibility: Local high school students who are able to commute to JSSA locations
This nonprofit internship places you in a multidisciplinary human services agency where psychology and social work intersect. You can observe case consultations, support summer youth programs, assist with data analysis, and contribute to outreach on mental health topics. Depending on your interests, you can rotate across departments such as counseling, youth services, or community education, making this a flexible option to see how mental health services function in a real-world setting. You’ll earn SSL credit while gaining insight into careers in psychology, counseling, and nonprofit operations.
8. DOROT – Academic Year Teen Internship
Stipend: Unpaid; community service hours provided
Dates: Fall session: October 20 – December 12; Spring session is also available
Application Deadline: Rolling
Cost: Free
Location: New York City (Manhattan; office at 171 W. 85th St. and in-home visits on Upper East/West Side)
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9–12)
This semester-long internship connects teens with older adults through organized intergenerational activities. Depending on their placement, interns might perform weekly home visits, help seniors with technology, or participate in intergenerational chess sessions. They receive training to foster empathy, enhance communication skills, and offer social support to decrease senior isolation. The program also focuses on teamwork and relationship-building, providing meaningful experience in understanding the human aspects of psychology beyond clinical or laboratory environments.
9. NIMH Summer Internship Program (SIP)
Stipend: Paid internship
Dates: 8 weeks between May – September
Application Deadline: March 1
Cost: Free
Location: Bethesda, MD (NIH main campus and affiliated labs)
Eligibility: High school students aged 17 or older by June 15, U.S. citizens or permanent residents
This competitive internship assigns high school students to NIH neuroscience and mental health laboratories, where they perform hands-on research with guidance from top scientists. During eight weeks, you’ll develop experiments, master lab techniques, and assist in studies from basic neuroscience to clinical psychology. In addition to lab work, you will attend career development workshops, seminars, and networking events with NIH researchers. The program is highly selective and offers a rare opportunity to explore mental health research in a world-class federal research institution while being paid for your contributions.
10. Boston University – RISE Internship/Practicum – Psychology Track
Stipend: Unpaid
Dates: 6 weeks in the Summer; typically late June – early August
Application Deadline: February 14
Cost:
- Tuition: $5,700
- Service Fees: $485
- Room & Board (6 weeks):
- 14 meals/week: $3,276
- 19 meals/week: $3,600
Location: Boston, MA
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors in high school
The BU RISE program places motivated high school students in university laboratories where they assist faculty and graduate students with ongoing research. You can apply to either the Internship track (individual research placement in a BU lab, including projects in psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science) or the Practicum track (team-based research in computational neurobiology). Over the course of six weeks, interns gain hands-on research experience, attend weekly workshops, and prepare a final presentation for the RISE Symposium. Admission is selective, and psychology is a highly competitive field, making this an excellent option for students eager to explore careers in the psychological and brain sciences.
11. Stanford University – Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X)
Stipend: None
Dates:
- Virtual Session: June 16 – June 27
- Session 1 (In-person): July 7 – July 18
- Session 2 (In-person): July 21 – August 1
Application Deadline: March 1
Cost: $1,595 (virtual) or $2,895 (in-person). Financial aid is available.
Location: Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA and virtual
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school from the U.S. and abroad
CNI-X is a 10-day intensive led by Stanford faculty in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, combining psychology, neuroscience, and clinical research. You will attend interactive seminars on topics like behavioral neuroscience, psychiatric epidemiology, sleep, addiction, and forensic psychiatry. Small groups design solutions to pressing issues in psychiatry and psychology, culminating in a capstone presentation. While not a traditional internship, the program offers early immersion in neuroscience and mental health research, fostering teamwork, and exposure to careers in psychiatry, psychology, and medicine.
12. Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS)
Stipend: Paid hourly wage for in-person interns + transportation funds; virtual interns receive a certificate of completion
Dates:
- In-person: 8 weeks in the Summer
- Virtual: 5 weeks in the Summer
Application Deadline: March 1
Location: Baltimore, MD (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine campus) or virtual (nationwide)
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors (priority to Baltimore City public school students for in-person; virtual open to U.S. students nationwide)
The Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS) introduces high school students to careers in neuroscience and clinical research through direct mentoring and immersive experiences. In-person interns conduct an 8-week research project with Johns Hopkins faculty while also participating in clinical rotations, weekly professional development, and a final presentation. Virtual participants join a 5-week program that includes educational seminars, lab technique training, mentorship, and career guidance. The program is very selective, mission-focused, and provides one of the few chances for high school students to engage in a world-class research environment at Johns Hopkins.
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 lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – Boston University