15 Summer Lab Internships for High School Students

Internships are a great option for high school students looking to build practical skills, explore career interests, and strengthen their college application profiles. Through internships, you gain professional experience, industry exposure, and connections that can support both your college applications and future career path. Many internships offered by leading universities and research organizations are either low-cost or fully funded, making them accessible to a wide range of students. 

Why should I participate in a lab internship in high school?

Summer lab internships offer you a bridge between theoretical classroom concepts and scientific inquiry, providing experience with professional equipment and advanced methodologies that are typically unavailable in a standard school setting. Beyond developing technical skills like data analysis or pipetting, you will also build critical soft skills such as problem-solving, resilience, and teamwork. Importantly, lab internships allow you to test out a STEM career, helping you solidify your interests before college.

To support your search, we’ve curated a list of the top 15 summer lab internships for high school students.

1. Internships at Sandia National Laboratories

Location: Livermore, CA | Albuquerque, NM | other Sandia sites.
Stipend: $17.75 – $19/hour
Dates: Year-round; Summer: 10 – 12 weeks between May and the end of August
Application Deadline: Rolling deadline
Eligibility: Students who are at least 16 years old, are enrolled full-time in an accredited high school, and are U.S. citizens. Those applying must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for R&D, technical, or business roles; more details here

At Sandia National Laboratories, high school students transition from classroom theory to high-stakes research by collaborating directly with elite scientists on projects ranging from physics to cybersecurity. As a paid intern, you’re an active contributor tasked with executing experimental designs, refining code, or performing critical data analysis using industry-standard tools like Python and CAD. This experience also involves professional development workshops and dedicated mentorship, developing a network of expert peers. By integrating into these specialized teams, you gain a transparent look at professional engineering while developing the technical fluency required to tackle complex global energy and security challenges.

2. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: $40 application fee, which can be waived / Stipend of $500 - $2,500 and above, given on a needs-based system from special grants
Dates: June 8  –  July 30
Application deadline: February 21
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors who are at least 16 years of age, U.S. citizens or permanent residents (with a green card), and attending high school in the country

SIMR is a medical program that offers both internship and research components. You will collaborate one-on-one with a mentor who will be a Stanford graduate student or a postdoctoral fellow and engage in research. You will need to select one of eight fields:  Immunology, Neurobiology, Cancer Biology, Bioengineering, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Cardiovascular Biology, Bioinformatics, and Genetics and Genomics. During the last 2 weeks of the program, you will work on the research poster of your project, which you will present to your peers, teachers, family, and the Stanford community. 

3. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) Internship Program

Location: Virtual | In-person (Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey)
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Some positions may offer a stipend
Dates: 5 – 6 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old, are graduating seniors when the internship begins, and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents

This internship offers a deep dive into a high-level research facility by embedding students within professional teams before college even begins. You’ll work on computational and experimental tasks ranging from complex simulations to 3D modeling with SolidWorks while gaining a practical grasp of advanced physics and engineering. This role is less about observation and more about active inquiry, pushing you to refine your analytical thinking and master data interpretation. Ultimately, collaborating with seasoned scientists helps you develop a systematic approach to problem-solving, providing an intellectual foundation for any future STEM career.

4. NASA and UT Austin’s SEES High School Summer Intern Program

Location: Hybrid (virtual component + on-site experience at the UT Austin campus)
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: May – August, which includes a learning module from May 15 – July 1, and an on-site experience from July 5 – 18
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: High school juniors who hold U.S. citizenship can apply

The University of Texas, Austin, and NASA host this highly competitive program, with only 6-7 interns selected to participate every year. You will work with NASA experts on Earth and space research, where you will assist scientists and researchers with analyzing and visualizing data. All project teams present research during the Virtual SEES Science Symposium. The program features a virtual learning component and an on-site experience at the University of Texas, Austin campus.

5. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program

Location: Several locations across the United States
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Weekly stipends between $501.60 - $805.60
Dates: Fall, spring, and summer sessions available; Summer sessions are 10 weeks between late May/early June and August
Application Deadline: January 9
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. citizens and enrolled or accepted to an educational institution, and are at least 16 years old by the application deadline

The Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars program is a paid internship opportunity for high school students keen to explore aerospace engineering. As a scholar, you will be mentored by full-time AFRL scientists and engineers and assist with data collection, experiments, and design work while observing how research is conducted in government laboratories. The program offers a range of research topics, including Advanced Carbon-Based Conductors for Aerospace Applications and Characterization of High-Temperature Structural Materials. The program also offers projects that require you to apply computer science concepts.

6. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)

Location: Department of the Navy research laboratories nationwide
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend of $4,000 (new participant) and $4,500 (returning participants).
Dates: Eight weeks in the summer + option to extend up to two additional weeks
Application Deadline: November 1
Eligibility: U.S. citizens in grades 10–12 (grade 9 students may qualify depending on lab); must be 16+ by the start date; graduating seniors eligible | Check individual lab pages for lab-specific grade, age, citizenship, and other prerequisites 

This selective apprenticeship program, conducted by the Department of the Navy, places high school students in Navy labs nationwide to participate in STEM research. During this program, you will choose a field in which you wish to conduct research and work with Navy scientists, engineers, and researchers. While working on Naval projects, you will gain valuable knowledge in various STEM disciplines, such as engineering, computer science, physics, aeronautics, and more. Every year, around 300 students are placed in labs, making this program prestigious and competitive.

7. National Institute of Health (NIH) High School Summer Internship Program (HS-SIP)

Location: NIH campuses nationwide; main campus in Bethesda, MD 
Stipend: $2,530 before graduation and $2,840 after graduation
Dates: Eight weeks in the summer, typically June - August
Application Deadline: Typically, mid-February
Eligibility: High school students who are 18 and enrolled in an accredited educational institution, and are U.S. citizens and permanent residents 

Conducted by NIH, this internship is ideal for high school students interested in exploring biomedicine and healthcare. HS-SIP allows you to engage in biomedical research, working alongside scientists and mentors. During this program, you will work on current research projects, learn to analyze data, and acquire essential laboratory skills. As an intern, you will have access to professional development programs offered by NIH and receive educational and career guidance. At the end of the program, you are invited to share your research with the NIH community on Summer Poster Day.

8. Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program (JAX SSP)

Location: The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, and Farmington, CT
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $7,000 stipend
Dates: May 30 – August 7
Application Deadline: January 26
Eligibility: Students must be at least 18 years old by the start of the program and have completed 12th grade | U.S. citizens or lawful Permanent Residents

During this ten-week residency, you’ll deep dive into genetics and genomics, evolving from an observer into a contributor to professional research projects. Under the guidance of a mentor, you’ll learn laboratory techniques while refining your skills in data visualization and scientific communication through workshops and journal clubs. The experience culminates in a formal presentation of your findings to an audience of faculty and family. Beyond the lab, living alongside a cohort of fellow young scientists fosters a community that nurtures both your technical aptitude and personal development.

9. SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station (BFS) Internships

Location: BFS facilities in Cooperstown, NY
Stipend: $3,000
Dates: Late May – August (9 weeks)
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students who are New York residents and aged 16 or older as of June 20

During the internship, you will assist faculty and staff at the BFS central lab with their research projects or work on your own research project. Through the summer, you will engage in a mix of fieldwork, laboratory analyses, data analysis, and writing. At the end of the program, you will produce a poster to display your research findings to your mentor, BSF faculty, and other interns. Past fieldwork and laboratory analysis experiences have included fisheries and plant surveys, water sampling, water chemistry, zooplankton ID, and fish dissection. You can view previous publications here.

10. Washington University – The Young Scientist Program (YSP)

Location: Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $4,500 stipend
Dates: June 1 – July 24
Application Deadline: January 26
Eligibility: 11th-grade students from any high school in the Greater St. Louis area (Missouri and Illinois) 

Conducted by Washington University in St. Louis, the YSP Summer Focus Program provides high school students in the Greater St. Louis area with funded, 8-week summer research internships. The program pairs you with a mentor and a tutor to work one-on-one on your research project. The mentors and tutors are Washington University graduate students, postdoctoral associates, laboratory staff, and principal investigators. Research is conducted in chemistry, ecology, earth and planetary sciences, developmental biology, and more. In addition to your laboratory research work, you will also take two courses on strengthening your science communication skills and preparing to apply to college.

11. NIST Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP)

Location: NIST campuses in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Boulder, Colorado, USA
Stipend: None
Dates: June 22 – August 7
Application Deadline: January 26
Eligibility: U.S. citizens who are high school juniors or seniors at the time of application, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and the ability to commit to the full program duration

The NIST Summer High School Internship Program (SHIP) allows you to spend the summer working in research laboratories alongside scientists and engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It matches you with mentors to contribute to hands-on research projects in areas such as physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science, and applied mathematics. You gain exposure to real research workflows, laboratory techniques, and problem-solving approaches used in national research facilities. You work closely with professionals in a lab setting and may engage with advanced tools, data analysis, or computational methods depending on the project. The program emphasizes learning through direct participation rather than classroom instruction.

12. Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers (LLRISE)

Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: July 12 – 25
Application Deadline: March 11
Eligibility: Students completing their junior year of high school who are U.S. citizens

In the Lincoln Laboratory Radar Introduction for Student Engineers (LLRISE) program, rising high school seniors dive into the world of electromagnetic technology. This two-week residential program in Lexington challenges you to construct functional Doppler and range radar systems from the ground up. Under the guidance of professional scientists, you’ll apply creative engineering strategies in a high-tech workshop setting. By the time the program concludes, you will have mastered the assembly of complex hardware and gained a sophisticated understanding of applied physics, providing a significant head start for future studies in electrical engineering. 

13. Research Science Institute (RSI)

Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: $75 non-refundable application fee that can be waived / No stipend
Dates: June 28 – August 8
Application Deadline: December 10
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are 16 years old by the start of the program; additional requirements can be seen here

The Research Science Institute (RSI) immerses high school students in graduate-level inquiry, beginning with a week of rigorous STEM seminars led by MIT’s elite faculty. Following this academic foundation, you will spend five weeks in laboratories across disciplines like math and engineering, working on an individual research project under the guidance of expert mentors. This hands-on phase allows you to engage with real-world problems alongside seasoned postdocs and professors. The experience concludes with professional, conference-style presentations, where you defend your findings before a scientific panel. Ultimately, RSI transforms ambitious students into capable researchers by providing an unparalleled look at the modern scientific process.

14. Rockefeller University’s Summer Science Research Program (SSRP)

Location: RockEDU Science Outreach Laboratory, Rockefeller University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: No cost / An OMNY card or MetroCard for NYC transit is provided. Need-based travel stipends are available
Dates: June 22 – August 6
Application Deadline: January 2
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors who are 16 or older by the program’s start

At Rockefeller University’s Summer Science Research Program, you engage in high-level inquiry across disciplines like immunology, neuroscience, and computational biology. Working within the specialized RockEDU labs, you’ll join a team guided by expert mentors from Rockefeller, MSK, and WCMC to investigate scientific questions. This intensive residency tasks you with data collection, rigorous analysis, and a final symposium presentation. Beyond the bench, the experience is enriched by guest lectures, elective coursework, and networking sessions, offering a comprehensive preview of the professional scientific community and the technical precision required for transformative research.

15. Boston University’s Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) Program - Internship Track

Location: Boston University, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Commuter: $6,185; Residential: $9,785; need-based financial aid is available / No stipend
Dates: June 28 – August 7
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents

In this 40-hour weekly residency, you’ll dive into faculty-led research across diverse fields like bioengineering and computer science. Working alongside professors and graduate mentors, you will develop technical precision and analytical depth through laboratory contributions. Your hands-on investigations are paired with seminars on scientific ethics and professional growth, culminating in a formal symposium where you showcase your results. Beyond just gaining experience, you may receive the backing to enter elite national contests like the Regeneron Science Talent Search. It’s an immersive path that transitions you from a student to a legitimate contributor to the scientific community.

Looking for an immersive internship experience?

Check out Ladder Internships!

Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. Apply now!

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