14 Summer Internships for High School Students in Tennessee
Participating in a summer internship during high school can be a powerful way to explore career interests, develop skills, and gain experience that strengthens your academic and professional profile. Internships allow you to work alongside professionals while building communication, problem-solving, and time-management skills that are valued in nearly every field. Whether you're interested in science, healthcare, business, engineering, public service, or the arts, these experiences help you discover what excites you. When it comes time to apply for college or your first job, having an internship on your resume makes you stand out. An internship shows college admissions officers and recruiters that you’re proactive and already have practical experience in your field.
What summer internships are available for high school students in Tennessee?
Tennessee offers a range of opportunities for high school students through research universities, medical centers, technology hubs, national laboratories, and industries across the state. Many local organizations, from Nashville’s healthcare hubs to East Tennessee’s engineering firms, offer internships for high schoolers. These internships can help you build a professional network in the state’s key industries, giving you a head start when you’re ready to enter the job market.
To help you get started, we’ve put together 14 summer internships for high school students in Tennessee.
1. St. Jude High School Research Immersion Program
Location: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Stipend: $4,800
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 30–50 students
Dates: June 1 – July 25
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors at a high school in the Memphis-Shelby area and counties in Tennessee | Should be at least 16 years old with a minimum 3.0 GPA
The High School Research Immersion Program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital gives high school students an 8-week summer research experience working alongside scientists in biomedical laboratories. You will join student pairs with a research mentor and engage in real scientific investigations, from experimental design and data collection to analysis and scientific communication, while practicing lab skills, professional collaboration, and critical thinking. You will also participate in structured reflection with science educators, develop a scientific poster, and present your findings at a community exhibition, gaining both technical insight and confidence as young researchers.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies according to the program type; financial aid is available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Between 10–25%; generally 70–100 students
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Varies as per cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and gap year students who can work for 10–20 hours/week, for 8–12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a competitive program for driven high school students that connects you with fast-growing startups, many of which have raised over a million dollars in funding. Internship placements span a wide range of fields, including tech and deep tech, AI and machine learning, health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Throughout the experience, you’ll collaborate closely with startup leaders and a dedicated Ladder Coach while working on real projects, and you’ll wrap up by presenting your contributions to the company. Here is the application form.
3. Nashville Bar Association High School Intern Summer Program
Location: Various locations in Nashville, TN
Stipend: $10–$15 per hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 15–25 students
Dates: June 2 – July 18
Application Deadline: March 28
Eligibility: High school seniors and graduating students who have a 2.0 GPA
This program gives motivated high school students a paid introduction to the legal profession by placing them in a law firm, corporate, or government legal environment across Metro Nashville. You will work full-time through the summer, performing substantive tasks such as legal research, document organization, attending proceedings, and observing daily office operations, alongside administrative responsibilities that support attorney teams. Additionally, weekly professional development sessions help participants build workplace skills such as communication, client interaction, and legal reasoning.
4. MPLOY Youth Summer Experience
Location: Various locations in Memphis, TN
Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive (Lottery-Based); approximately 1,000–1,500 youth annually
Dates: 6-weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Mid-January
Eligibility: Youth ages 16–22 from the City of Memphis
The MPLOY Youth Summer Experience gives you exposure to professional work across fields such as healthcare, finance, communications, and the arts. It places you in a paid role where you can explore potential career paths while building essential soft skills like communication, collaboration, and time management. Alongside your job responsibilities, the program offers structured career development sessions focused on resume building, financial literacy, and long-term planning. You’ll also receive guidance from supervisors and industry mentors, helping you better understand workplace expectations across different industries.
5. Memphis Bar Association Summer Law Internship Program
Location: Various locations in Shelby County, TN
Stipend: $500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 60–75 students
Dates: June 1 – 26
Application Deadline: March 27
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors in high school who reside in or attend school in Shelby County
The Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) is a paid summer opportunity that places high school students into legal environments to gain hands-on exposure to the legal profession. It assigns you to law firms, corporate legal offices, or government agencies, where you can see how attorneys, paralegals, and legal teams function. The program is designed to spark interest in legal careers, especially for students who may be the first in their families to pursue college or law school. Throughout the summer, you’ll complete 60 hours of work, gaining practical insight into legal procedures while building key professional skills like communication, organization, and time management.
6. County Commissioners’ Summer Youth Program
Location: Various locations in Shelby County, TN
Cost/Stipend: Ages 14–15: $10/hour, ages 16+: $15/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive/sponsorship-based; cohort size varies as per district
Dates: June 2 and/or June 9 – July 25
Application Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Students living in Shelby County who are currently enrolled in school (public, private, homeschool, or trade/college)
The County Commissioners’ Summer Youth Internship Program gives students an inside look at how local government and public service function. It places you in county offices, nonprofit organizations, or partner companies, where you will contribute to projects while developing workplace skills. You’ll assist with administrative responsibilities and gain exposure to fields such as public policy, community outreach, and civic operations. This opportunity is particularly helpful for students interested in government, social impact, or public service careers. Throughout the program, you’ll also strengthen your communication and collaboration skills by working alongside professionals across Shelby County.
7. National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI) – Tennessee State University
Location: Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
Cost/Stipend: None (scholarships available for up to 20 students)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 20 students
Dates: June 9 – July 4
Application Deadline: Early to mid-June
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th grade students
This is a four-week experience designed to broaden your awareness of transportation-related careers and build foundational science and engineering skills. You will engage in hands-on enrichment coursework in subjects such as math, physics, and computing, complete practical labs related to air, land, and sea transportation systems, and take field trips and participate in interactive presentations led by industry professionals and engineers. Mentoring and peer collaboration help students explore real-world applications of STEM while developing problem-solving abilities and confidence.
8. Meharry Medical College Future in Health Sciences Summer Internship
Location: Meharry Medical College’s Office of Memphis Programs, Memphis, TN
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; approximately 15–20 students
Dates: Multi-week program in June
Application Deadline: Typically, March or April
Eligibility: Memphis-area high school students in grades 9–12
This internship gives you insight into careers in medicine, dentistry, research, and data science. During the program, you’ll take part in clinical visits, work in research labs, and explore healthcare careers through hands-on workshops. You’ll also have opportunities to shadow medical professionals, gaining a clearer understanding of daily life in healthcare settings. The internship includes access to a “teaching kitchen,” where you can develop laboratory skills and learn the fundamentals of patient care.
9. Governor’s School for the Sciences & Engineering – University of Tennessee
Location: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 180 students
Dates: May 31 – June 27
Application Deadline: December 5
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors attending high school in Tennessee
This program, hosted at the University of Tennessee, is a four-week experience for students with strong interests in science, math, and engineering. You will take advanced interdisciplinary STEM courses, participate in laboratory work and research-style learning, and choose elective classes that align with your STEM interests, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, nuclear engineering, or industrial systems engineering. Beyond coursework, GSSE combines seminar discussions, laboratory experiments, and collaborative projects. and exposure to modern scientific reasoning, helping students sharpen critical thinking and technical communication skills.
10. Research Experience for High School Students – Vanderbilt University
Location: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 20–30 students
Dates: May 26 – July 2
Application Deadline: Mid-February
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are currently enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Science and Research (ISR) program at Stratford STEM Magnet, Hillsboro, or John Overton High Schools
REHSS at Vanderbilt University gives rising high school seniors a six-week introduction to scientific research under the mentorship of faculty in Vanderbilt’s labs or Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The program pairs you with research mentors to take ownership of an independent STEM research project, gaining experience in experimental design, data collection, and analysis while attending weekly workshops that supplement laboratory learning. Over the summer, students collaborate with graduate researchers and peers, build professional communication and critical thinking skills, and present their findings to the university research community at the end of the program.
11. University of Tennessee Veterinary Summer Experience Program
Location: University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, TN + local veterinary clinics
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 8% acceptance; 12 students
Dates: June 9 – July 11
Application Deadline: January 30
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors living in and attending school in Tennessee who are at least 16 years of age, have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, and are first-time applicants to the program
The Veterinary Summer Experience Program (VSEP) gives high school students an opportunity to explore veterinary medicine through shadowing and structured academic exposure. For the first five weeks, you will work closely with veterinarians in a local practice, observing clinical procedures, assisting with daily tasks, and gaining an authentic understanding of animal health care and veterinary workflows. In the final week, you will join peers on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, where you will take part in lectures, clinical rotations, labs, and discussions designed to deepen your scientific knowledge and expand your perspective on veterinary careers.
12. Governor’s School for International Studies (GSIS)
Location: University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 20% acceptance; cohort of 60 students
Dates: June 6 – 27
Application Deadline: December 5
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
The Governor’s School for International Studies (GSIS) at the University of Memphis gives high school students a three-week summer experience focused on global issues and international perspectives. You will engage in college-level coursework, discussions of world cultures, languages, and pressing global topics, and activities that broaden your understanding of international economic, historical, and cultural relationships. You will also live on campus with peers and enjoy seminars, guest lectures, and collaborative projects designed to deepen critical thinking and intercultural awareness.
13. High School to Health Care (HS2HC) Summer Camp
Location: University of Tennessee’s Martin Ripley Center, Ripley, TN
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; approximately 25–40 students per site location
Dates: July 20 – 24
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors in Tennessee
The High School to Health Care Program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center introduces high school students, especially those from rural communities, to careers in medical laboratory science and public health information technology. During the week-long summer camp, you’ll explore healthcare, lab science, and data science through interactive sessions led by instructors. Topics include healthcare ethics and professionalism, patient safety, social determinants of health, cytotechnology, histotechnology, and health informatics. You’ll also gain exposure to real clinical procedures and healthcare data, and work in teams to investigate a public health issue affecting the community.
14. Baptist Health Sciences University’s HealthCORE Summer Camp
Location: Baptist Health Sciences University (BHSU), Memphis, TN
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; approximately 20–30 students per session
Dates: June 9 – June 13
Application Deadline: Mid-May
Eligibility: Rising 6–12 grade students
HealthCORE Camp is a five-day program designed for students interested in healthcare professions. Through lab activities, clinical observations, and workshops in public health, first aid, and emergency response, you’ll learn about the many roles within the medical field. The program also includes guided tours of BHSU’s campus and a hospital facility, along with both group and individual activities to practice skills such as dissection and diagnostic lab techniques. This experience provides valuable insight into healthcare careers and the day-to-day workings of the health industry.
Image Source - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital logo