13 Summer Internships for Undergraduates in California
Summer internships are among the most practical ways for college students to strengthen their profiles while gaining real-world experience in a field they care about. They can help you improve your resume, become more employable, and show employers that you have already worked in a professional setting. You get a chance to apply classroom knowledge to real tasks, develop technical and soft skills, and build valuable connections with mentors and peers. For many students, it is also a strong addition to future job, research, or graduate school applications.
If you’re interested in summer internships in specific subjects, check out a list of psychology summer internships here & law internships here.
Why should I do a summer internship in California?
California offers a broad mix of summer internships for undergraduates, including research-based programs at universities, hands-on roles in hospitals and labs, industry placements in technology and engineering, and opportunities in public health, sustainability, and community organizations. Some internships focus on technical training and project work, while others emphasize research methods, data analysis, scientific writing, or field experience. You can also find online and hybrid internships that allow you to gain experience without needing to commute daily, which can make them more affordable and flexible. These opportunities help you explore different career paths, connect with professionals, and develop skills that can support both academic and career growth.
In this list, we cover 13 internships available in California during the summer season basis quality & competitiveness of the program.
Key takeaways
This list gathers 13 summer internships for undergraduates in California spanning major tech companies, media organizations, sports business, and biomedical research, with standout hosts including Google, Meta, Salesforce, and UCSF.
Pay varies enormously, from hourly rates around $43 to $52 at one major software company to a fully funded research package worth over $15,000 at UCSF, while a couple of the more niche sports-focused programs are unpaid but offer academic credit or free housing instead.
This list mixes major corporate tech internships with smaller, highly specialized options in sports performance, sports marketing, and nonprofit advocacy, giving students outside the tech industry several strong California-based choices too.
Most of these are based in major California hubs like the Bay Area and Los Angeles, while Ladder remains the only fully virtual, location-independent option on the list.
The earliest deadline falls on February 2 for two of the most competitive biomedical research programs, with a May 31 deadline for one major software company's internship, so it's worth checking each listing's specific timeline individually since they vary quite a bit.
1. Lucasfilm Creative Development Intern
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective | approximately 14 summer interns selected annually
Location: Los Angeles Times Headquarters, El Segundo, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship | at least $20 per hour (approximately $800 per week for full-time summer interns)
Dates: Summer interns begin May 26 or June 22, for a 10-week internship (tentative)
Application Deadline: Not disclosed yet
Eligibility: Undergraduate or graduate students currently pursuing a degree, or recent graduates within six months of graduation, who are eligible to work in the United States; applicants should not have previously worked professionally as staff journalists
Lucasfilm's Creative Development team oversees story development and management across live-action films, streaming series, and animation, working closely with departments across the company on franchise continuity and production. As an intern, you get an inside look at how stories move from concept to screen, working alongside executives in the department and gaining exposure to development, marketability, and cross-team production processes. Responsibilities include supporting organizational tasks like tracking materials across the live-action slate, helping coordinate daily department operations, and attending meetings where you can contribute creative feedback. Interns are expected to provide their own housing and transportation in the Burbank area for the internship's duration, and should come prepared to speak to their specific interest, animation or live-action/streaming, if invited to interview.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: Undergraduates and gap year students who can work for 8-12 weeks, committing 10-20 hours/week
Ladder University Internship Program is a selective, virtual internship program that connects participants with startups and nonprofits worldwide across a range of industries. During the program, you will work on a real-world project that addresses a genuine need of the startup they are working with. You collaborate closely with an organization manager and a Ladder coach, gaining exposure to professional workflows and expectations in a remote setting. You’ll present your project to the company at the end of the internship and receive your letter of completion.
3. Feminist Majority Internships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | limited intern cohort
Location: Feminist Majority Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Varies by position; $16-$20 per hour depending on campus size
Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Undergraduate students from all majors with a strong academic record and an interest in feminism, public policy, gender equity, human rights, advocacy, or political science; prior involvement in feminist or social justice work is preferred
The Feminist Majority Summer Internship is a full-time advocacy and public policy internship that introduces undergraduate students to nonprofit organizing, feminist activism, communications, and policy research. During the internship, you work closely with staff members on projects related to reproductive rights, public policy, media outreach, gender equity campaigns, and community organizing. Depending on your assigned area, you may conduct legislative and policy research, monitor public hearings and coalition meetings, assist with social media and digital communications, write advocacy materials, support event planning, or contribute to outreach campaigns. Interns can also work with initiatives such as Feminist Campus, Girls Learn International, the National Clinic Access Project, and public relations or media teams. The internship emphasizes research, writing, communication, advocacy, and organizational skills while giving students hands-on exposure to nonprofit and policy work.
4. Centric Brands Sports Marketing Internships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | limited summer intern cohort
Location: Centric Brands, Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid)
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship
Dates: 10 weeks, June – August
Application Deadline: Typically opens in the spring
Eligibility: Undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, sports management, business, fashion merchandising, or a related field; applicants should have strong communication and organizational skills
The Centric Brands Sports Marketing Internship is a summer professional development program that introduces undergraduate students to sports partnerships, brand strategy, and athlete-focused marketing within the fashion and apparel industry. During the internship, you work with the Sports Marketing team on projects connected to athlete partnerships, promotional campaigns, product seeding, event coordination, and brand activation initiatives. Interns assist with market research, campaign tracking, presentation preparation, inventory organization, and communication with partners while learning how sports licensing and brand collaborations operate in a corporate setting. Throughout the experience, students collaborate with professionals across departments and develop practical skills in project management, marketing analytics, and professional presentation.
5. Sports Industry Academy Internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | limited residential intern cohort
Location: University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Santa Barbara, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free housing and meals provided | $500 stipend upon successful completion
Dates: July 20-25 (tentative)
Application Deadline: Typically February
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students or recent graduates from all majors with experience in leadership, mentorship, education, sports, event coordination, or student engagement
The Sports Industry Academy Internship is a short-term residential summer internship for undergraduates in California that allows you to support a sports business and leadership program hosted at UC Santa Barbara. During the internship, you help coordinate daily operations for high school and college scholars participating in the Sports Industry Academy, a program focused on careers in sports management, marketing, media, law, and entrepreneurship. Interns assist with student mentorship, workshop facilitation, event logistics, attendance management, and community-building activities while working alongside sports executives, educators, and program staff. The role also provides exposure to program management, leadership development, communications, and sports industry networking through direct interaction with guest speakers and sports professionals.
6. USC Keck School of Medicine – Bridging the Gaps
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective | approximately 15 students selected annually
Location: Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free | stipend provided; university housing and transportation costs covered
Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Undergraduate students with at least two years of college study, hold a minimum 3.0 GPA, are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
The Bridging the Gaps (BTG) Program at the USC Keck School of Medicine is an eight-week residential summer research internship designed for undergraduate students interested in medicine, biomedical research, and healthcare careers. During the program, you conduct mentored research in Keck School faculty laboratories while gaining exposure to basic science, translational research, and clinical research environments. Students work closely with faculty mentors on ongoing biomedical investigations and develop skills in laboratory techniques, scientific methodology, data analysis, and research communication. The internship also includes weekly seminars in physiology, pathophysiology, and biostatistics, as well as workshops on career development, medical school preparation, and professional skills. Participants also have opportunities to shadow physicians at affiliated hospitals. The program concludes with a formal research presentation where students share their findings with the Keck School of Medicine community.
7. Sports Academy Internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | limited intern cohort
Location: Sports Academy facilities, Thousand Oaks and Seal Beach, CA
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; eligible for academic credit
Dates: Summer Internship: Second week of May – Second week of August
Application Deadline: Rolling applications
Eligibility: Undergraduate students at least 21 years old actively pursuing a college degree and interested in careers related to sports performance, strength and conditioning, athletic training, physical therapy, or sports science
The Sports Academy Performance Internship is an immersive sports performance and athlete development internship that provides undergraduate students with hands-on exposure to training methodologies used by youth, collegiate, and professional athletes. During the program, interns work alongside coaches and performance specialists while learning how Sports Academy develops strength, conditioning, recovery, cognition, and return-to-play programs for athletes across multiple sports. Students also learn about sports performance, manual therapy, physical therapy support, cognition training, and sports science research. Interns also gain experience observing athlete assessments, performance programming, and training sessions involving clients ranging from youth athletes to NFL professionals.
8. Google Internships
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Location: Multiple California locations, including Mountain View, San Bruno, San Diego, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Redwood City, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship | compensation varies by role, location, and academic level
Dates: Most internships run between May and August
Application Deadline: Varies by role
Eligibility: Undergraduate students currently enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs related to the internship field, such as computer science, engineering, business, marketing, product management, or design
Google offers a wide range of summer internship programs for undergraduate students across engineering, product management, business, design, hardware, and research teams. Depending on the role, interns work on real-world projects connected to software engineering, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, product strategy, semiconductor design, user experience, marketing, or business operations. Students collaborate with Googlers in team-based environments while developing technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills through hands-on project work. Engineering interns may contribute to coding, system development, testing, and infrastructure projects, while business and product interns assist with strategy development, market research, operations, and cross-functional collaboration. Many internships also include mentorship opportunities, professional development workshops, networking sessions, and technical talks led by Google employees and leadership teams.
9. Meta Student Internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Location: Multiple California offices, including Menlo Park, Fremont, Burlingame, Sunnyvale, and Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Varies by position
Dates: Most summer internships run for 10–12 weeks between May and August
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Undergraduate students currently enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program related to the internship field, such as computer science, engineering, business, design, data science, marketing, or research; requirements vary by role and team
Meta offers a wide range of summer internships for undergraduate students across engineering, product management, data science, UX research, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, business operations, and design. Depending on the role, interns work on projects connected to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, and Reality Labs while collaborating with teams. Technical interns may contribute to coding, analytics, machine learning models, infrastructure systems, or product testing. In contrast, business and research interns focus on market analysis, user behavior research, and cross-functional operations. The internships emphasize hands-on problem-solving, collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and professional communication through real-world projects that directly support Meta products and services. Interns also participate in mentorship programs, speaker sessions, networking events, and professional development workshops throughout the summer.
10. Salesforce Futureforce Software Engineering Internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective | large multi-location intern cohort
Location: San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA, with additional internship locations across the United States
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship | approximately $43–$52 per hour plus employee benefits
Dates: Summer internship program; Futureforce Tech Accelerator event takes place July 22–24
Application Deadline: May 31
Eligibility: Undergraduate students enrolled in a BS program in Computer Science or a related technical field with an expected graduation date of December or later and plans to return to school after the summer
The Salesforce Futureforce Software Engineering Internship is a paid summer internship that allows undergraduate students to work on large-scale software systems, AI-powered technologies, and cloud-based products used by millions of users worldwide. Through the Futureforce Tech Accelerator program, selected students gain early access to Salesforce’s internship interview process and attend an all-expenses-paid networking and professional development event at Salesforce headquarters in San Francisco. During the internship, students collaborate with engineering teams on real product development projects involving software design, coding, testing, debugging, and system optimization.
Interns receive mentorship from professional engineers while building skills in object-oriented programming, algorithms, data structures, AI-assisted development workflows, and full-stack engineering practices. The program also includes technical training sessions, executive speaker events, professional development workshops, and networking opportunities with current engineers and former interns. Salesforce particularly emphasizes AI-first engineering practices, encouraging interns to experiment with tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and other AI coding assistants while contributing to real-world engineering workflows.
11. Autodesk Student Internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: Autodesk, San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship
Dates: Most U.S. internships run for approximately 12 weeks during May – August
Application Deadline: Recruiting typically takes place during the fall (September–November) and spring (February–April) on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students who are at least 18 years old and actively enrolled in a degree-granting academic institution or an accredited boot camp during the internship period
The Autodesk Student Internship Program gives undergraduate students hands-on experience working on real-world projects in software engineering, product strategy, AI research, design, manufacturing technology, entertainment software, and digital innovation. Depending on the role, interns may contribute to cloud computing systems, CAD technologies, machine learning projects, robotics research, product development, user experience design, or business strategy initiatives while collaborating with engineers, researchers, designers, and product teams. Autodesk emphasizes project ownership, meaning interns typically work on meaningful assignments from start to finish and present their work during project showcases and intern events. Students also participate in mentorship programs, technical talks, networking opportunities, and professional development sessions designed to support career growth.
12. UCSF Summer Research Training Program (SRTP)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Location: University of California, San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free | students receive a funded package worth more than $15,000, including a summer stipend, housing, round-trip travel, public transportation support, and health insurance
Dates: May 31 – August 7
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Currently enrolled undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have completed at least four semesters or six quarters of undergraduate study before the program begins.
The UCSF Summer Research Training Program (SRTP) is a ten-week biomedical research internship that allows undergraduate students to conduct graduate-level research alongside faculty mentors at UCSF. During the program, students work on original research projects in fields such as biochemistry, neuroscience, genetics, bioengineering, stem cell biology, biomedical sciences, epidemiology, and pharmaceutical sciences. Interns receive hands-on training in laboratory techniques, experimental design, scientific methodology, data analysis, and research communication while participating in full-time mentored research experiences. The program also includes weekly seminars, professional development workshops, journal discussions, social events, and networking opportunities with graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty scientists. At the conclusion of the program, participants present their work through oral and poster presentations at a formal UCSF research symposium.
13. Adobe Sales Academy Intern Program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Location: San Jose and San Francisco, California, USA, with additional internship locations in Denver, Lehi (Salt Lake City), and New York City
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship | housing and moving stipends provided where applicable
Dates: 12-week internship held annually between May and September
Application Deadline: Applications for summer internships typically open in the fall and are reviewed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Rising undergraduate seniors currently enrolled in a college or university program who are interested in sales, business development, marketing, communications, or enterprise technology sales
The Adobe Sales Academy (ASA) Intern Program is a summer internship for undergraduate students interested in careers in enterprise software sales and business development. During the 12-week program, interns receive structured training in Adobe’s sales tools, customer engagement strategies, prospecting methods, and enterprise sales processes while working alongside sales teams and mentors. Students assist with researching accounts and clients, developing outreach strategies, generating sales pipeline opportunities, and supporting customer relationship management initiatives for Adobe’s Creative Cloud, Experience Cloud, and Document Cloud products. The internship also includes one-on-one mentoring, shadowing opportunities, networking events, and team competitions that help interns develop communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills. Interns participate in Adobe’s National Intern Summit at the company’s San Jose headquarters, where they attend workshops, storytelling competitions, leadership sessions, and professional development activities.
Questions students often ask about these internships
1. Do I need prior internship experience to apply to these programs?
No, most of these are designed to be one of your first professional experiences, so prior internships aren't expected. A strong academic record and genuine interest in the field matter more than a packed resume at this stage.
2. A couple of these programs set an unusually high minimum age or class year requirement. How do I know which ones I'm actually eligible for?
Check each listing's eligibility section closely, since a couple set a higher age floor or restrict to rising seniors specifically. Most others on this list are open to undergraduates across all class years.
3. Are any of these internships open to students outside California?
Ladder is the one fully remote option that doesn't require being in California at all. Most others, including the major tech company internships, are tied to a specific California office and generally expect you to relocate for the summer.