If you want to explore sociology over the summer, an internship will give you hands-on experience in social research and help you understand how people, communities, and social systems work. Many internships will introduce you to tools such as basic statistical software (e.g., Excel or SPSS), qualitative coding methods, and research techniques like observation and case studies. You might conduct interviews, design surveys, or collect data for projects on public health, education, migration, or social issues. You could also assist with research reports or small case studies. Such experiences can also give you exposure to related fields like psychology, anthropology, public policy, and social work, as well as help you understand how they connect when studying human behavior and social systems.
Why should you do a sociology internship?
Doing a sociology internship in high school helps you understand how researchers collect and interpret data, and how organizations use that information to make decisions. You’ll build skills in survey design, interviewing, data management, and trend-spotting. You’ll get to network with mentors and peers and develop analytical and communication skills. If you’re considering majors like sociology, psychology, or public policy, sociology internships can help you understand these fields. It can also help you figure out if you prefer research-focused work, fieldwork, or working directly with communities. Plus, having real project experience will help you write strong applications and talk about your interests when applying to college programs or future internships.
If you’re looking for sociology research programs, you can find them here. You can also check out sociology summer programs for high school students here.
Here are 15 sociology summer internships for high school students:
1. Internships at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Location: Remote or in person in Washington, DC
Cost/Stipend: Free | Paid (amount varies by opportunity)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Over 100 students
Dates: Internships are available throughout the year (fall, winter, spring, and summer), and typically last anywhere from six weeks to one year, depending on the role
Application Deadline: Varies by opportunity; March 1 (summer session)
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and postgraduate students, as well as working professionals
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage offers year-round internships where you can explore areas like cultural anthropology, history, linguistics, social media, folklore, design, marketing, videography, and library science. You’ll work on projects related to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, archival collections, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and education and cultural programs. You’ll work for 15–20 hours a week, either part-time or full-time. If you’re studying subjects like history, folklore, music, or library science, you may be able to earn academic credit. The experience can also help you learn about sociology, since the work focuses on understanding people, cultures, and communities. You’ll explore social dynamics, community life, and cultural expression through fieldwork, documentation, and storytelling, as well as develop skills in research and cultural studies.
2. Youth Council Internship at Democracy Maine
Location: Portland, ME
Cost/Stipend: Free | Interns earn $15 per hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Only 3–4 high school interns are selected per semester
Dates: Internships are available during the fall, spring, and summer
Application Deadline: May 15 (Summer)
Eligibility: Maine high school students can apply; students aged 15 or younger must obtain a Maine work permit before starting the internship
The Democracy Maine Youth Council Internship helps you learn about active citizenship and develop organizing and facilitation skills. You’ll spend about five hours a week studying state laws and understanding how policies are created, including budget decisions that affect the economy. The work can include writing newsletters, planning awareness events, and creating classroom PSAs on topics like Miranda Rights, Ranked Choice Voting, Automatic Voter Registration, and burnout in organizing. You may also meet state leaders such as the Governor and Secretary of State. This internship is helpful if you want to explore sociology, as it gives you a closer look at social and political dynamics. You’ll observe how laws are passed, how communities and governments function, and how young people are represented. By working on youth-led campaigns and civic engagement efforts, you’ll also explore how social movements operate and how change happens.
3. Sadie Nash Leadership Project’s Summer Institute
Location: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Newark
Cost/Stipend: Free | Students receive a $450 stipend based on participation
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 6 – August 13; you can check other important dates here
Application Deadline: March 13; rolling admissions till May 8
Eligibility: High school students in New York City or Newark who identify as young women or gender-expansive and have not previously completed the Summer Institute
The Sadie Nash Leadership Project’s Summer Institute gives you a space to build leadership skills through lectures, community activities, and field trips. You’ll meet women and gender-expansive leaders, including business owners, elected officials, and artists, who will share their experiences and work with you. You’ll attend sessions on education for liberation, the anthropology of gender, and art and activism in America. You’ll study how gender roles shape society and how culture influences social change. You’ll also join workshops on social justice, identity, and community organizing, where you’ll get to explore sociological concepts. These activities will help you understand social structures, power dynamics, and community building, and develop a clearer understanding of how society functions.
4. New York Historical Society’s Student Historian Internship Program
Location: New York Historical Society, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free | Interns earn a $700 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 25 students are selected from over 400 applications for the summer cohort
Dates: Offered during the academic year and in the summer; July 7 – August 13 (summer session)
Application Deadline: March 29 (summer session)
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10–12 who live and attend school in the NYC metro area, including the five boroughs and nearby parts of New York State, Connecticut, and New Jersey, and have a valid employment certificate
The New York Historical Society Student Historian Internship Program allows you to explore American history and create digital projects for the public. You’ll get access to the Society’s collections and work around the theme Our Composite Nation: Frederick Douglass’ America, focused on history and digital humanities. You’ll collaborate with staff and other interns and learn about careers in museums, history, and libraries. You’ll build skills in research, communication, writing, and digital work as well as analyze primary sources to create public-facing projects. You’ll also explore sociology, since studying history can help you understand how societies function and how social relationships and structures change over time. Through archival research and social history, you’ll examine past interactions, institutions, and cultural developments. This will help you gain practical experience in analyzing social patterns and presenting them clearly.
5. Internships at the Foreign Policy Research Institute
Location: Remote or in person at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: Free | Both paid internships with need-based stipends and part-time unpaid internship options are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Offered in fall, spring, and summer; June – August (Summer)
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary by session
Eligibility: High school, college, and graduate students who are authorized to work in the U.S.
The Foreign Policy Research Institute offers internships for students interested in international policy and law. You’ll gain hands-on experience at a think tank, work with professionals, and be paired with a mentor who will help you build skills in communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and time management. Roles are available in Research and Administration & Operations. You’ll also attend weekly seminars on foreign policy and career development with guest speakers, and may contribute to a research paper for FPRI’s Intern Corner. The internship will also help you learn about sociology through topics linked to international relations. Research often explores social trends, ethnic conflict, and political or cultural attitudes, including in regions like Europe and Eurasia. By studying these issues, you’ll examine how social, political, and economic forces shape societies and global interactions.
6. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights High School Internship
Location: Remote or in person from the Washington, D.C.-based office
Cost/Stipend: Free | Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Internships are offered year-round, including summer, and typically last between two weeks and two months. Availability on Monday afternoons and at least two in-office days each week is required
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors with strong written and verbal communication skills
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights High School Internship allows you to explore civil and human rights work and gain exposure to the federal legislative process. You’ll take on policy-related tasks, learn how coalitions operate, and build an understanding of key civil rights issues. You’ll conduct research, attend meetings, help organize events, maintain records, update communications, and assist with general office work. You’ll also work on issues like voting rights, immigration, and labor, which will show you how societies organize power and inequality. Working within a coalition of over 230 national organizations will allow you to learn how groups collaborate to drive social change, a key area of study in the sociology of social movements. You’ll also observe the legislative process and how laws are shaped to address or maintain social issues.
7. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Voluntary Internship Program
Location: Various locations across the United States
Cost/Stipend: Free | Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Internships run for 10–12 weeks in fall, spring, and summer; May/June – August (Summer)
Application Deadline: March 16 (Summer)
Eligibility: Current high school, undergraduate, and graduate students who are U.S. citizens and at least 18 years old
The NARA Voluntary Internship Program allows you to work with the National Archives and Records Administration and explore major moments in American history through its collections. You can choose from areas like archival processing, records management, cartography, editorial work, conservation, digitization, legal and legislative research, and public history. You can work between 10 and 40 hours per week, completing at least 100 hours. You’ll set your work hours with a supervisor, with half of them completed on-site. The program will also help you explore sociology by giving you direct access to historical records that show how societies functioned and how institutions operated. By working with primary sources, you’ll examine social beliefs, community development, and policy decisions. You’ll also develop research skills and learn how social structures and patterns change over time.
8. Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS)
Location: Hosted at colleges across the U.S.; this year’s program will take place at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, and Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free | Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 3–5%
Dates: June 21 – July 25
Application Deadline: October 15 – December 3
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors aged 15–17, including international students
The Telluride Association Summer Seminar is a liberal arts program in which you’ll study how power and privilege shape society through humanities and social sciences courses. You can choose between TASS-CBS, which focuses on the history, art, politics, and culture of people of African descent, and TASS-AOS, which examines systems such as classism, patriarchy, and white supremacy, as well as efforts toward social change. You’ll participate in readings, watch films, attend guest talks, write essays and receive feedback, and join workshops. You’ll spend three hours every day participating in lectures, discussions, and group work. The program will help you look at social structures, inequality, and power dynamics. You’ll explore topics such as media, poverty, and community life through discussions and analysis. Combining sociology with history, literature, and art will help you understand how social forces influence behavior and decision-making.
9. Smithsonian’s Young Ambassadors Program at the National Museum of the American Latino
Location: Virtual; the training seminar is held at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Cost/Stipend: Free | Students earn $1,350
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 20 students participated in last year’s program
Dates: June 21 – 27 (Washington Week Training Seminar) | July – October (virtual Making History Community Practicum Experience)
Application Deadline: February 23 – April 24
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who have a minimum 3.0 weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale, are fluent in English, are eligible to work in the U.S., and plan to enroll full-time in an accredited college or university in the upcoming fall
The Smithsonian’s Young Ambassadors Program is a national leadership and college prep program focused on the humanities, arts, and sciences, with an emphasis on Latino communities, culture, and history. You’ll take part in a weeklong training seminar in Washington, D.C., where you’ll meet other students, explore different career paths, and interact with professionals. You’ll also complete a 108-hour virtual community practicum from a local U.S. region or Puerto Rico. The program connects closely to sociology by helping you understand how cultural identity, social structures, and history shape the experiences of Latino communities. You’ll explore topics like discrimination, immigration, and community formation through seminars, museum collections, and discussions. You’ll also build a clearer understanding of social dynamics and how cultural and historical forces influence different groups over time.
10. Teach Democracy’s Expanding Horizons Institute (EHI)
Location: Various locations across Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free | Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 15 – July 27
Application Deadline: February 28; the first round of interviews takes place on March 6 and 7, followed by second-round interviews at job sites in April
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors in Los Angeles County who attend a Title I school, have parents who did not graduate from a four-year college, and are authorized to work in the U.S.
The Expanding Horizons Institute (EHI), run by Teach Democracy, helps first-generation, college-bound high school students in Los Angeles build skills for college, careers, and civic life. The program starts with interactive seminars and ends with a paid summer internship at a law firm, corporation, government office, or nonprofit. You’ll meet professionals and peers, explore different career paths, and strengthen your skills in communication, collaboration, and leadership. The program also provides college admissions guidance, encourages community involvement, and helps you grow more confident and independent. EHI offers insight into sociology by focusing on civic engagement, social structures, and applied sociology. You’ll learn how democratic principles, community, and social systems influence society, and how social dynamics shape how people organize and participate in civic life.
11. Virtual Internship at the American Anthropological Association
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free | Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 1 – 26
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: High school students
The American Anthropological Association offers virtual internships for high school students interested in learning how anthropological research works. You’ll work with staff to simplify complex articles, especially on topics like migration and displacement, so they are easier for students in grades 6 to 12 to understand. The program includes two projects. The main project involves reading current research and rewriting it for a younger audience, and the second project changes each year and often focuses on accessibility or public education, such as creating summaries, infographics, or short videos. The internship will also help you learn about sociology, since both fields study social structures, inequality, and institutions. You’ll analyze topics like race, gender, class, labor, and uncertainty, and explore how these shape lived experiences. By working with contemporary research and adapting it for others, you’ll build skills in analyzing social patterns and understanding how different communities are affected.
12. Pomona College Academy for Youth Success (PAYS) Summer Program
Location: Pomona College, Claremont, Los Angeles County, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free | Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 30 new students are admitted each year, with a total of 90 students at a time
Dates: June 21 – July 17
Application Deadline: November 10 – February 23
Eligibility: Current 9th graders living in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, or Ventura counties who are from low-income families, first-generation college-bound, and either enrolled in Geometry or Integrated Math II
The Pomona College Academy for Youth Success is a four-week summer program where you take college-level classes, attend workshops and cultural events, and work on projects. The curriculum follows a liberal arts approach and includes Math and Critical Inquiry courses taught by Pomona faculty, as well as electives led by students or alumni. Past electives have covered topics such as Zapatismo 101 and the impact of COVID-19 on sports, both of which relate to sociological themes. Juniors can also join a 10-week SAT prep course. Rising seniors have the option to conduct research with faculty in subjects like sociology, theater, chemistry, and math. Sociology-related projects often focus on topics such as social mobility, access to education, and cultural capital. Some past research projects have looked at cultural climate and its impact on mental health, offering insight into sociological concepts. After the summer, you’ll stay involved with the program during the school year for the next three years.
13. Museum of History and Industry’s (MOHAI) History Lab
Location: Museum of History and Industry, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: Free | Students earn a $150 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 6 students
Dates: July 27 – August 7
Application Deadline: May 22
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th grade students
MOHAI History Lab is for students interested in local history and storytelling. You’ll build research skills and explore creative ways to study and share the past by choosing a topic linked to the theme “the power of history and the history of power.” This theme looks at how power shapes historical research, how narratives are formed and revised, how views of the past influence ideas about power, and what impacts social and political change. You’ll explore these ideas through Seattle’s history and your own experiences, using museum collections, going on field trips, working in galleries, and spending time in local neighborhoods. The program can help you understand sociology by examining how societies form, how institutions change, and how social and cultural patterns develop over time. You’ll also learn to share history online using digital public history tools and complete a project that will get published on the Rainy Day History website.
14. Miami-Dade State Attorney High School Volunteer Internship Program
Location: Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami, FL
Cost/Stipend: Free | Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Minimum three months
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students
The Miami-Dade State Attorney High School Volunteer Internship Program gives you a close look at how the criminal justice system works and what the State Attorney’s Office handles each day. You’ll research case law, assist with protection orders, and review evidence to decide if charges should be filed. You’ll also run background checks, interview defendants, attend bond hearings, take statements from victims and witnesses, and manage complaints. You can earn school credit and explore careers in social work, law, or criminal justice. The experience can also help you explore sociology by showing how people move through the legal system. You’ll observe how race, gender, and socioeconomic status shape experiences, how institutions enforce social norms and manage deviance, and how large systems interact with the public. You’ll work 16 to 20 hours per week for at least three months each semester.
15. USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future (CPF) High School Summer Internship Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free | Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 14 students participated in last year’s program
Dates: May 26 – August 14
Application Deadline: April 24
Eligibility: High school students with at least a 3.5 GPA can apply; graduating seniors are not eligible
The USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future offers a selective virtual summer internship for high school students. You’ll work on two main projects based on a bill at the local, state, or federal level related to environmental policy or sustainability. The projects include writing a legislative policy memo and analyzing the legislative process. If all your work is completed, one of your assignments will be published online, and you’ll be recognized as a Summer Research Intern by both the USC Center for the Political Future and the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability. Although it is focused on political science, the internship also connects to sociology by helping you examine how policies affect society. You’ll explore issues such as homelessness, housing, and education, and study how government decisions affect different communities.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like sociology, 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: Pomona College