12 Summer Internships for High School Students in Toronto
If you’re a high schooler, internships give you a chance to explore different career paths, build useful skills, and understand how workplaces function. Choosing a local internship can be especially valuable—it helps students learn more about industries in their own community, make connections with nearby professionals, and sometimes even discover opportunities that can continue beyond the summer.
Toronto, as Canada’s largest city and a major economic hub, offers a particularly wide range of possibilities. From finance and healthcare to technology, media, and the arts, students here are surrounded by diverse fields to explore. With so many organizations based in the city, Toronto high school students can access internships that not only match their academic or career interests but also provide a real sense of how local industries operate.
To highlight some of these options, we’ve put together a list of 12 internships available to high school students in Toronto. This guide gives an overview of programs that can help students gain practical experience close to home.
1. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
Location: Students are placed within a 45-minute commute from their homes
Stipend: $3,000
Acceptance rate: Low - moderate selectivity
Application Deadline: November 22 - January 19
Dates: 8 weeks in the Summer with flexible start and end dates
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors; 16 years old by internship start date
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program offers an eight-week, paid summer internship for high school students. You’ll work full-time under the guidance of a professional mentor in your local area, learning about aquatic ecosystems in both marine and freshwater settings. Hutton Scholars complete regular time-sheets and reports as part of the program requirements. Internship sites vary, and you may find yourself working outdoors, in a laboratory, or even on a boat. Tasks may involve fish population monitoring, habitat establishment, or educational outreach activities.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Location: Remote
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
The Ladder Internship Program offers ambitious high school students the chance to gain real-world experience at high-growth start-ups. Over an 8-week virtual internship, you’ll work closely with a start-up manager and a dedicated Ladder Coach on meaningful projects that contribute to the company. Start-up opportunities span industries such as AI/ML, health tech, deep tech, marketing, journalism, and consulting. Many partner start-ups are fast-growing, with significant funding behind them. At the end of the program, you’ll present your work to the company.
3. SickKids Summer Research (SSuRe) Program
Location: The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, ON
Stipend: Students receive minimum wage and vacation pay
Acceptance Rate: Moderately selective
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Dates: May 5 - August 14
Eligibility: High school students in their last year
The SickKids Summer Research (SSuRe) Program is designed for high school students working on summer research with a SickKids scientist. You’ll start with orientation and lab safety training, where you’ll learn about clinical research ethics, fire safety, and occupational health. Weekly talks from leading scientists will introduce you to diverse research areas in health and disease. Skills-focused seminars teach you how to craft effective abstracts, design standout posters, and network with confidence. The program culminates with Symposium Day, where you’ll present your research and compete for poster and oral presentation prizes.
4. StAR (Students Advancing Research) Program
Location: The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, ON
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: 6 weeks in the Summer
Eligibility: Black, Filipino, or Indigenous 11th-12th graders; At least 16 years old by start date; Must have previously taken Grade 10 Science
The StAR (Students Advancing Research) Program offers high school students a six-week paid summer internship in a world-class research lab at SickKids. You’ll be paired with a lab team, conduct your research project on-site, and present your findings at a symposium. The program also includes career and mentorship opportunities through the Kids Science program, where you’ll interact with top researchers and medical professionals. The program builds your research techniques, lab skills, and STEM career awareness.
5. Focused Ultrasound High School Summer Research Program
Location: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON
Stipend/Cost: Not specified
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
Application Deadline: February 14
Dates: July 2
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years of age by July 1 with strong academic standing in math and sciences
The Focused Ultrasound Summer Research Program offers high school students an opportunity to explore medical research. You’ll assist with projects in engineering, experimental biology, programming, and technology development in the FUS Lab. Supervisors teach students the skills needed to contribute effectively, including basic coding. The program provides an experience designed to inspire future careers in science, engineering, and healthcare innovation. Students from outside Toronto must secure their own accommodations and confirm work eligibility in Canada.
6. RBC Summer Tech Labs Program
Location: Hybrid with in-person at downtown Toronto
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: July 2 - August 20
Eligibility: Students in grades 11 and 12
The RBC Summer Tech Labs Program is an eight-week paid internship in which students work in teams to solve real-world technology challenges. You’ll start with onboarding, tech setup, and coding refreshers, and then collaborate in groups of four using agile methodology to deliver weekly solutions. Each week, you’ll present your progress, receive feedback, and take on new tasks. The program includes mentorship, tech talks, and networking opportunities with RBC experts. Students also gain hands-on experience deploying code and expanding their skills in a collaborative workplace.
7. Daniels Design Discovery Program
Location: John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, Toronto, ON
Cost: $1,550 + HST
Cohort Size: 30
Application Deadline: Registrations are open up to one week before the start date of each course
Dates: Session 1: June 30–July 11 and July 14–July 25; Session 2: July 28–August 8 and August 11–August 22
Eligibility: High school students (ages 14-18)
The Daniels Design Discovery Program is an introduction to architecture for high school students. You’ll explore spatial thinking, design principles, and architectural representation through two distinct two-week courses. Drawing Practices focuses on developing your skills in site analysis, drawing, photography, and 3D design software to communicate architectural ideas. Model Making teaches you to craft physical models that respond to real-world contexts and reflect your creative vision. Both courses emphasize hands-on learning, critical thinking, and feedback from experienced instructors.
8. Medicine Youth Summer Program
Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost: $1,668 per module
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Application Deadline: Registrations are open until spots are filled up
Dates: Depends on the module you apply for
Eligibility: Grades 10 to 12; Students in grade 9 are eligible for certain modules
The Medicine Youth Summer Program (Med YSP) allows high school students to study medicine and biology at the University of Toronto. You’ll choose from four one-week modules covering Human Physiology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Molecular Biology & Genetics, and Microbiology. The program combines lectures, interactive activities, and lab experiments. These include polygraph testing, antibiotic resistance analysis, and crime scene investigation techniques. Students also engage in discussions on the ethics and impact of medical research while developing skills for future studies in health sciences.
9. Remote Graphic Design & Marketing Internship: Hosted out of Greece
Location: Remote
Cost: $1,099 - $1,799
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: Flexible dates and duration
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 and above with knowledge of social media marketing and digital communications
The Remote Graphic Design & Marketing Internship hosted out of Greece gives you the chance to support marine conservation efforts. You’ll join a highly respected NGO that leads research and environmental protection activities across Greece. Interns create engaging content such as infographics, posters, animations, and illustrations to raise awareness about critical environmental issues. You’ll get feedback on your work and learn how effective design motivates public action for conservation.
10. University of Toronto Math Academy
Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost: $450+tax
Acceptance Rate: Selective
Application Deadline: July 20
Dates: August 11 - August 15
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12
The University of Toronto Math Academy provides high school students with a challenging one-week enrichment program on creative mathematical topics. Students are admitted based on their solutions to a non-curricular, creative problem set. The program combines lectures with independent and group problem-solving to foster abstract thinking. The focus of the program is Calculus and Linear Algebra in Commerce and Economics. This module explores optimization, pricing strategies, and resource allocation through mathematical modeling, equipping students with both analytical and business insights.
11. CREATE: Engineering Design Challenges
Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost: $725/week for domestic students; $1100/week for international students
Acceptance Rate: Moderately selective
Application Deadline: Applications are reviewed in 4 rounds
Dates: July 7–August 22
Eligibility: Students in grades 9-12
CREATE: Engineering Design Challenges offers students an exciting summer of hands-on exploration in science and engineering. You’ll work with undergraduate and graduate mentors, engage with cutting-edge research, and tackle real-world problems through the Engineering Design Cycle. With courses such as Sustainable Product Design, Human Body Hacks, and Robotics in Aviation, you’ll gain experience in labs, site visits, and team-based problem solving. The program is designed to spark curiosity and build practical skills. Many sessions fill quickly — early registration is encouraged.
12. Science Unlimited Summer Camp
Location: University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Toronto, ON
Cost: $300
Cohort Size: 50
Application Deadline: April 15
Dates: August 18 - August 22
Eligibility: Students in grade 10 or 11
The Science Unlimited Summer Camp gives high school students hands-on experience with university-level science. You’ll participate in workshops that cover astronomy, chemistry, physics, computer science, earth sciences, math, and the environment. Highlights include creating quantum dots, examining rocks with microscopes, modeling climate systems, and building a spectroscope to analyze light. You’ll also learn to program with AI and solve real-world challenges such as environmental contamination. The camp combines experiments with critical thinking, showing how scientific principles apply to everyday life.
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