13 Online Summer Internships for High School Students
If you're a high school student looking to spend your summer break picking up a new skill, or exploring a subject of interest, an internship is a great way to do that. If you’d rather not travel to a new city or commute to an office for your internship, we’ve got you covered. In this blog, we’ve curated a list of 13 of the best online summer internships for high schoolers.
Online summer internships provide an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience, explore potential career paths, and build essential skills without stepping outside!
With a wide range of options available, from technology to arts and business to medicine, online summer internships offer a flexible and accessible way to enrich your academic perspective and make the most of your summer. Participating in an internship showcases your passion and dedication toward your chosen field, demonstrating your proactive approach to gaining practical experience early. Internships can also expose you to new possibilities in your field of interest in addition to offering networking opportunities, making them a strong addition to your college applications.
Here's 13 online summer internships that you can consider!
Subject Areas: Multidisciplinary
Eligibility: Open to all high school students, who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. These internships are also open to undergraduates and gap-year students.
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year. Summer cohort (Priority Admission): March 17, 2024. | Summer cohort: April 14, 2024 (Regular Admission 1) | May 12, 2024 (Regular Admission 2)
Dates: 8-week programs with multiple cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter. The next cohort starts on June 3, 2024.
Cost: Starting at $1,990. Financial assistance is available.
Ladder Internships, a fairly selective program founded by Harvard alumni, pairs high school students with startups and nonprofits across the world for virtual internships. You can choose the field you wish to work in, from a wide range of industries, including engineering, technology, machine learning, AI, computer science, health tech, and more. This internship program includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, among other skills, and group training sessions with fellow interns. You will be paired with a manager at the startup and with a Ladder coach, who serves as a second mentor.
Interns usually require 5-15 hours a week to work on assigned tasks and to meet the company management. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long. The internship opportunities in this program span the globe, with a concentration in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the UK. You can explore all the options here on their application form.
Ideal for: Students who want to explore the startup environment virtually, work on a real-world project, and don’t want to contribute more than 10-15 hours a week as an intern.
2. The Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Science Program (JHIBS): Virtual Experience
Subject Areas: Neurological sciences, neurobiology
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors from underrepresented populations anywhere in the United States can participate in the 5-week virtual summer research experience.
Application Deadline: March 1, 2024
Dates: July - August 2024 (5-week virtual summer research experience)
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Virtual interns who complete the 5-week program receive a $500 scholarship to support their education.
The John Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS) provides hands-on research experience and mentorship to high school students. JHIBS particularly seeks to reduce gaps in the field by favoring students from underrepresented backgrounds. The program offers an in-person internship as well as a completely virtual one. The virtual program involves a range of activities like professional development training, networking activities, educational workshops, mentorship training, learning basic lab experiments and techniques, and more.
Collaborative projects, discussions, and final presentations are some crucial aspects of the program. You can check out the past projects here.
Ideal for: High school students interested in learning basic lab work and techniques virtually in the field of neurological sciences.
3. SHTEM: Summer Internships for High Schoolers at Stanford University
Subject Areas: Multidisciplinary (science, humanities, technology, engineering, mathematics)
Eligibility: Applicants must:
- Be currently a high school junior or senior in the 2023-2024 school year (i.e. 11th or 12th grade at the time of application) OR a full-time CC student (within first three years of CC)
- Be at least 14 by June 17 (if you are a high school junior or senior).
- Be within the ages of 17-21 (inclusive) by June 17 (if you are a full-time CC student).
Application Deadline: February 23, 2024
Dates: June 17, 2024 - August 9, 2024
Cost/Stipend: None
This program is aimed at exposing high school and community college students to cutting-edge research in an academic environment as well as introducing students to the diversity of research topics pursued in engineering. Conducted by the prestigious Stanford University, this internship offers a unique chance for students to explore diverse subjects remotely. You will spend most of the time conducting research from where you are located (if you are working on hardware projects, materials will be sent to you) while maintaining regular communication with your mentors and group members. You can anticipate a commitment of 30-40 hours per week, guided by Stanford's renowned faculty and industry experts who provide valuable insights into the evolving tech landscape.
Themes cover the science of information and communication, engineering, the arts, linguistics, psychology, biology, neuroscience, computer science, technology, philosophy, and design, among other areas. This program will help you develop technical skills and foster a success-oriented mindset.
Ideal for: Students interested in participating in research at the intersection of fields like engineering, arts, biology, computer science, design, and more.
4. NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internships
Subject Areas: Astrophysics, aeronautics, engineering, technology, space biology, climate science, geological science, artificial intelligence, and more.
Eligibility: Applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Have a cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
- Be a full-time student (high school through graduate level) or a part-time college-level student enrolled in a minimum of 6 semester hours.
- Be a minimum of 16 years of age at the time of application (no exceptions).
Application Deadline: Varies from internship to internship. Applications for summer usually close in April.
Dates: Summer (10-week program, from late May or early June to August).
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Interns may receive a stipend based on academic level and session duration.
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) offers paid internships to high school and college-level students based in its various sites across the country.
These internships provide training, mentorship, and career development to over 2,000 students annually, while they get to learn from and interact with leading experts in science, engineering, finance, IT, and business. The internships are offered in a range of subjects and disciplines, including space science, engineering, aeronautics, technology, space microbiology, ecology, and even outreach and communications. You will get to design experiments, analyze mission data, and develop innovative technologies.
You can explore different internship opportunities here by using the ‘Filter’ option to view the options open to high school students.
Ideal for: High school students looking to pursue a prestigious internship opportunity in aeronautics, aerospace engineering, technology, space science, communications, and more.
5. Summer Internships at the Foreign Policy Research Institute
Subject Areas: Foreign policy, international affairs, research, communications, and more.
Eligibility: High school students authorized to work in the U.S. can apply.
Application Deadline: March 1, 2024 (Summer Session)
Dates: June - August 2024 (Summer Session)
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded; 10 paid internship stipends are available for the Summer 2024 term. Stipend awards are determined by financial need after interns are selected for their program.
FPRI offers online internships for students during the fall, spring, and summer terms. If you prefer learning through work, you should consider this opportunity. This is a competitive internship program for ambitious high school students interested in pursuing a career in international relations. As an intern under this program, you will be paired with a scholar or professional in the field who will work with you to develop industry-specific skills as well as sharpen general skills that come from working in a professional environment such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and time management.
You will attend weekly foreign policy and career-focused virtual seminars with guest speakers. You will also gain access to all of FPRI’s in-person, virtual, and hybrid events and will have the opportunity to work on a research paper to be considered for publication on FPRI’s Intern Corner. You can apply to be a research intern, a special events/development intern, a communications intern, or an operations intern depending on the type of experience you would like to gain at FPRI. For further details on the various kinds of internships offered by FPRI, check here.
Ideal for: High school students interested in spending a productive summer working at a think tank in the field of foreign policy or international relations.
6. PHC Group, LLC Mary Miller Summer Program
Subject Areas: Social media marketing and communications
Eligibility: Rising or current high school seniors with work authorization
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: Summer (exact dates not specified)
Stipend: Paid (amount not specified)
The Mary Miller Summer Program offers high school students the chance to develop leadership, teamwork and collaboration, and communication skills. Interns will get to participate in team projects and activities with senior leadership while also developing independent projects.
As an intern, you will work under the Public Health Director and assist the team in social media projects, online community interactions, and technical support. Some key tasks here include attending planning meetings, conducting social media research through trending, analysis, and reporting, developing regular and creative posts, and implementing feedback from team members and clients.
Note: As part of your application, you are required to send in your resume to joinus@phcgconsulting.com.
Ideal for: High school students curious about the world of social media marketing and communications.
7. Internships at the American Psychological Association (APA)
Subject Areas: Psychology, education, and training.
Eligibility:
- Interns must be eligible to work in the U.S. (as verified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s e-verify service) and must reside in one of the states where APA is already registered as an employer.
- Students must be enrolled at least part-time in an academic institution to be eligible for an internship with APA.
- For students under the age of 18, an official District of Columbia Work Permit must be submitted with your application. Additional information about the D.C. Work Permit can be found online.
Application Deadline: Varies based on the internship.
Dates: Internships are offered year-round; exact dates vary based on the internship selected. Internships during the summer are available.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Paid and unpaid internships are available.
Internships at the American Psychological Association (APA) present an exceptional opportunity for students interested in pursuing a virtual summer internship. APA, the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, offers diverse internship roles in policy, research, communications, and financial services. These internships, available in both paid and unpaid formats, enable students to apply psychological expertise for societal benefit.
Summer internships with the APA provide a chance to deepen understanding of professional psychology within a nationally recognized organization. As an intern, you will perform a variety of tasks depending on the needs of the office and the particular interests and skills of the student. Students may have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities including research, writing, and web-based projects. Students may also assist staff with administrative tasks and special projects.
Ideal for: Students looking to work in the field of professional psychology within a nationally recognized organization, adding a valuable experience to their resume.
Subject Areas: Computer science, programming, open source software development.
Eligibility: Candidates must:
- Be 18 years or older on the date they register for the program.
- Not be a resident of a United States embargoed country.
- Be eligible to work in the country in which they reside for the duration of the program.
Application Deadline: April 4, 2024
Dates: May 29, 2024 - September 4, 2024.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Stipend is provided.
The Google Summer of Code (GSoC) program allows new contributors to be part of open-source projects and gain real-world experience by working on a 12+ week coding project with one of ~150 open-source organizations under the guidance of dedicated mentors.
The program goals include motivating developers to begin participating in open-source software development, helping open-source projects bring in new developers into their communities, and giving new contributors exposure to real-world open-source software development scenarios (such as testing, version control and software licensing), and creating more open source code for everyone. After the program ends, the code GSoC contributors wrote will be available for all to use and will be easy for GSoC contributors to reference when applying for jobs and internships.
Ideal for: Students interested in learning how to code under the mentorship of open-source organizations and working on individual projects.
9. Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) Internship Program
Subject Areas: Communications, digital media, and curriculum building
Eligibility: High school students at least 16 years old
Application Deadline: March 31, 2024
Dates: May-August (8-10 weeks in the summer)
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Paid (amount not specified)
The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) accepts high school students for its Communications, Digital Media, and Curriculum Division. Selected interns will work with professional curriculum developers to create Smithsonian Science for Global Goals guides and activities related to sustainability. As an intern, you may be required to support the department’s communications and marketing activities. Some tasks that you can undertake include conducting interviews, recording and transcribing them, conducting research, writing, editing, participating in discussions and meetings, attending social events, and more.
Candidates should have an eye for visual communication, social media experience, experience or interest in photo, video, writing, or editing, and/or interest in science, education, curriculum work, and the ability to adhere to tight deadlines. You will be mentored directly by the Marketing & Communications team and will receive feedback and guidance on their projects and content creation.
Ideal for: High school students interested in pursuing a career in social media marketing, communications, and curriculum development.
Subject Areas: Hematopoiesis, cancer, and stem cell development.
Eligibility: High school students or rising college freshmen at least 16 years of age and residing in Massachusetts.
Application Deadline: April 14, 2024
Dates: July 15-26, 2024 (2 weeks during the summer).
Stipend: Paid (amount not specified)
Zon Lab, part of the Boston’s Children’s Hospital, runs a two-week virtual research experience that teaches students about research using zebrafish. Students will work in teams to design a research project to study anemia using zebrafish as an experimental organism. Teams will generate a hypothesis, design experiments, and perform analysis, following which the lab’s scientists will perform the experiments live in the lab while students watch online. At the end of the program, each team will present their findings.
As part of the camp, you will attend lectures delivered by world-class scientists on topics ranging from basic biology to clinical translation of research. You will learn to critically read and understand scientific literature and the basics of coding to graph your data. You will also receive career advice from expert scientists of Zon Lab in a mentoring session and career panel Q&A. You can check the sample schedule here.
Ideal for: High school students interested in virtual experimental research experience in the field of cancer biology and blood development.
Subject Areas: Writing, researching, editing, social media marketing, graphic design, and more in the field of medicine.
Eligibility: All high school students can apply.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: Internships with ME are open year-round including summer sessions.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; No stipend is provided but you may receive a certificate.
For students keen on exploring the field of medicine, Medicine Encompassed is a student-run nonprofit organization that assists with accessibility in the field. The organization offers multiple positions across its 18 committees. The applications for each of these positions (that are also known as general positions) are open on a rolling basis, so it is recommended you apply as soon as possible!
As an intern with Medicine Encompassed, you can work across any of the following departments: writing, editing, sponsorships and partnerships, graphic design, and marketing and social media, along with resource creation. This may involve researching medical topics, writing informative articles or guides, and developing educational materials that can be used by others to learn about various medical fields. Additionally, you can contribute to the ‘Project Cultivation’ outreach initiative, which aims to increase awareness and accessibility of medical education. The final outcome of the program typically includes a comprehensive set of educational materials that students have contributed to or created.
Ideal for: High school students who are interested in exploring medicine and related fields, but aren’t necessarily looking for something that puts them in an intensive hospital, research or laboratory environment.
Subject Areas: Energy storage, renewable energy, conservation.
Eligibility: Applicants must:
- Be sophomores, juniors, and seniors only.
- Have taken at least one honors science or honors English class.
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.25.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. You can apply here.
Dates: Flexible.
- Half-time internships come in increments of 2 weeks, from 2 to 8 weeks. The interns are expected to work approximately 20 hours per week. Half-time internships are available during the summer.
- Quarter-time internships come in increments of 1 month, from 1 to 9 months. The interns are expected to work approximately 8 hours per week. Quarter-time internships are available all year round.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Internships are unpaid.
EnergyMag provides virtual research internships to high school and college students keen on exploring the renewable energy sector. Participants dive into company research, technology analysis, and market exploration, acquiring valuable research, analytical skills, and practical experience. If you’re looking for a virtual summer internship, you can opt for the half-time internships (2–8 weeks in the summer, 20 hours per week).
As an intern, you will be asked to research and analyze a specific company, a specific technology, a specific (narrow) market, or similar activities. You will need to research the topic, find and get in contact with people who have the relevant information, analyze and synthesize the information you gather, and produce a draft analysis report, which will reference your name, and be published on the site after appropriate editing and formatting. You will be assigned a mentor, who will brief you, guide you and supervise your work. If you produce a publishable report, you will be given an internship Letter of Accomplishment, which will summarize your work and the organization’s appreciation for your work.
Ideal for: Students interested in exploring the renewable energy sector and working in fields of research and analysis.
13. Building-U High School Internship
Subject Areas: R&D, business development, marketing, media, coding, social media content and analytics, animation, and more.
Eligibility: The applicant must currently be enrolled as a K9 – K12 student. Students from all over the world, in grades 9-12, are encouraged to apply.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: 3 months during the summer (June-August), but can be year-round if the student wishes to extend it.
Cost/Stipend: No application cost. Information about a stipend is not specified.
Building-U is an entirely remote non-profit organization that works to assist high-school students. The non-profit offers 3-month to year-round virtual internships in administrative and business roles. As an intern, you will be assigned a range of duties. Once selected, you will be part of one of their teams – these include R&D roles, student ambassador roles, Business Development roles, and other profiles, more details of which you can read about here. Each role offers a range of experiences and responsibilities and will give you the chance to contribute towards the organization’s larger goals.
Beyond specific team project skills, you will also get to build essential teamwork and communication skills. You will be invited to join in on other team meetings to contribute ideas to other projects — building knowledge integration skills as well!
Ideal for: High school students interested in exploring work in a non-profit organization across departments and fields.
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, with a large number of them in tech. 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. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!
Stephen is one of the founders of Ladder Internships and a Harvard College graduate.