15 Summer Internships for High School Students in Pennsylvania
If you're a high school student looking to develop new skills, consider doing a summer internship. An internship is a great way to explore your interests and stay productive during the break. It provides you with exposure to workplaces, helps you build skills that can strengthen your college applications, and offers experiences you can mention in your essays and interviews. Whether you are interested in medicine, engineering, business, law, or the arts, a well-chosen internship shows admissions officers that you are dedicated to your field and competent. Many internships also offer certificates, letters of recommendation, or formal evaluations, all of which can strengthen your academic profile.
Why should you choose a summer internship in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is home to major hospital systems, research universities, museums, nonprofits, and technology firms that run structured internship and pre-college programs for high school students. From healthcare and biomedical research to engineering, public policy, and environmental science, there is a diverse range of internships offering practical experience and valuable mentorship. In this blog, we’ve selected programs based on their selectivity, industry exposure, and academic value.
With that, here are 15 summer internships for high school students in Pennsylvania that offer meaningful academic and career exposure.
15 Summer Internships for High School Students in Pennsylvania
1. Bloomberg Arts Internships (BAI)
Location: Various sites in Philadelphia, PA
Stipend: $17.53/hour
Cohort Size: 100 students
Dates: June 19 – August 14
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors residing in the Philadelphia region
If you're looking to see how a professional arts organization functions, the Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) is a good place to start. As an intern, you'll work at a local cultural site, helping with daily operations and creative projects. Outside of the office, the program includes weekly professional development sessions and workshops to help you get ready for college and future careers. You will also get to visit different museums and galleries across the city to see how various institutions manage their programming. The program wraps up with a project where you reflect on your growth and the impact of the arts on the Philadelphia community.
2. Ladder Internships
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies; Financial aid available
Acceptance Rate: Approximately 10%
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students
Ladder Internships is a competitive start-up internship program designed for motivated high school students. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to spend around eight weeks virtually working with dynamic start-ups across various industries, including technology, deep tech, AI/ML, health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. The start-ups involved in the program are typically high-growth companies, with many raising over one million dollars. During the internship period, you will collaborate closely with your managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present your work to the company by the end of the program.
3. Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) High School Summer Internship
Location: Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: None; $1,800 stipend available for students with financial need
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive; Less than 8%
Dates: June 15 – July 24
Application Deadline: December 1 – February 9
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors (16+) residing in Southwest PA
The Magee-Womens Research Institute’s High School Summer Internship program is aimed at students curious about biomedical research and women’s health. As an intern, you’ll spend six weeks in a lab at MWRI or Magee-Womens Hospital, working on a research project under the guidance of a professional investigator. You’ll learn how to use lab equipment and follow scientific protocols correctly. The program also includes "Lunch & Learn" sessions where scientists talk about their career paths and the realities of working in medicine. At the end of the summer, you’ll prepare a PowerPoint presentation to share your research findings with the institute’s staff and your peers.
4. Monell Science Apprenticeship Program (MSAP)
Location: Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Approximately 10%; 18-24 students per year
Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: January 14
Eligibility: High school students from the greater Philadelphia area, including Camden, NJ; Must have legal authorization to work in the U.S.
The Monell Science Apprenticeship Program will place you in a research lab, where you’ll be paired with a scientist to focus on a biomedical research project. You’ll be responsible for carrying your own research project from early planning through final results. Alongside lab work, you will attend lectures and workshops that cover scientific topics, research ethics, and how to communicate your work clearly when writing and giving presentations. By the end of the program, you’ll present your findings at a public conference attended by Monell staff, family members, and other students. The experience also includes sessions that introduce different career paths in science and medicine, with a strong focus on biomedical research related to the chemical senses.
5. CHOP Research Internship for Scholars and Emerging Scientists (CHOP-RISES)
Location: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: 2-summer program; June 29 – August 6
Application Deadline: Applications open in January
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors (16+) at public or charter high schools in the City of Philadelphia; Must have a demonstrated interest in science and math
CHOP-RISES is a multi-summer research internship designed for students attending public or charter high schools in Philadelphia. You’ll begin the program the summer before junior year and participate in a structured, six-week in-person experience focused on research exposure and skill development. Programming includes research activities, workshops, and sessions that introduce a range of STEM-M careers within a pediatric research environment. The program follows a sequenced model that allows continued participation across multiple summers. If you complete the first summer, you will be eligible to continue into a second required summer, with an optional third summer available.
6. Wistar’s High School Fellowship in Biomedical Research
Location: The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Stipend: $1,500 stipend; SEPTA passes provided
Cohort Size: 15 students
Dates: July 6 – 30
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: High school students (16+) who have completed at least one high school science course; Priority given to students enrolled in the School District of Philadelphia
The High School Fellowship in Biomedical Research is a four-week, in-person summer program held at The Wistar Institute in West Philadelphia. As a participant, you will work in a training laboratory where instruction focuses on biomedical research techniques and laboratory best practices. The program includes structured lab activities, guidance on reading scientific literature, and exposure to multiple biomedical research career paths. You will engage in laboratory work while contributing to research conducted in Wistar’s training lab. The program concludes with a presentation of student work, with an emphasis on laboratory-based biomedical research.
7. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
Location: Various labs across the U.S., including in Pennsylvania
Stipend: $4,000 for new participants; $4,500 for returning participants
Cohort Size: Approximately 300 students nationwide
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer (dates vary by lab)
Application Deadline: August 1 – November 1
Eligibility: High school students (16+) who have completed at least 9th grade and graduating seniors
SEAP places you directly inside a Navy research lab, where you’ll work on projects alongside scientists and engineers employed by the Department of the Navy. Your experience depends on the lab you choose, with focus areas ranging from engineering and robotics to computer science, physics, and applied mathematics. Rather than shadowing, you will contribute to ongoing research and technical work under close mentorship. The main value of SEAP is early exposure to how large-scale, government-funded research actually operates. Because placements span dozens of labs nationwide, the program is competitive and requires careful lab selection during the application process.
8. URBN Internships – Urban Outfitters, Inc.
Location: URBN – Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: June 1 – August 7
Application Deadline: November 3
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
URBN’s summer internship program gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how major fashion and retail brands operate day to day. You’ll work in teams in merchandising, trend research, data analysis, and retail operations, depending on the role you apply for. Most interns are based at URBN’s headquarters in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where you’ll experience the pace and structure of a large retail organization firsthand. Alongside daily work, you’ll participate in group activities, leadership sessions, and company-wide events that explain how different departments collaborate across brands like Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People. The experience is structured but fast-paced, reflecting the realities of the retail and fashion industry.
9. Bank of America Student Leaders Program
Location: Various locations across the U.S., including Pennsylvania
Stipend: Paid
Cohort Size: Approximately 300 students selected nationwide
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer + 1 week in Washington, DC
Application Deadline: October 14 – January 15 (tentative)
Eligibility: Current high school juniors and seniors in good academic standing; More info here
The Bank of America Student Leaders Program places you in a paid summer internship with a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia. You’ll spend the summer working on day-to-day projects that support the organization’s mission, which may include program support, outreach, or administrative work. Along the way, you’ll learn how nonprofits operate and how community-focused initiatives are planned and carried out. The program also includes a fully funded, week-long Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, where you will attend workshops, meet peers from across the country, and learn about civic engagement and leadership. Overall, the program focuses on community involvement, leadership skills, and exposure to nonprofit and public service work rather than technical or academic research.
10. Penn State College of Medicine Internships
Location: Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
Stipend: Paid or unpaid, depending on the lab
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Flexible; short-term shadowing (1-2 days) or longer internships lasting weeks or months
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students living in the U.S. who secure a Penn State College of Medicine faculty supervisor and complete the required training
If you’re in Central PA and curious about medical research, Penn State College of Medicine lets you experience how things work in a real lab. You can either shadow for a day or two or set up a longer internship that runs for weeks or months, depending on what you and the mentor agree on. Most of your time will be spent watching how experiments are run, how data is handled, and how labs operate day to day. It’s more about learning how research works in practice than building something from scratch. This isn’t a program where you apply and get placed. You’ll have to find a faculty member yourself by browsing the Penn State research directory and reaching out to people whose work interests you. That makes it less structured but also more flexible if you already know what you want to explore. Once you line up a supervisor, you apply and complete the required training and paperwork. You can download the application form here.
11. Penn Summer Science Initiative (PSSI)
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: None
Cohort Size: 14 students
Dates: July 6 – 30
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors or seniors from the greater Philadelphia region
Hosted by the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter at UPenn, the Penn Summer Science Initiative is a four-week program that focuses on materials science and engineering. As a participant, you’ll partake in a structured schedule that includes faculty lectures, materials science workshops, laboratory experiments, and projects. You’ll rotate through weekly lab activities and learn techniques such as electron and optical microscopy, thermal analysis, mechanical testing, and x-ray diffraction. The program combines guided instruction with regular lab work that requires independent report writing and project completion. The curriculum also includes seminars, field trips, and exposure to multiple Penn research facilities, with a focus on materials science methods and applications.
12. Jefferson Health Discover Healthcare Program (Einstein Medical Center)
Location: Jefferson Health locations in Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: Not mentioned
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Program Dates: July 7 – August 1
Application Deadline: May 25
Eligibility: 10th-11th graders (15+)
This four-week programme at Einstein Medical Center places you inside a hospital to see how healthcare teams operate day to day. You’ll move through different departments and observe roles such as nursing, lab services, physical therapy, and respiratory care. The focus is on exposure rather than research or clinical practice, so you’ll spend most of your time watching, asking questions, and learning how each function fits into patient care. Sessions run for half days on weekdays, which keeps the schedule manageable alongside other summer plans. You may apply through the hospital’s volunteer system and will be expected to complete basic screening and school verification before being accepted.
13. Provost’s Summer Mentorship Program (SMP)
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application Deadline: Applications open in February
Eligibility: Philadelphia rising 10th-11th graders with a minimum GPA of 3.0
SMP is a four-week, in-person summer program designed to introduce Philadelphia high school students to college life and professional careers. As a participant, you will be placed in one of Penn’s graduate or professional schools, including Medicine, Nursing, Engineering, Law, or Dental Medicine, where you’ll gain exposure to real academic and career pathways. The program blends field-specific experiences with structured college-prep sessions focused on skills like time management, study strategies, financial literacy, SAT preparation, and personal statement writing. You’ll spend time on Penn’s campus, learning how professional schools operate while also preparing for the college application process. In addition to daily programming, you will participate in enrichment activities and career exploration sessions led by Penn faculty and staff. The program concludes with a college-focused capstone experience, often including a college fair hosted on campus.
14. Stanford Cardiothoracic Surgical Summer Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,500 program fee + $95 application fee
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Dates: June 22 – July 3; July 13 – 24
Application Deadline: January 20 – March 31
Eligibility: High school students (16+); Exceptions may be made for students under 16 if they are juniors in high school
This online internship from Stanford University School of Medicine gives you a look at cardiothoracic surgery through a short, intensive format. Each day begins with live lectures from Stanford surgeons on subjects like heart and lung anatomy, ECG reading, and core surgical procedures. Later sessions focus on practical skills, where you work with suturing kits, knot-tying tools, dissection models, and surgical instruments sent to your home. Faculty members watch your work in real time and provide technical feedback as you practise. The coursework is designed to reflect how medical training actually works rather than offering a surface-level overview.
15. Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost: $45 application fee + $2,400 program fee; Financial aid available
Acceptance Rate: Approximately 50 students
Dates: Session A: June 15 – 26; Session B: July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: December 15 – February 20
Eligibility: High school students (14+) attending a U.S. high school
The Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship is a two-week virtual program that introduces you to how artificial intelligence is used in medical and healthcare research. Each weekday follows a half-day schedule that mixes technical lectures, guided group research sessions, and meetings with Stanford researchers and student mentors. You’ll work in small groups on applied AI-in-medicine problems rather than running an independent project. The focus is on collaborative problem-solving and exposure to real-world health AI questions. The program also includes guest speakers from academia, industry, and government who discuss career paths and current work in the field. If you attend all sessions, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.
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