Updated November 2026
TL;DR
The Johns Hopkins Student Internship Program is a free Johns Hopkins internship for high school students (and undergraduates) aged 16 and older, placing you in a working biomedical research lab in St. Petersburg, Florida, for at least eight weeks. You join a faculty mentor's group, help with a study the lab is already running, and get faculty teaching on research design and publication alongside it. The Fall 2026 deadline has passed, and Spring and Summer 2027 dates haven't been posted yet. It's worth applying if you're serious about biomedical research and can be in St. Petersburg in person, most realistically over the summer.
The Johns Hopkins Student Internship Program (officially the Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Basic Science Student Internship Program) is one of the most hands-on research options for high schoolers: you join a research group at the Johns Hopkins All Children's Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research and help with a study the lab is already running. That makes it closer to an undergraduate research position than a summer program.
It's one of the standouts among the medical internships for high school students we track. If research is new to you, our guide on how to get a research internship in high school covers the basics first.
Weighing a few options? Browse more lab research internships for high school students, or see our list of free medical programs for high school students if cost is the deciding factor.
Johns Hopkins Student Internship Program at a glance
|
Detail |
What you need to know |
|
Host |
Johns Hopkins All Children's Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research |
|
Location |
St. Petersburg, FL (in person only) |
|
Cost/Stipend |
Free; no stipend mentioned |
|
Eligibility |
High school or degree-seeking undergraduate students, ages 16+ |
|
Commitment |
At least 8 weeks; 3 to 6 months recommended |
|
Cycles |
Spring, Summer and Fall |
|
Next deadlines |
Spring 2027: usually around early December · Summer 2027: usually around mid-April (not yet posted) |
|
Acceptance rate/cohort size |
Not published; a past Institute feature counted eight interns across its labs |
|
Best for |
Students 16+ who want a free, mentored biomedical lab placement and can attend in person |
Who can apply for this Johns Hopkins internship for high school students?
You need to be enrolled in a degree-seeking high school or undergraduate program and be 16 or older, so if you're 15, you'll have to wait a cycle or two. The other requirements:
Time: at least eight weeks in person in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Consent: a parent or guardian's signature if you're under 18.
Clearance: Occupational Health clearance once you're accepted.
Selectivity: Johns Hopkins doesn't publish an acceptance rate or cohort size, and places change each cycle with available mentors, projects and funding, so meeting the requirements doesn't guarantee a spot.
Cohort size: a past Institute feature counted eight interns working across its labs at the time.
How long is the Johns Hopkins internship, and can you do it during school?
The minimum is eight weeks in person, and Johns Hopkins recommends three to six months with one research group. What that means for your schedule:
Weekly hours: not published.
Fall and Spring cycles: run during the school year, so they mostly suit students who live near St. Petersburg.
Summer cycle: the realistic option if you'd have to travel.
If you can't relocate, Ladder Internships offers remote, eight-week start-up internships at 5 to 10 hours a week that fit around school.
What research areas can you explore at Johns Hopkins All Children's?
Your project depends on the mentor and lab you're matched with, and the Institute's work centers on the biological mechanisms behind disease, especially metabolism. Areas you could work in:
Lipid metabolism and gene regulation: the focus of Institute Director Timothy Osborne, Ph.D., who studies metabolic disease.
Tissue repair and muscle regeneration: Laszlo Nagy, M.D., Ph.D., studies how macrophages and epigenomic regulation drive repair.
Other Institute labs: RNA metabolism, CRISPR genome editing, human-on-a-chip systems and systems biology.
Depending on the lab, your placement could lean toward wet-lab work, computational analysis or both.
10 reasons to apply to the Johns Hopkins Student Internship Program
1. You'll work on a real study, not a student exercise
Your project is part of research the lab is already doing, and interns can contribute to the design, execution or analysis of ongoing studies. Depending on your placement, that can mean running experiments, analyzing data or helping plan the next step, so you see how results actually get made, failed runs and troubleshooting included.
2. You'll have a Johns Hopkins faculty mentor
You're matched with a faculty mentor or research group, and you meet with them regularly, join team discussions and get feedback on your work. That kind of sustained access to working scientists is hard to get as a high schooler.
3. You'll learn how research is designed and published
On top of your lab work, Johns Hopkins faculty teach interns research design, methodology, analysis and publication in person. You'll see how a question becomes an experiment and how results become a paper, which is good preparation for joining a lab in college.
4. You'll pick up real lab skills and safety training
In your first week, you'll complete Johns Hopkins Medicine online training, in-person safety training and shared-resources training. After that, you'll learn the techniques and workflows your project needs, following the same protocols as the professional researchers around you.
5. You'll see far more science than your own project
Interns can attend Institute seminars, other labs' meetings and the Johns Hopkins All Children's Seminar Series in Academia. That's useful if you're drawn to biomedical science but haven't picked a specialty yet, since you'll hear how researchers in other fields frame their questions.
6. It's free
There's no cost to participate, which matters when many selective research programs for high schoolers charge tuition. The program page doesn't mention housing or travel support, though, so budget for both if you don't live nearby.
7. You don't need a perfect GPA or past research to apply
The eligibility list has no GPA cutoff, required courses or prior research experience. Johns Hopkins looks for enrolled students 16 and older with strong communication and organization skills who can work both independently and in a team, and the essay asks about the experience that sparked your interest in science and medicine.
8. You can come back for another cycle
You can take part in more than one semester and train with a different supervisor on a new project. Undergraduates are eligible too, and one Institute profile follows a former intern who started in the Nagy lab as a college student and was later hired by the lab.
9. It gives you strong material for college applications
A specific experiment or dataset you worked on makes far better essay material than a general interest in medicine. A mentor who supervised you for eight weeks is also in a position to write a detailed recommendation, from a lab admissions readers will recognize.
10. You'll find out whether biomedical research suits you
Eight weeks in a working lab shows you the day-to-day reality of research: experiments, analysis, meetings, protocols and a lot of repeated problem-solving. It's one of the best ways to test a pre-med or biomedical science plan before you commit to a major.
How do you apply to the Johns Hopkins Student Internship Program, and when are the deadlines?
Email the completed application form and all documents to jhachbasicscintern@jh.edu by the cycle's deadline; late or incomplete applications aren't considered. You'll need:
Transcript
Résumé/CV
Essay
At least one recommendation letter: from a STEM teacher, another teacher, a recent employer or a mentor from another program.
School verification: of your enrollment and expected graduation date.
|
Cycle |
Dates |
Application deadline |
|
Spring 2027 |
Usually around late January – late March |
Usually around early December |
|
Summer 2027 |
Usually around early June – late July |
Usually around mid-April |
|
Fall 2027 |
Usually around late September – late November |
Usually around early August |
Exact 2027 dates haven't been posted yet; the Fall 2026 cycle ran September 28 – November 20, 2026, with an August 10 deadline, about seven weeks before the start. Check the program page for new dates and have your transcript, essay and recommendation ready early.
Common questions about the Johns Hopkins Student Internship Program
Does the program help with housing or travel?
The program page doesn't mention housing, travel or a stipend, only that participation is free. If you're not local, budget for at least eight weeks in St. Petersburg before you apply.
Can a high school intern really get published?
Johns Hopkins says interns may be eligible for acknowledgment or co-authorship, depending on their contribution and timing. In an eight-week placement, treat it as a bonus rather than a goal; longer stays give you a better chance.
What happens in your first week?
You'll have an introductory meeting with the program director and complete Johns Hopkins Medicine online training plus in-person safety and shared-resources training. Once those are done, you start working with your mentor's lab.
Is there an online version?
No, the internship is in person only. If an online option suits you better, Ladder Internships places high school students in remote, eight-week start-up internships, including in healthcare and biotech, with a company coach guiding your project. The next deadline is November 15, 2026, for the Winter I cohort starting December 7, 2026.
Contact us at contact@ladderinternships.com if you have any questions!