Best Fall Internships for High School Students [2026 Edition]
- Stephen Turban
- Sep 23, 2023
- 19 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Updated: 28th August, 2026
TL;DR
This blog covers fall and academic-year internships across STEM, medicine, environmental fieldwork, government, business, law, and the humanities. Options range from unpaid placements to paid roles, with stipends and hourly rates listed wherever a program offers one. Many of the strongest paid programs are restricted by city or state residency, so it's worth checking eligibility before investing time in an application. Deadlines often fall in spring for a September start, with several closing as early as March or May. If you'd rather pursue a structured research project with a PhD mentor instead, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program runs cohorts throughout the school year.
If you’re a high schooler looking to explore an internship before committing to a long-term program in the summer, consider a fall internship!
Fall internships give high school students a way to explore a field seriously while school is in session, often with less competition and more individual mentorship than summer programs draw. Below are 20+ of the best fall internship options spanning STEM and medicine, environmental science, government, business, and the humanities, each with the practical details you need to decide whether to apply.
Are fall internships better than summer internships?
Factor | Fall Programs | Summer Programs |
Duration | Often a full semester or academic year, e.g. AMNH's Science Research Mentoring Program (~260 hours, September–June) | Compressed into 6 to 10 weeks |
Time Commitment | Part-time, fits around classes | Full-time; students' complete attention, no schoolwork conflict |
Applicant pool | Smaller; most students default to summer, so fall postings draw fewer applicants for the same seats, even at organizations running identical fall/summer cohorts | Larger; the default season for most applicants |
Main Trade-Off | Less competitive, longer duration | More time commitment, easier to fit around a full (open) schedule |
How to get a fall internship as a high schooler
You have three options: apply to a structured program with a published deadline, respond to a listed opening at a local institution, or contact an organization directly before it posts anything.
Work backward from the deadlines: Fall internships close far earlier than their September start suggests. Several programs on this list have spring or early-summer deadlines. If you are searching in August, you are already searching for next year.
Check whether you clear hard eligibility bars: Age and residency requirements disqualify more applicants than weak applications do. Many programs require you to be 16, some require U.S. citizenship, and many of the strongest paid options are restricted to residents of a specific city or state.
Reach out directly to nearby institutions: Universities, museums, hospitals, and local government offices often take on students informally without ever posting a role. NYU Steinhardt's Wallerstein Collaborative publishes a high school internship guide covering how to approach organizations directly and what to send them.
Paid vs unpaid fall internships: which should you take?
Paid internships signal that the organization has budgeted for you and structured the role. However, some of the most substantive placements on this list are unpaid, so payment alone is a poor filter.
Paid roles are often more competitive but more restricted: Stipends and hourly rates on this list range widely, from roughly $350 for a fall session at Bronx Zoo's Project TRUE to $16.50 an hour at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Funded programs tend to have clearer supervision and deliverables because someone is accountable for the spend.
Unpaid does not mean unstructured: The NYU High School Bioethics Project accepts only two or three students per session and is unpaid. Selectivity, mentorship, and what you finish with matter more than compensation.
Know what an unpaid role can legally ask of you: The U.S. Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #71 sets out the primary beneficiary test used to decide whether an unpaid intern at a for-profit employer should legally be an employee. If you are being handed the workload of a junior employee for free, that is worth questioning.
Factor in the hidden costs: Some programs charge a fee or require your own transport, which can make an unpaid role more expensive than it appears.
Do internships help with your college applications?
Yes, though the effect comes from what you can say about the work rather than the placement itself. An internship helps most when it gives you a concrete output, a credible recommender, and evidence of a sustained interest.
Internship output matters more than big names: For admissions readers, a description of your role at the internship carries far more weight than just the fact that you interned at a famous place. This is why placements with a defined project tend to outperform general office or volunteer roles on an application.
A supervisor who knows your work is a valuable asset: Someone who has watched you handle an unfamiliar problem for a semester can write about how you think, which a classroom teacher usually cannot.
Structured programs give you something finished to point to: A finished project from an internship gives you something credible to talk about in your applications. Our admissions report analysed 492 students from the Lumiere Research Scholar Program and found they were admitted to top universities at roughly four times the rate of the general applicant pool, with 97% using their project somewhere in their application and 87% listing it in the activities section.
One deep commitment beats several shallow ones: A single semester-long placement you can discuss in detail is stronger than three short ones you cannot.
How we selected these internships
We assessed every program on this list against the same five criteria.
Verified fall availability: Every program either runs a dedicated fall cohort or spans the academic year.
Published eligibility and deadlines: We recorded age, grade, residency, and citizenship requirements from each program's materials, and flagged any acceptance rate the organization does not publish as an estimate rather than presenting a guess as fact.
What you finish with: Programs offering a defined project, presentation, or published output ranked above those offering attendance alone.
Cost transparency: We noted fees, stipends, and financial aid, including costs that are easy to miss, such as transport or program charges.
Verifiable outcomes: We prioritized evidence we could check ourselves, including published student work. Our own publication features page collects the journals and outlets where Lumiere students' papers have appeared, which is the standard of proof we looked for elsewhere.
Section | Top programs | Cost | Best for |
STEM, medical & environmental internships | BioBus Junior Scientist, AMNH Science Research Mentoring Program, Ladder Internships | Free – $2,490 (several paid $16–17/hr) | Students who want hands-on lab, field, or research experience during the school year, paid or unpaid |
Government, business & humanities internships | U.S. Senate Page Program, NYC Mayor's Office Internship, U.S. Treasury Internship, Student Historian Internship (NY Historical) | Free – $700 (Senate Page paid on salary basis) | Students interested in government, law, policy, journalism, or history who want real institutional placements |
STEM, Medical & Environmental Fall Internships
From national labs and museum research programs to hospital-adjacent bioethics seminars and fieldwork in city parks, this section covers internships for students drawn to science, medicine, and the outdoors.
Location: Dolphin Research Center, FL (non-residential)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; the number of positions is very limited
Dates: September to December, 16 to 18 weeks
Application deadline: June 15
Eligibility: High school students with English language proficiency who are physically fit
This department-focused internship gives you insight into the inner workings of a marine mammal facility. You'll spend four days a week in your assigned department and one day supporting daily operations, with departments ranging from Animal Care and Training to Research and Visual Communications. Supplemental projects may be added based on the center's needs and your interests.
Who it's best for: A student who can arrange to stay near the Florida Keys for 16 to 18 weeks and doesn't need the internship to be paid.
Location: Wichita, KS (primary HQ; some roles in Columbus, GA)
Cost/Stipend: Paid, amount not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; approximately 150 students accepted from roughly 400-500 applicants (about 30 to 35 percent) in the most recent published hiring cycle
Dates: Part-time, September through November, Monday through Friday
Application deadline: Varies by cohort; Fall deadlines typically fall in April
Eligibility: At least 16 years old, U.S. citizens
Textron Aviation offers internships spanning engineering, manufacturing, finance, sales, marketing, IT, flight operations, and human resources. You'll gain technical exposure alongside mentorship from professionals, with the chance to tour facilities and shadow staff in roles that match your interests.
Who it's best for: A student near Wichita who isn't sure yet whether they want the engineering or the business side of aviation, since this program exposes you to both.
Location: LES Community Lab, New York, NY (LES track) or BioBase Harlem at Columbia University (Harlem tracks)
Cost/Stipend: $16.50/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No published acceptance rate; selection is application-only, and BioBus does not consider grades, transcripts, or recommendation letters (estimate)
Dates: School year, October through July (weekly), with an optional July–August summer component
Application deadline: Typically early March
Eligibility: Grades 9-11, attending a NYC school in the Lower East Side, Chinatown, Harlem, Washington Heights, or Inwood
BioBus offers paid research internships to NYC students traditionally underrepresented in STEM, across three tracks: the Lower East Side Junior Scientist Internship, the Harlem Women in STEM Junior Scientist Internship, and the Harlem Junior Scientist Internship. You'll use research-grade microscopes and lab equipment on your own project, and also gain teaching experience by co-instructing programs for younger students.
Who it's best for: A 9th-11th grader in the Lower East Side, Harlem, Washington Heights, or Inwood who wants paid lab work and doesn't want grades to be a barrier to entry.
Location: Remote, from anywhere in the world
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; exact rate not published
Dates: Multiple cohorts year-round, including spring, summer, fall, and winter
Application deadline: Rolling; cohorts open in January, May, September, and November
Eligibility: Able to commit 10 to 20 hours a week for 8 to 12 weeks; open to high schoolers, undergraduates, and gap year students
Ladder places students in real internships at high-growth startups, most raising well over a million dollars, spanning industries like tech, AI and machine learning, health tech, marketing, journalism, and consulting. You work directly with your manager on real projects, supported by a dedicated Ladder Coach, and present your work to the company at the end of the internship.
Who it's best for: A student whose family can cover the program cost and who wants real startup exposure across a specific industry, like AI or journalism, rather than a single research subject.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No official acceptance rate; the Academy's own site reports 3,372 students participated in 2024-25. Third-party sources estimate historical selectivity around 15 to 20 percent
Dates: September to November
Application deadline: July 8
Eligibility: High school students aged 13-17
A free, online STEM program where you join students worldwide in small teams to tackle industry-sponsored challenges, from improving air quality to designing systems for extreme environments. Mentors from STEM fields guide teams through research, analysis, and proposing practical solutions, with STEM professionals reviewing final submissions.
Who it's best for: A student as young as 13 who wants to work in a team on an industry-sponsored problem rather than pursue a solo research project.
6. CrowdMath
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not selective; confirmed open enrollment, with no application or letters of recommendation required, per MIT PRIMES and CrowdMath's own program materials
Dates: Year-round
Application deadline: November 30
Eligibility: High school and college students worldwide
Co-hosted by MIT PRIMES and the Art of Problem Solving, CrowdMath is a year-round collaborative research initiative in advanced mathematics, including number theory, linear algebra, and more. You'll work on open-ended problems alongside other students, potentially co-authoring published papers. It's not a traditional internship, but it offers real experience in collaborative research and problem-solving.
Who it's best for: A student already comfortable with advanced math topics like number theory who wants to start collaborative research immediately, with zero application barrier.
Location: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Cost/Stipend: Paid, $16.50/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No high-school-specific rate published; the lab hosts 1,800+ student and post-graduate interns across all levels each year, with selection made directly by individual project mentors (estimate: competitive)
Dates: Varies per project mentor's timeline, following HR approval
Application deadline: September 30 (Spring cohort also offered)
Eligibility: New Mexico high school junior at application, senior at internship start; 16+, GPA 2.75 or higher, must pass a pre-employment drug test
LANL offers paid internships for New Mexico high school seniors working on national-security-mission R&D across divisions including Engineering Technology & Design, Bioscience, Physics, Chemistry, Intelligence, and Space Research. You'll use state-of-the-art equipment on a multidisciplinary R&D team.
Who it's best for: A New Mexico resident heading into senior year who can pass a pre-employment drug test and wants hands-on national-security research, not just a lab tour.
Location: Hybrid, with Zoom sessions plus in-person meetings in Manhattan, downtown LA, or downtown Miami
Cost/Stipend: $1,000 stipend on completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No official rate published; the 2025-26 cohort enrolled 452 students across NYC, LA, and Miami (594 in 2024-25). Third-party estimates put selectivity around 10 to 20 percent
Dates: Weekly, 9 months, cohort days Monday through Thursday, 4:30-7pm
Application deadline: August 3 (Fall cohort)
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors at public or charter schools in NYC, LA County, or Miami-Dade/Broward, residing in those areas
A 9-month immersive coding and UX design program with no prior experience required. The first semester covers web development fundamentals (HTML, CSS, Bootstrap) culminating in a Demo Day; the second semester lets you choose a track: digital marketing, data science, advanced web development, UX design, or product management.
Who it's best for: A public or charter school student in NYC, LA, or Miami who can commit to multiple evenings a week for 9 straight months, not just a single semester.
Location: DNA Learning Center, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: $500 stipend on completing 55 research hours and a symposium presentation
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; approximately 36 students accepted annually
Dates: Lab training in late August, continuing through the school year
Application deadline: May 27
Eligibility: NYC high school students in grades 9-12, at least 13 years old, NYC residents
This year-long biotechnology research program has you use DNA barcoding to identify and study species found across New York City. After an intro lab course, you'll conduct an independent research project with a scientist mentor and present findings at a spring symposium.
Who it's best for: An NYC student as young as 13 who wants a full year of genuine biotech lab work and is willing to present findings publicly at a symposium
Location: Manhattan, NYC
Cost/Stipend: $2,500 stipend on completion
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 60 students selected per year
Dates: 4-week summer institute in August, then Fall–May lab sessions (260 hours), culminating in a June Colloquium
Application deadline: Typically March
Eligibility: Currently in 10th or 11th grade, passing grades for the last three or more semesters, and either attended an AMNH partner school or a prior AMNH program
SRMP pairs you with AMNH scientists for a full year of research. A 4-week summer institute builds data-science fundamentals, then you join a museum lab for the academic year on projects in fields like astrophysics, anthropology, or genetics, developing Python and R skills along the way and presenting at the June Colloquium.
Who it's best for: A 10th or 11th grader who has already attended an AMNH partner school or a prior AMNH program, since that prerequisite rules out most applicants before selectivity even comes into play.
Location: Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: None (volunteer, unpaid)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No numeric rate published; the Science Center's own site confirms an application review and a possible interview before placement, so this is not purely open enrollment
Dates: Ongoing, roughly a 4-hour weekly shift building toward 100 hours
Application deadline: Varies, typically April 1 for summer and August 1 for the school year
Eligibility: At least 14 years old by the application deadline, up to age 18
Volunteer across departments like the Buhl Planetarium, Animals & Habitats, the digital fabrication lab, and demo theatres, engaging visitors at exhibitions and activities. Training and orientation come first, with roles then assigned based on your skills and interests.
Who it's best for: A student near Pittsburgh, as young as 14, who wants broad museum exposure across several departments rather than one narrow research track.
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Extremely selective; historically only 2-3 students accepted per session, per the program's own recruitment materials
Dates: Two weeks, dates TBA
Application deadline: Applications open late August for the Fall program
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
A two-week introduction to bioethics through the lens of healthcare, law, and public policy, covering real-world dilemmas like end-of-life decisions, reproductive rights, and AI in medicine. Led by NYU's High School Bioethics Project faculty, with guest talks from public health and biotech professionals and a culminating final paper.
Who it's best for: A rising junior or senior set on medicine or law who can make a two-week, extremely selective seminar (2-3 students accepted per session) worth the effort of applying.
Location: Virtual, with options available for students nationwide
Cost/Stipend: $35 application fee plus $1,980 program fee; no stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No numeric rate published; Stanford's own FAQ states the program 'receive[s] more qualified applicants than we can accept' each year. Requires a full application: transcripts, resume, test scores (or an explanation if none), an essay, and a teacher recommendation, not just program-fee payment
Dates: Fall session: September 10 to November 12
Application deadline: Fall session: June 2
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors, seniors, and undergraduate pre-medical students
Explore real-world clinical practice through Stanford-faculty-led lectures, medical case simulations, and diagnostic workshops. You'll practice techniques like suturing and administering injections, conduct simulated physical exams, and attend specialty-focused sessions on the medical field.
Who it's best for: A pre-med-minded student whose family can cover the combined $2,015 in fees and who can assemble a full application, including a teacher recommendation.
Location: Alley Pond Environmental Center, Douglaston, NY
Cost/Stipend: $200 program fee, financial aid available upon request; unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No numeric rate published anywhere; confirmed via search. Admission follows an application and a virtual interview, with attending 5 of 6 sessions as the main bar to completion (estimate: capacity-limited rather than highly selective)
Dates: Saturdays, roughly late September through early November (about six sessions; exact dates set annually)
Application deadline: August 1
Eligibility: Current high school students at least 14 years old, able to do outdoor activity for 2+ hours at a time, own transportation to the site
Field research internship across Alley Pond Park and other Queens ecosystems: biodiversity surveys, bird observation, soil and water quality testing, macroinvertebrate identification, coastal seining, and native flora planting, guided by environmental professionals.
Who it's best for: A student at least 14 with their own transportation to Queens who can commit to nearly every Saturday across the six sessions.
Location: Select NYC Parks across the five boroughs
Cost/Stipend: Free; community service hours offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Confirmed via search: genuinely open, rolling enrollment with no application ranking or interview process; sign up directly through your local Urban Park Ranger
Dates: Two 8-week sessions each year (fall and spring), one afternoon per week
Application deadline: Rolling; contact your local Urban Park Ranger to join
Eligibility: High school students
A semester-long urban ecology and natural-resource-management internship led by NYC Urban Park Rangers. You'll commit to roughly 2 to 2.5 hours once a week after school, learning about local wildlife, assisting with forest and trail restoration, and taking part in ecological stewardship, sometimes including canoeing or overnight camping trips, depending on location.
Who it's best for: A student who wants a genuinely no-application, low-commitment environmental internship at about one afternoon a week, rather than a competitive research placement.
Location: Everett Children's Adventure Garden at the New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: $700
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No numeric rate published; NYBG's own site describes the program as a 'competitive, tiered' internship requiring an application and interview
Dates: Flexible fall period; 125 volunteer hours required over six months or less
Application deadline: April 22
Eligibility: High school students
Become a volunteer educator for the garden's visitors. You'll start by learning the NYBG's mission around science, education, and horticulture, then conduct citizen-science phenophase research in the Thain Family Forest, explore horticulture at the Edible Academy, and develop skills to lead activities for children and families.
Who it's best for: A student comfortable leading activities for children and families directly, since this role is public-facing rather than lab-based.
Location: Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY
Cost/Stipend: $750 stipend or $16/hour through SYEP for the summer component (if eligible); approximately $350 stipend for the fall session
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; more than 20 students accepted per year, per the Wildlife Conservation Society's own materials, restricted to Bronx residents
Dates: Summer, June through August (3 days/week), continuing into fall with 14 Saturdays, September through December
Application deadline: Typically early March
Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors residing in the Bronx, in good academic standing, comfortable both indoors and outdoors
Supported by the National Science Foundation, Project TRUE (Teens Researching Urban Ecology) pairs you with Fordham University researchers and Wildlife Conservation Society educators. Summer fieldwork continues into fall Saturday sessions of data collection, analysis, and an independent group research project focused on NYC wildlife and green spaces.Who it's best for: A Bronx-resident sophomore or junior who can commit to both the summer fieldwork and all 14 fall Saturdays, not just one half of the program.
Government, Business & Humanities Fall Internships
These internships place students inside the offices and institutions that shape policy, business, and public life, from Capitol Hill to a Brooklyn courtroom to a teen-run finance magazine.
Location: United States Senate, Washington, DC (residential)
Cost/Stipend: Paid, $35,360 annual salary basis
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; only 30 page positions exist per term (15 male, 15 female)
Dates: Early September through late January
Application deadline: Varies by senator and state
Eligibility: High school juniors, 16-18 years old, U.S. citizens with a valid Social Security number, minimum 3.0 GPA
As a page, you take on a real role in the Senate's daily operations: delivering legislative materials, preparing the Senate Chamber for sessions, assisting roll call votes, and supporting senators and staff during debate, offering a close-up view of the legislative process.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A junior who can leave home for nearly five months and already carries at least a 3.0 GPA, since only 30 positions exist nationwide per term.
Location: Various sites across New York City
Cost/Stipend: $17.00/hour (current Fall 2026–Spring 2027 posting)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No numeric rate published, confirmed via search; the program spans 42+ participating Mayor's Office business units, cohort size not disclosed
Dates: October 19, 2026 through April 9, 2027
Application deadline: August 23
Eligibility: NYC resident, enrolled in high school, 16 or older, current working papers required
Interns are placed with full-time city staff on research, meeting attendance, inquiry management, data analysis, and briefing drafts. You'll also attend a bi-weekly Speaker Series featuring Deputy Mayors, Commissioners, and other senior officials, and collaborate with fellow interns on a community-impact service project.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: An NYC resident who already has working papers in hand and wants exposure to city government across dozens of different Mayor's Office units, not just one.
Location: Washington, D.C. (non-residential)
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No numeric rate published, confirmed via search; Lumiere's own deep-dive on this program describes it as 'selective in the sense that any job interview is selective' rather than ranked against a fixed rate
Dates: September through December
Application deadline: Apply in June, via usajobs.gov
Eligibility: U.S. citizens enrolled at or accepted to an accredited institution
Gain exposure to federal careers through tasks that may include data analysis, research, communications, government engagement, and event coordination, offering a look inside the office responsible for shaping U.S. economic, finance, and national-security strategy.
If you're interested in learning more, check out our deep-dive here!
Who it's best for: A student who can afford an unpaid placement in Washington, D.C. and wants federal economic-policy exposure specifically, rather than a general government office.
Location: Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: A stipend may be offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; only 2-3 interns engaged each semester, with preference given to college students seeking academic credit
Dates: Offered throughout the year
Application deadline: Varies by position
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors residing or attending school in Brooklyn
Get a hands-on introduction to the criminal justice system across departments like Homicide, Domestic Violence, Civil Rights, and Victim Services, including legal research, trial preparation, court document organization, trial attendance, and community outreach.
Who it's best for: A Brooklyn junior or senior serious about a legal career who can compete for one of just 2-3 spots each semester, often against college applicants.
Location: Chicago, IL (hybrid)
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: No numeric rate published, confirmed via search; requires an application, interview, and writing sample, cohort size not disclosed
Dates: Part-time, September through December
Application deadline: Before September (exact date varies by cycle)
Eligibility: Currently in high school, Chicago resident
A by-teens-for-teens finance and entrepreneurship publication run by the Economic Awareness Council in partnership with DePaul University's Writing Center. You'll research and write articles on finance and entrepreneurship, sharpening financial literacy and public speaking along the way.
Who it's best for: A Chicago-area student who enjoys writing and wants published bylines on finance topics rather than behind-the-scenes office work.
Location: DiverseWorks Office, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Paid, amount unspecified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; only 2-3 interns engaged each semester, with preference given to college students seeking academic credit
Dates: September through December
Application deadline: August 28
Eligibility: All high school students
Gain exposure to how a non-profit multidisciplinary arts organization runs, collaborating with staff on curatorial, marketing, development, and administrative projects, including artist research, gallery upkeep, event prep, and a peer reading group on contemporary art.
Who it's best for: A Houston-area student curious about the business side of an arts nonprofit, from curating to fundraising, rather than making art themselves.
Location: New York Historical, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: $700
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 25 students accepted per cohort from roughly 150-200 applicants for the academic-year program (about 13 to 17 percent)
Dates: Late October through early June
Application deadline: August 24
Eligibility: Grades 10-12, living and attending school in the NYC metro area (five boroughs, parts of NY State, NJ, and CT)
Explore American history through hands-on research and digital storytelling. Over fall and spring, you'll interpret primary sources and use the institution's collections to examine the theme 'Our Composite Nation: Frederick Douglass' America,' developing historical-thinking and communication skills while producing original digital content.
Who it's best for: A student in the NYC metro area, including parts of NY State, NJ, or CT, who wants to produce original digital storytelling from primary sources rather than a traditional research paper.
Frequently asked questions: fall internships for high school students
Can a 15-year-old be an intern?
Yes, though your options narrow. Many programs set 16 as the minimum age. Others open earlier: the Carnegie Science Center Volunteers Program and the Alley Pond Field Biology Internship both accept students from 14, and the DNA Learning Center's Urban Barcode Research Program takes students from 13.
Is a 3.4 GPA good for internships?
A 3.4 clears the published minimum at every program on this list that sets one. The bars are lower than most students expect: the U.S. Senate Page Program requires a 3.0 and Los Alamos National Laboratory sets 2.75. Most programs on this list publish no GPA requirement at all and weigh your application essay or interview more heavily.
Are there virtual fall internships for high school students?
Yes, several programs on this list run fully remotely, including The Junior Academy from the New York Academy of Sciences and Stanford's Clinical Skills Internship. Remote options matter most if you live outside the major metro areas, since many programs have geographic limitations. You still work with a supervisor, just over video calls and shared documents.
How do you balance a fall internship with schoolwork?
Choose a program whose published time commitment you can actually meet during term. Some fall placements are deliberately light, like the NYC Parks Ranger Conservation Corps at roughly one afternoon a week. Others expect standard business hours across the working week, which is difficult to sustain alongside a full course load.
Do you need a resume to apply for a high school internship?
Often yes, and several programs ask for more than that. Applications on this list variously require a resume, transcript, writing sample, teacher recommendation, or an interview. For programs that skip the resume, the essay or interview usually carries the weight instead.
What if there are no fall internships in your field?
Look at mentored research as the alternative, since the subject range is far wider than internship postings and it is not tied to your location. Formal internships cluster heavily in a few fields and a few cities, so students in the humanities or in smaller towns often find nothing that fits. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you with a PhD mentor to produce an independent paper in your own subject area, and runs cohorts through the school year rather than only over summer.
Stephen Turban is the co-founder of Lumiere Education and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics before beginning a PhD at Harvard Business School. A former McKinsey & Company consultant and former researcher, his research has been covered by the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, BBC News, Freakonomics Radio, and the Washington Post. In his articles for Forbes, he writes on what students and professionals can learn from high school research, high school passion projects, critical thinking, and mentorship. At Lumiere, he leads a selective research program where students work one-on-one with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper. Connect with him on LinkedIn.