15 Psychology Internships for Undergraduates

If you’re an undergraduate student thinking about a career in psychology, internships can be one of the clearest (and hands-on) ways to explore the field while still in college. These roles give you a chance to watch how psychology is used in practical situations, and offer access to mentorship in the field!

As an intern, you might assist in a university lab running studies on memory, behavior, or decision-making. You could help out at a clinic by organizing intake forms, preparing session notes, or observing how therapists work with patients. Some internships place you in schools, shelters, or community programs where you support outreach efforts or sit in on counseling sessions.

This kind of early experience also gives you a serious advantage after graduation. It shows admissions committees that you’ve already spent time working in the field. Whether you apply to grad school, training programs, or fellowships, this makes your application stand out, especially compared to students who have only done coursework and exams.

With that, here are 15 psychology internships for undergraduate students! If you're looking for more prestigious internships, check out this set of blogs!

15 Psychology Internships for Undergraduates

1. Ladder’s University Program

Location: Virtual

Dates: Multiple cohorts available throughout the year

Application Deadline: Varies by the cohort

Eligibility: College students interested in tech, non-profit, or related fields

The Ladder University Internship Program offers 8-week remote internships with startups working in fields like AI, health tech, consulting, and environmental science. You’ll work 10–20 hours per week on real projects while getting support from both your host company and a Ladder coach. You’ll build research and communication skills, present your final project to the team, and leave with something solid for your resume. Matching is based on your interests, and financial aid is available. Past interns have continued to top schools like Stanford, Harvard, and Cornell.

2. Active Minds Internships

Location: Active Minds, Washington, D.C. (Remote options available depending on role)

Cost: Free; stipend of $1,250/month provided

Dates: Summer: June–August | Fall: September–December | Spring: January–April

Application Deadline: Spring applications open in October/November

Eligibility: Open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates

Active Minds Internships are paid, part-time roles for college students and recent graduates interested in psychology and mental health. You work 20 hours per week on projects related to mental health education, policy, outreach, and nonprofit programming. You also assist with daily operations, which helps you build skills in coordination, communication, and advocacy. You attend staff meetings, receive supervision from Active Minds staff, and contribute to national efforts focused on changing how mental health is discussed, especially among young people.

3. Harvard Business School Program for Research in Markets & Organizations

Location: Harvard Business School, Boston, MA

Cost: Free; $3,500 stipend, housing, and meals provided

Dates: June 6–August 8

Application Deadline: January 

Eligibility: Open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the U.S.-based 4-year colleges; international students must be enrolled at a U.S. institution and eligible for CPT

PRIMO Internships are full-time, 10-week summer research roles for undergraduates interested in psychology, behavioral science, and business. You work one-on-one with Harvard Business School faculty on research projects in areas like decision-making, leadership, organizational behavior, and social enterprise. You live on campus and join a cohort of undergraduate researchers. You participate in weekly seminars, faculty lectures, and workshops on graduate school admissions, public speaking, and research ethics. You present your research at the end of the program to faculty and peers.

4. Undergraduate Psychology Summer Internship Program -  Pace University, Counseling Center, New York City Campus

Location: Pace University Counseling Center, New York, NY

Cost: Free

Dates: May 20–July 24

Application Deadline: Applications accepted throughout January

Eligibility: Open to rising senior undergraduate students majoring in psychology or a related field; international students at U.S. institutions are eligible; Pace students are not eligible

Pace University’s Undergraduate Psychology Summer Internship is a part-time clinical training program for rising college seniors. You intern at the NYC campus counseling center from late May to late July, gaining direct exposure to clinical psychology in a university setting. You participate in weekly seminars on clinical interviewing, therapeutic techniques, and diagnostic categories. You conduct mock intake interviews, contribute to data projects, and complete an individual research-based presentation. You also join outreach and consultation efforts across campus.

5. University of North Carolina Karen M. Gil Internship Program in Psychology

Location: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC (Triangle area placements)

Cost: Free; monthly stipend provided

Dates: Semester-long (Fall or Spring)

Application Deadline: October 24 for Spring; Fall deadlines vary

Eligibility: Open to UNC juniors or seniors majoring in psychology or neuroscience; minimum GPA of 3.4 recommended; must have completed PSYC 101 and two additional PSYC or NSCI courses

Karen M. Gil Internships are part-time, semester-long research and applied psychology roles for UNC psychology and neuroscience majors. You work 9 to 10 hours per week at a matched internship site in the Chapel Hill or Research Triangle area while earning academic credit through PSYC/NSCI 493. You complete a final poster presentation and attend weekly seminars focused on professional development. Topics include clinical, cognitive, developmental, and applied psychology. Internship sites include university research labs, mental health clinics, and nonprofit organizations

6. University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Psychology Psychology Research Experience Program (PREP)

Location: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI

Cost: Free; $6,000 stipend, $2,100 meal stipend, housing, travel, and health insurance provided

Dates: May 27–August 1

Application Deadline: February 15

Eligibility: Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who will be enrolled undergraduates in Fall; must have completed sophomore or junior year; program encourages applicants from underrepresented or first-generation backgrounds

PREP Internships are full-time, 10-week summer research roles for undergraduates interested in psychology, neuroscience, and data science. You work about 30 hours per week in a faculty-led lab and receive intensive mentoring in research design, analysis, and professional development. You participate in workshops on R, Python, and other data tools, attend seminars on graduate school admissions and research ethics, and visit advanced lab facilities in areas like neuroimaging, psychophysiology, and cognitive development. You present your research at the end of the summer during the PREP Symposium.

7. Rutgers RISE Program

Location: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Cost: Free; stipend of $5,000–$6,000, housing, travel allowance, and optional GRE prep included

Dates: May 27–August 1

Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; early review begins February 1

Eligibility: Open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and individuals eligible to work in the U.S.; must have completed at least sophomore year by June; minimum 3.0 GPA recommended

RISE Internships are full-time, 10-week summer research roles for undergraduates planning to pursue a PhD. You work on an independent research project under the mentorship of a Rutgers faculty member in psychology, neuroscience, or a related social science field. You participate in graduate school prep workshops, GRE preparation, communication training, and career exploration through site visits and networking events. You attend wellness and social activities, receive support from resident advisors, and present your research at a final symposium

8. Harvard University Moral Psychology Research Lab

Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Cost: Free; $5,000 stipend provided; housing not included

Dates: Dates to be announced in January

Application Deadline: January 23

Eligibility: Open to undergraduate students (U.S. and international); must be at least 18 years old

Moral Psychology Internships are full-time, 10-week summer research roles for undergraduates interested in cognitive science, morality, and human behavior. You work about 30 to 35 hours per week in Dr. Fiery Cushman’s lab, contributing to research on moral judgment, social cognition, and decision-making. You assist with experimental design, data collection, and analysis. You also join professional development workshops, training sessions, and social events that build community across the psychology department. You will also give short presentations at the beginning and end of the summer to share research plans and findings

9. Duke University The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience NSF Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Location: Duke University, Durham, NC

Cost: Free to attend; stipend, housing, and travel costs provided

Dates: May 16–July 15

Application Deadline: February 27

Eligibility: Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents; priority given to rising sophomores and juniors from underrepresented backgrounds or non-Research I institutions

Duke’s Psychology and Neuroscience REU is a full-time, 9-week summer research program for undergraduates interested in lifespan approaches to psychological science. You work in a faculty lab focused on developmental, social, or cognitive neuroscience and gain direct experience with experimental and observational research. You receive training in research design, data analysis, and human participant studies. You also participate in academic writing workshops, GRE prep, one-on-one faculty mentorship, and weekly cohort-building activities. You present your research at a final symposium.

10. University of California Berkeley Early Learning Lab Summer Internship Program

Location: University of California, Berkeley, CA (in-person or remote)

Cost: Free

Dates: June 2–July 25

Application Deadline: February 28

Eligibility: Open to undergraduate students (including international students); prior coursework in developmental or cognitive psychology recommended; experience working with children and programming skills are a plus

BELL Internships are part-time, 8-week summer research roles for undergraduates interested in cognitive and language development. You work 15 to 25 hours per week in Dr. Fei Xu’s lab, assisting with data collection, stimuli design, and participant recruitment at local museums and in the lab. You are paired with a graduate student or postdoc mentor. You attend weekly reading groups, lab meetings, and professional development sessions. You also have access to optional technical workshops on tools like R, Blender, Datavyu, and LookIt.

11. University of Pennsylvania Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Program in Interdisciplinary Mind and Brain Studies

Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Cost: Free; stipend, housing, meals, and travel provided

Dates: June 2–August 8

Application Deadline: March

Eligibility: Open to full-time undergraduates; non-Penn applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents; graduating seniors are not eligible

MindCORE Fellowships are full-time, 10-week summer research roles for undergraduates interested in interdisciplinary cognitive science. You begin with a one-week workshop on topics like perception, decision-making, and communication, followed by nine weeks of mentored research in a faculty lab. You participate in weekly seminars, technical training, and professional development sessions. You also attend lab tours, research ethics training, and cohort-building events. You present your work at a final poster symposium

12. University of Texas at Austin Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)

Location: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Cost: Free; $2,500 stipend, housing and meals provided for out-of-town participants

Dates: June 5–August 5

Application Deadline: March 31

Eligibility: Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents enrolled at a Texas college or university majoring in psychology or a related field

SURE Internships are full-time, two-month summer research roles for psychology undergraduates enrolled at colleges or universities in Texas. You work 40 hours per week in a UT Austin psychology lab under the mentorship of a faculty member and a graduate student. You participate in weekly lab meetings, seminars, and workshops on experimental design, ethics, statistical analysis, and applying to graduate school. You present your research at the end of the program in a formal presentation.

13. The Irvine Summer Institute in Neuroscience Program

Location: University of California, Irvine, CA

Cost: Free; $700/week stipend, housing, meals, and travel provided

Dates: June 9–August 15

Application Deadline: January 31

Eligibility: Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have completed at least one year of undergraduate study and will graduate in the next two years

The Irvine Summer Institute in Neuroscience is a full-time, 10-week research training program for undergraduates interested in neuroscience and psychology. You begin with two weeks of remote workshops on research methods, coding, literature review, and lab safety. You then spend eight weeks on campus working in a faculty lab at the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. You participate in journal clubs, methods workshops, professional development sessions, and cohort-building activities. You present your research at a final symposium. You receive mentorship from neuroscience faculty and lab-specific training throughout the summer.

14. American Psychological Association Internships

Location: Remote (must reside in an eligible U.S. state; not available internationally or in states like NY, CA, CO, WA, etc.)

Cost: Free; some internships are paid

Dates: Varies by term (offered spring, summer, fall, winter)

Application Deadline: Rolling

Eligibility: Open to U.S.-based part-time or full-time undergraduate and graduate students; must be eligible to work in the U.S.

APA Internships are remote, part-time roles offered year-round across departments like policy, research, publishing, communications, education, and operations. You work on research, writing, and web-based projects while attending optional workshops and seminars on psychology careers and workplace skills. You may earn academic credit or receive pay, depending on the position. All internships are remote until further notice. You must be enrolled at least part-time in an academic institution and reside in an approved U.S. state. 

15. Brighter Hope Wellness Center (BHWC)

Location: Brighter Hope Wellness Center, Clarksville, MD

Cost: Free

Dates: Winter, Spring, and Summer sessions available

Application Deadline: Varies by the cohort

Eligibility: Open to undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students studying psychology, mental health, social work, counseling, business, or related fields

Brighter Hope Internships are part-time, in-person roles where you explore different areas of mental health care. You choose a track in clinical services, administrative support, business IT, or social media. Each track gives you hands-on experience in a real-world wellness setting. If you choose the clinical track, you observe therapy sessions, assist with intake and treatment planning, and attend supervision meetings. If you choose the administrative track, you help manage scheduling, documentation, and communication tasks that keep the practice running. If you choose social media, you help build outreach strategies and create content. If you choose business IT, you support staff with troubleshooting, software updates, and cloud-based tools.

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