15 Summer Internships for High School Students in Virginia

If you’re a high school student, summer is a great time to gain practical experience in a field that interests you. Internships for high schoolers give you access to mentorship from professionals. You will build skills such as communication, teamwork, and critical thinking, which can enhance your applications to college and future jobs.

What internships are available for high school students in Virginia? 

Virginia is home to many leading universities, organizations, and businesses that offer summer internships for high school students. You can gain experience across various industries, including research, environmental science, medicine, aerospace, cybersecurity, museum science, and IT, among others. We’ve narrowed down a list of the top 15 summer internships for high school students in Virginia. 

1. Jefferson Lab High School Student Intern Program

Location: Jefferson Lab, Newport News, VA
Stipend: Paid hourly compensation
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Positions open during the summer and the academic year
Application Deadline: Varies by specific posting
Eligibility: Students who have completed sophomore year and are 16 or older, with a school recommendation, and a minimum 2.5 GPA

Jefferson Lab offers a High School Student Intern Program where you’ll work as a student aide and gain professional experience. Based on the department that you’re placed in, you can work on tasks such as administration, data entry, and organization to support ongoing projects. You'll have the opportunity to shadow various STEM professionals, receive mentorship and guidance while building professional skill sets in areas such as communication, teamwork, coordination, and time management. 

2. Ladder Internship Program

Location: Remote (work from anywhere in the world)
Cost/Stipend: Varies according to program (financial aid available)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Acceptance rate is around 10%
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:  high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 8–12 weeks, devoting 10–20 hours/week

Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program for ambitious high school students. You’ll be matched with a high-growth startup and work on real-world projects in fields like tech, AI/ML, health tech, journalism, marketing, and consulting. Internships typically last 8 weeks and require a commitment of 5–10 hours per week. You’ll work closely with your startup manager and a Ladder Coach, and present your work to the company at the end. The program includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, as well as group sessions with other interns. Startups in the program often have raised over $1 million and are led by founders with experience at places like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. You can apply here.

3. Fairfax County Summer Internship Program

Location: Fairfax County, VA 
Stipend: Paid approximately $15/hour for current high school students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive 
Dates: June 30 – August 8
Application Deadline: May 16
Eligibility: Currently enrolled FCPS high school student who must be 16 by June 30

The Fairfax County Public Schools Summer Internship Program offers six weeks of paid internship experience to high school students. You’ll work alongside professionals across various FCPS departments while gaining practical experience and professional skills such as project management, communication, and leadership. The program includes a professional development workshop where you’ll learn about personal finance, resume writing, and build skills in communication and networking. 

4. ACS Cancer Research High School Program

Location: Richmond, VA (virtual research experience)
Stipend: $500 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 6–July 17
Application Deadline: Opens November 15
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors with an interest in STEM/oncology

The ACS Cancer Research High School Program is a 2-week program for students looking to gain research experience and explore career options in oncology research. The first week focuses on cancer research experience, which includes research methodology and laboratory instruction. The second week focuses on career exploration and professional development through a series of workshop sessions. You’ll also explore various concepts and network with research and medical professionals through presentations and panel discussions. 

5. Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) Internship

Location: Children’s Science Center Lab, Fair Oaks Mall, VA
Stipend: Stipend upon completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 7 weeks in the summer (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are 17 or older

The Youth Development Initiative offers ‍the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Internship for high school students interested in cybersecurity. You’ll receive professional training during the program, where you’ll meet with industry experts and explore topics such as AI, ethical hacking, and penetration testing. You’ll then have the opportunity to gain practical experience by interning at a cyber-related organization. The program also includes a two-week professional skillset bootcamp where you’ll learn from industry experts and build professional development skills in the areas of communication, networking, and resume building.

6. Virginia Information Technologies Agency Junior Associate Program

Location: VITA Offices, North Chesterfield, VA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 2 – August 1
Application Deadline: February 21 
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors 

The Virginia Information Technologies Agency offers a junior associate program for high school students interested in exploring the IT field. During the program, you’ll gain practical experience in the IT sector and explore high-demand roles in the field. You’ll work alongside professionals on projects and build your problem-solving, collaboration, and professional skills. The program also gives you professional networking access along with mentorship opportunities from IT professionals. 

7. Institute for Advanced Learning and Research Internship Program

Location: IALR and partner organizations in Danville and Southern VA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer (exact dates vary)
Application Deadline: Varies by posting
Eligibility: High school and college students

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research offers internship opportunities to high school students in Southern Virginia. IALR will ask you to fill out a pre-internship form, which will help them map out your goals and interest areas to find an internship tailored for you. The program includes professional development training where you’ll build essential skills such as communication, teamwork, and leadership. IALR also offers in-house internship opportunities to students interested in disciplines including IT, agricultural research, coding, and communication, among others. 

8. Janelia Research Campus High School Internship Program

Location: Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: June 22 – August 7
Application Deadline: January 21
Eligibility: High school students who are 16 or older with strong computational skills

The Janelia-Loudoun County Resident offers a Summer Internship Program for high school students looking to gain research experience. You’ll work on research in the fields of biology and computational science under the mentorship of professional researchers. The projects will be on topics such as animal behavior analysis, learning algorithms, data annotation, modeling, and reconstruction of neural networks. You’ll also have the opportunity to attend research seminars and participate in journal clubs and other research events. 

9. VIMS-ESL Summer Internship Program

Location: Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory, Wachapreague, VA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Summer term (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school and college students who are local to the Eastern Shore

The Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences' Eastern Shore Laboratory offers a research experience in marine sciences for high school students. As an intern, you’ll gain practical research experience by supporting ESL staff on ongoing research projects. Research topics include water quality, aquaculture of clams, bay scallops, and general marine ecology and monitoring. You’ll also gain valuable career exploration and college guidance in the fields of marine science, biology, and environmental science. 

10. Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Science Internship Program

Location: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA
Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 23–July 31
Application Deadline: March 3
Eligibility: Current rising juniors and seniors from the Greater Richmond Area

Virginia Commonwealth University Medical offers a 6-week-long research opportunity where you’ll be paired with a mentor and gain experience working in a research lab. You’ll work on a research project and put together a poster presentation to communicate your findings. The program includes weekly seminars and events hosted by professionals where you’ll learn new concepts and explore pathways in medicine. 

11. Inova Health System Summer Student Research Internship

Location: Fairfax, VA
Stipend: Unpaid 
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 2–5 students per cohort 
Dates: 6 weeks in the summer (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: December 31 
Eligibility: High school seniors who are at least 16 years old; application and interview required

The Summer Student Research Internship offers practical research experience where you’ll work alongside a physician and research staff on a project in the area of lung disease and transplantation. The research takes place over 6 weeks, during which you’ll have the opportunity to shadow various professionals, observe patient procedures, and attend research and clinical education conferences. You’ll be asked to present your research work at the end of the internship.  

12. Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars

Location: Virtual course followed by summer program hosted at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 
Stipend: Free; all costs covered 
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; approximately 180 scholars attend summer academy
Dates: Online course: November–May; In-person academy in the summer (exact dates not specified)
Application Deadline: Typically in October (exact date not specified)
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors with a minimum GPA ~2.7; U.S. citizens or permanent residents; Virginia residents

Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars is an experiential STEM program hosted at NASA’s Langley Research Center. The program begins with a virtual course where you’ll build critical thinking skills by solving challenges, such as design changes to exploration vehicles and space stations. Your performance in the course determines selection to the summer academy, where you’ll receive mentorship by NASA faculty, gain practical experience in scientific and engineering activities, and attend seminars by astronauts, engineers, and scientists.

13. JSSA High School Internships 

Location: Locations in Northern VA, National Capital Region, and MD, Washington, D.C. 
Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies, but takes place in the summer 
Application Deadline: Applications processed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: High school students able to commute to JSSA locations

JSSA’s high school internship program offers you practical experience in the field of community service in a non-profit setting. You’ll gain insight into the daily operations of a non-profit and how they solve community-based issues. As an intern, you can work in the areas of your interests and on tasks such as supporting summer programs, helping in community education programs, project management across departments, and supporting administrative tasks, among others. You’ll also gain student service experience, which you can use towards your high school graduation requirements. 

14. Virginia Discovery Museum Teen Internship

Location: Virginia Discovery Museum, Charlottesville, VA
Stipend: Not paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate
Dates: Summer (typically in June – August) 
Application Deadline: Not specified 
Eligibility: High school students aged 14-18; vaccination and minimum hours required

The Virginia Discovery Museum offers a Teen Internship program where you’ll gain experience at the intersection of public, interdisciplinary, and museum education. You’ll develop an understanding of museum operations, shadow professionals, and explore various career pathways. Some of your tasks as an intern include assisting with public education programs, gallery exhibits, preparing educational material, and coordinating events. You’ll also receive school service credit for your work, along with workforce readiness training. 

15. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP)

Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Cost: $25 application fee; $1,299 tuition
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Orientation: June 18 | internship period begins: June 22 | final Research Symposium: August 12
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: High-school students who are 15 or older

The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program provides high school students with scientific research experience. You’ll be paired with a faculty researcher and work on research in disciplines such as astronomy, biochemistry, bioengineering, forensic science, and neuroscience. During your research, you’ll understand how research methodology works and gain practical experience working with equipment and technology. You’ll also build scientific communication skills and explore STEM pathways through discussion forums and meetings. 

Image Source - Jefferson Lab Logo