High school classrooms and pre-college programs are a good starting point to learn more about STEM domains. But if you want practical applications, STEM summer internships for high school students offer something different: practical, hands-on experience. These programs allow you to work in laboratories, engage in field research, and get exposure to professional work environments.
A number of STEM summer internships for high school students are available across several disciplines such as medicine, computer science, engineering, environmental science, mathematics, and astrophysics. Depending on the program, you might work with satellite data, run experiments in neuroscience, or design machine learning models for healthcare. These internships also give you the opportunity to build networks with professionals and gain insights into academic and career pathways in STEM.
To help you find the right fit, here’s a curated list of 15 STEM summer internships for high school students.
1. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (Financial aid available)
Program 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)
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 will 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. During the program, you will be working closely with your manager and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and presenting your findings to the company. The internship is usually 8 weeks long.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November)
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students; AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python
Veritas AI, founded and run by Harvard graduate students, offers programs for high school students who are passionate about artificial intelligence. Students who are looking to get started with AI, ML, and data science would benefit from the AI Scholars Program. Through this 10-session boot camp, students are introduced to the fundamentals of AI and data science and get a chance to work on real-world projects.
Another option for more advanced students is the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase. Through this program, students get a chance to work 1:1 with mentors from top universities on a unique, individual project. A bonus of this program is that students have access to the in-house publication team to help them secure publications in high school research journals. You can also check out some examples of past projects here.
3. NASA Johnson Space Center’s Texas High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS)
Location: Combination of virtual learning and an in-person experience at Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
Cost: Free
Program dates: Virtual learning from October to April. The summer virtual component will run for one week in June, and the two-day residential component will be in July
Application deadline: September 24
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school juniors in a Texas high school, Texas residents, and U.S. citizens
HAS is a three-part, hands-on program that dives into aeronautics, aerospace engineering, and space exploration. It kicks off with a five-month online course which covers five modules, integrating lessons in ISS operations and space technology, paired with interactive STEM activities and rubric-based assignments that simulate mission planning for destinations like Mars, Titan, Europa, or the Asteroid Belt.. The highest achievers of the course will attend the Moonshot Summer Experience, a week-long, gamified virtual challenge where teams design a lunar mission under the guidance of NASA mentors, engineers, and scientists.. The most outstanding Moonshot participants are then selected for the two-day onsite experience at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
4. NASA and UT Austin’s STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Summer Intern Program
Location: You can choose between in-person and virtual internships
Cost: Free
Program dates: Online learning component from May 19 – July 1; On-site project work from July 6 –19; Virtual SEES Science Symposium from July 21-22
Application deadline: February 22
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors (must be 16+); U.S. citizens only
The SEES Summer Intern Program runs in three structured phases. You will begin with online coursework in Earth and space sciences, based on your chosen project theme. Next, you will work on remote projects with mentors, engaging in project-specific online activities. The core phase is the two-week residential program at the University of Texas Center for Space Research in Austin, Texas, where you will collaborate on advanced projects and receive direct mentorship from NASA scientists and university faculty. The program culminates in the SEES Virtual Science Symposium, where students present their findings to NASA experts and peers.
5. Goddard Institute for Space Studies’ Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI)
Location: Hosted at either NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, CUNY City College of Technology in New York City, NY, or NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD
Cost/Stipend: Free; Stipend of $2400 is provided
Program dates: June 20 – August 12
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: High school students who are US citizens, at least 16 years of age, with a minimum GPA of 3.0
The CCRI is a year-long program that allows educators and graduate students to work on NASA projects. Over a 6-week summer period, the program accepts high school interns to the team. Here, you’ll contribute to completing a specific research project, delivering presentations, designing posters, and publishing a research paper, presented at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and other science conferences and symposiums. The projects generally examine the effects of climate change, including activities like analyzing satellite data, developing maps, monitoring temperature changes, and more.
6. George Mason University’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)
Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
Cost: There is a $25 application fee, but waivers are available based on financial need
Program dates: June 18 – August 8
Application deadline: February 2
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students who are at least 15 years old
ASSIP allows high school students to work on an advanced research project under one-on-one mentorship. As an intern, you will be working 30 hours per week, where you will receive guidance from a faculty researcher, gain hands-on research experience, and develop skills like scientific writing and communication. You can choose from a number of STEM research areas like bioengineering, data science, cybersecurity, environmental science, mathematics, game design, and more. The program commences with an orientation and ends with a research symposium where you can share your findings with peers and other researchers.
7. Princeton University’s Laboratory Learning Program (LLP)
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Cost: Free
Program dates: 5-6 weeks during the summer (depends on the specific project)
Application deadline: March 15
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years of age and are US citizens, legal permanent residents, or international students currently enrolled in a U.S. high school
LLP is a prestigious full-time research experience in the sciences or engineering for high school students.. As an intern, you will join one of the university’s ongoing research projects under the guidance of Princeton’s faculty and research staff. The projects fall under natural sciences and engineering, with previous students having studied topics like mid-infrared photonics (under electrical engineering) and larval growth and movement patterns (under genomics). The program concludes with the submission of a two-page research summary report.
8. Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) Summer Research Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: $850. Need-based financial aid is available.
Program dates: June 16 – 27
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. residents and at least 14 years of age
This two-week program, hosted by the Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging, introduces students to the practical applications of AI in healthcare. Each day combines technical lectures on AI fundamentals in medicine with hands-on group working sessions guided by Stanford student leads and researchers. Previously, students have worked on significant projects like developing a machine learning algorithm to identify and locate medical tubes in chest X-rays. Participants earn a Certificate of Completion upon finishing the full internship. You may also be invited to an extended independent research internship opportunity to explore AI-driven solutions in medicine in depth.
9. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP)
Location: NIST campus in Boulder, CO or Gaithersburg, MD
Cost: Free
Program dates: June 23 – August 8
Application deadline: February 6
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who have a minimum GPA of 3.0
NIST offers this 8-week internship during which you work side-by-side with NIST scientists inside federal-level research labs. The program has projects available across communications technology, engineering, information technology, material measurement, neutron research, and physical measurement. The research is generally multi-disciplinary in nature, and your work will culminate in a professional research poster session. Click here to go through the different project topics in detail.
10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Research Science Institute (RSI)
Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA
Cost: Free
Program dates: June 22 – August 2
Application deadline: December 11
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who meet the required test scores; Open to U.S. as well as international students
MIT’s Research Science Institute is a prestigious research internship that takes high school students through the entire process of scientific research. The program begins with a week of intensive classes taught by MIT professors, introducing participants to advanced theory across science and engineering. The central component is a five-week research internship, where you will take on an independent research project and execute it under the guidance of professional scientists. RSI concludes with a final week of conference-style presentations, in which scholars prepare both written reports and oral talks to present their findings to peers and mentors. Previous research projects span subjects like biophysics, oceanography, algebra, cryptography, machine learning, astrophysics, and more.
11. The Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Science Program (JHIBS)
Location: In-person: Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology, East Baltimore campus (Baltimore City residents only); Virtual: Remote across the U.S. and Canada
Cost/Stipend: Hourly wage plus transportation funds for in-person program; No stipend for virtual program
Program dates: 8 weeks (in-person) or 5 weeks (virtual) during the summer
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; In-person: Must attend a Baltimore City public school and live within Baltimore City limits; Virtual: Open to students across North America; Students from underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply
JHIBS offers two parallel tracks, in-person and virtual, both designed to introduce aspiring neuroscientists to neurobiology research in structured, mentored environments. In the in-person track, eight Baltimore City students spend eight weeks working in Johns Hopkins neurology labs, participating in research projects, clinical rotations, scientific seminars, and professional development workshops. The program concludes with an oral or poster presentation of your findings. The virtual track spans five weeks and offers students across North America exposure to lab techniques, mentorship, networking, and professional development via online seminars and workshops..
12. Spark Summer Internship Program (Spark SIP)
Location: Greater Seattle Area (some opportunities may offer remote elements)
Cost/Stipend: $25 application fee; selected students may receive stipends up to $500 (varies by project)
Program dates: 8–10 weeks between June and August
Application deadline: Typically in April
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 9-12 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The Spark SIP is a highly selective program that connects high school students with internships that provide hands-on learning and mentorship from industry experts, often in fields like AI, biotech, robotics, and data science. Each year, the program offers several internships at startups and companies, during which you take on responsibility for a specific project. Previously, students have worked on projects like DNA sequence classification, data visualization, developing Python scripts for crossbar architecture, and even social media content generation. The program broadens understanding about STEM careers, develops practical skills, and offers insight into professional research environments.
13. City Of Hope Cancer Center’s Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy
Location: City of Hope Cancer Center, Duarte, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; A stipend of $4,500 paid on completion
Program dates: June 2 – August 8 (10 weeks)
Application deadline: March 12
Eligibility: Students who are at least 16 years of age and have completed high school courses in chemistry and biology
This is a prestigious 10-week biomedical research program where students design and conduct their own lab research project under the mentorship of City of Hope’s faculty. Weekly, you will present progress in student seminar sessions and attend workshops in research skills, ranging from poster design and scientific writing to biomedical ethics. Throughout, you will work closely with postdocs, graduate students, and faculty, often contributing to real publications or even patents.
14. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
Location: Locality-based internship followed by the Hutton Scholars Summit at the University of Arkansas
Cost/Stipend: Free; A stipend of $3,000 is paid in three installments of $1000 each
Program dates: June to August
Application deadline: January 19
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years of age and have residency in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, or Canada.
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is an 8-week STEM summer internship for high school students interested in fisheries and aquatic science. During the program, you will be paired with a professional from the field and assigned to a marine or freshwater setting. Although your tasks might vary, they will typically include activities like electrofishing, snorkelling, data processing, water quality testing, taking fish population surveys, and examining specimens under a microscope. You will also be able to attend the Scholars’ Summit, participate in presentations, and network with peers and professionals.
15. Genspace’s Biorocket Research Internship
Location: Genspace, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: Free; A stipend of $2,000 is paid
Program dates: Spring session (February 25–May 21); Summer session (July 6–August 14); Students need to attend both sessions
Application deadline: January 8
Eligibility: High school students aged 16+ who attend a New York City Public or Charter school
This is a 6-month research internship for high school students who are passionate about genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and biotechnology. The program allows you to step into the shoes of a scientist, learning experimental design and lab protocols while studying the various applications of biotechnology in domains like environmental science and healthcare.. Alongside 12 other students, you will design and develop a group research project, rooted in genetic engineering, DNA extraction, sequencing, and bioinformatics. Hands-on lab work is paired with career guidance, trips to other research labs, biotech company tours, and even effective training to sharpen science communication skills.
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!
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