10 Summer Internships for High School Students in Connecticut

If you are a high school student, summer internships can be a worthwhile way to explore a field that interests you outside the classroom. Summer internships for high school students offer experience beyond coursework and provide insight into day-to-day work in a profession. This can help you decide whether you want to pursue a particular path. You will develop foundational professional skills such as communication, time management, and collaboration, which are useful in all industries. Internships also strengthen your resume, demonstrating practical experience that colleges and future employers value.

What internships are available for high school students in Connecticut?

Connecticut is home to well-known universities, research hospitals, cultural organizations, and municipal programs that offer high school students’ internships. You can work at academic, healthcare, government, and nonprofit institutions. Many internships are designed to focus on mentorship and early industry exposure. You can learn from professionals in a field that interests you and understand the academic path required to get there. 

To help you get started, we’ve put together 10 summer internships for high school students in Connecticut.

1. High School Student Research Apprentice Program

Location: UConn Health in Farmington, CT, and Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT
Stipend: Stipend offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small cohort from underrepresented backgrounds
Dates: June 15 - July 17
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Connecticut high school juniors (Grade 11) with an average B or higher, age 16+ years, and from underrepresented groups in health professions

This program introduces you to biomedical and health sciences research through a five-week placement in an academic or clinical lab. You begin by observing core lab procedures and gradually take on tasks related to ongoing projects. Mentors explain the purpose of each activity so you can understand how data is generated and interpreted. This program provides steady guidance while allowing you to practice laboratory techniques independently. Depending on the site, you may rotate between different research areas. Group discussions and demonstrations are built into the schedule to help you connect what you are doing with broader careers in health. You can submit your application form to Anastasia Rollins at rollins@uchc.edu.

2. Ladder Internship Program

Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Varies according to program; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~25% acceptance; ~70 - 100 interns per summer cohort
Dates: Multiple cohorts year-round, including summer
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap-year students who can devote 10 - 20 hrs/week

Through Ladder internships, you join a startup team and contribute to real project work in areas such as technology, AI, health tech, journalism, or marketing. You meet regularly with your manager to review goals and receive direction on each stage of your work. A ladder coach helps you to organize tasks and manage timelines. This structure helps you build professional workplace routines while handling project responsibilities aligned with real company needs. Your assignments depend on your startup placement and may involve research, writing, testing, or early-stage product work. At the end of the program, you compile your work into a presentation for the company. Here is the application form.

3. City of New Haven Internship

Location: New Haven, CT
Cost/Stipend: Paid hourly ($16.35 - $17.10)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly specified
Dates: Not specified
Application Deadline: Varies; opens during active hiring periods
Eligibility: Students aged 16+ years enrolled in an accredited high school

This internship places you within a municipal department where you can support project-based tasks related to city operations. You might contribute to administrative work, research, or community-focused activities depending on your assigned department. Supervisors guide your responsibilities and outline expectations on how your work contributes to broader city functions. The structure introduces you to workplace expectations while assigning tasks that fit the requirements of a local government office. Interns typically work up to 19 hours per week during the school year and may work up to 35 hours per week during the summer based on department approvals. Compensation is based on your recently completed academic year, with hourly rates for high school students ranging from $16.35 to $17.10. You can apply here when positions are available.

4. Youth @ Work

Location: New Haven, CT
Stipend: Paid at Connecticut minimum wage
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~600 - 700 students each summer
Dates: July 7 - August 8
Application Deadline: April
Eligibility: Students in Grade 9+, ages 14 - 21 years, who reside or attend school in New Haven

Youth @ Work places you in a paid summer work-based learning experience supported by schools, nonprofits, city departments, and community groups. You can work up to 25 hours per week and complete tasks aligned with the needs of your assigned site. Supervisors outline responsibilities and help you adjust to basic workplace expectations such as communication and punctuality. The program combines practical work with mentoring so you can build foundational job skills at a manageable pace. Activities during the program highlight decision-making, teamwork, and job-specific practices. Several hundred students participate each year across a wide range of worksites. If you have questions, you can contact the Youth and Recreation Department at 203-946-7582.

5. The Met Summer High School Internships

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Stipend: $1,100 as stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Estimated 40 - 60 interns
Dates: June - August
Application Deadline: March
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10 - 11 living in CT, NY, or NJ

This internship places you in one of many departments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where you gain insight into how museum teams manage exhibitions, programs, and daily operations. You join small groups of interns and meet regularly with staff from areas such as social media, curatorial work, education, imaging, or design. Weekly sessions help you build communication skills and help you understand how museum projects move from planning to public presentation. The combination of department-specific tasks and group workshops introduces you to professional environments in a large cultural institution. Assignments may involve research, writing, event support, or project preparation, depending on your placement. You also connect with other teens from across the region through museum-led activities. Your time spent at the museum gives you an insight into how large cultural institutions support daily operations and public programs.

6. Bank of America Student Leaders Program

Location: Local nonprofit sites plus Washington, D.C. summit
Stipend: Paid internship; summit travel, lodging, and meals covered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 300+ students nationwide
Dates: Eight weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: January
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors legally authorized to work in the U.S.

The Student Leaders Program pairs you with a community nonprofit organization for a paid summer placement. You support the organization’s ongoing projects while working under the guidance of nonprofit staff members. Your responsibilities may include research, communication support, or event preparation, depending on the nonprofit’s needs. Midway through the program, you also attend a multi-day leadership summit in Washington, D.C., alongside students from across the country. The combination of local work experience and the summit takeaways gives you exposure related to day-to-day operations and broader discussions about civic involvement. Supervisors provide feedback throughout the eight weeks to help you adjust to the workplace environment. The overall experience introduces you to how nonprofit organizations operate and how students can contribute to community projects.

7. Teen Volunteer Program

Location: New Britain & Southington, CT
Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Year-round or summer placements
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students aged 14+ years

Although classified as a “volunteer” program, the experience functions almost similarly to a medical internship for high school students. You’ll be placed within specific hospital departments where you assist staff, support patient flow, and see how a clinical environment operates on a daily basis. Depending on your placement, you might help units with patient escorting, materials management, reception, and more. Hospital staff treats volunteers as part of the team, which helps you develop real professionalism and communication skills. It’s also one of the easiest ways for students who are 14+ years old to get an entry point into healthcare, which is rare. The program offers flexible commitment, where you still get meaningful experience that shows colleges you’re serious about medicine. If you’re younger or just starting out, this is a great “first hospital internship” in CT.

8. High School Mini Medical/Dental School Program

Location: UConn Health, Farmington, CT
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Eight weekly sessions
Application Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Connecticut grade 11 students; teacher or counselor nomination required

This academic enrichment program introduces high school juniors to medicine, dental medicine, and biomedical science through weekly two-hour lectures taught by UConn Health faculty. Each session explores advanced topics such as molecular biology, cardiology, pharmacology, oncology, and dental medicine, giving students an early exposure to the scientific foundations of healthcare. Participation requires nomination by a teacher or guidance counselor, resulting in a cohort of motivated learners with a strong interest in STEM and healthcare careers. The program is designed to reflect aspects of a professional school environment, helping students build confidence in rigorous scientific learning. As part of UConn’s wider Health Career Opportunity Programs, the Mini Medical/Dental School serves as an effective introduction to medical careers for Connecticut students preparing for future STEM study. 

9. Citizens Thinkers Writers Program

Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Cost/Stipend: Tuition-free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Two-week residential summer program plus academic-year meetings
Application Deadline: March
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors from New Haven public schools

This program places you in small seminars where you read and discuss texts from philosophers, historians, and writers who examine questions about civic life. You live in Yale housing for two weeks, participate in daily discussions, and complete reading and writing assignments that mirror a college-level humanities course. Faculty and residential mentors guide group conversations and help you connect the course material to questions about responsibility, community, and daily life in New Haven. The program extends into the academic year, offering continued meetings with staff and additional guidance as you prepare college applications. You collaborate with peers who bring diverse perspectives and learn how to build respectful discussion habits. The focus is on developing analytical reading, writing, and civic reasoning skills. For application questions, you can contact citizensthinkerswriters@yale.edu.

10. Stanford Cardiothoracic Surgical Summer Internship

Location: Virtual (Stanford University School of Medicine)
Cost: $4,500 tuition
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Two-week summer sessions
Application Deadline: January - March (varies depending on the year)
Eligibility: High school students aged 16+ years (or under-16 years old juniors)

This intensive program provides high school students with detailed insights into cardiothoracic surgery through a structured online format. You spend your mornings in lectures led by Stanford surgeons, covering topics such as cardiac anatomy, lung physiology, ECG interpretation, and major surgical procedures. In the afternoons, you focus on hands-on skill development, which includes practicing knot tying, suturing, dissection, and instrument handling with real surgical tools and simulation materials shipped directly to your home. The instructors give live feedback, so you’re not just observing, but you're actually learning the real techniques. The program follows a fast-paced, medically focused curriculum designed to give students a true glimpse of medical training. For questions about the application, students typically reach out to the program’s administrative team through the program’s portal during the admissions cycle.