15 Remote Writing Internships for College Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 12 min read
If you enjoy writing and want to strengthen your communication skills during college, a remote writing internship can be a valuable way to explore different career paths while building professional experience. Writing internships are available across industries such as publishing, journalism, media, nonprofits, education, public policy, and scientific communication, giving you exposure to a wide range of writing styles and audiences. Depending on the role, you may work on articles, marketing copy, research summaries, social media content, editing projects, newsletters, grant writing, or public-facing communications.
Why should you do a remote writing internship in college?
A remote writing internship allows you to develop practical writing and editing skills while learning how organizations communicate with different audiences. These internships can help you improve your research abilities, strengthen your professional writing portfolio, and gain experience working with editors, communications teams, researchers, or publishers. Because many remote internships offer flexible schedules, they can also be easier to balance alongside college coursework and other commitments. In addition, writing internships can help you explore careers in publishing, journalism, public relations, content strategy, marketing, nonprofit advocacy, academic research, and media.
In this blog, we’ve narrowed down a list of 15 strong remote writing internships for undergraduates.
If you’re looking for remote internships, check out our blog here.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Cost: Varies; up to full financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
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: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to undergraduates and gap year students!
Ladder University Internship Program is a selective, virtual internship program where you work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries. As part of your internship, you will work on a real-world writing project that is of genuine need to the startup you are working with, and present your work at the end of your internship. You will work closely with your manager at the startup. Apply now.
Location: Remote
Stipend: $21/hour; interns may be eligible for college credit if their college allows them to accept payment for the internship.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 10-week internships are offered in the Summer, Fall, and Spring. Summer sessions require 28 hours/week; semester sessions require 21 hours/week.
Application Deadline: Summer: Early October | Fall/Spring: Mid-March
Eligibility: Rising undergraduate seniors, college graduates, and young professionals | Interns must be at least 18 and reside in the U.S. for the duration of the internship.
Penguin Random House offers remote writing internships for undergraduates across its Editorial, Marketing, and Production departments, alongside other placements across business and operations. Your work in Editorial placements will center on the early stages of the book publishing process; your tasks might include reviewing manuscripts submitted for publication or editing books that have been accepted for publication. In Production Editorial internships, you’ll gain exposure to the final pre-publishing steps through assignments such as writing book summaries or book cover copy. Marketing internships focus on content creation, promoting Penguin Random House’s new and upcoming releases across social media and online promotional materials. You’ll collaborate and network with staff across a major book publishing company and have opportunities to build connections with authors, book distributors, and members of the media.
Location: Remote
Stipend: Varies; internships may be paid or unpaid, with the latter providing college credit. Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; typically one intern is selected for each position
Dates: Varies; internships take place in the spring, summer, and fall, with flexible start and end dates. Typically, positions require 10-20 hours of work per week.
Application Deadline: Varies; internships are posted throughout the year with rolling application review.
Eligibility: Current full- or part-time undergraduate students in the U.S. Interns must conduct work within one of APA’s registered payroll states; students in certain U.S. states and all international locations are ineligible (see more information here). Individual postings may have additional requirements; check each opportunity to confirm. An interest in psychology or related fields is typically expected.
The APA offers a variety of remote writing internships for college students with placements across Author Marketing, Communications, Education, and more. In Communications internships, your work may include writing for the APA’s flagship Monitor on Psychology publication and other newsletters, fact-checking articles, and content development. In Precollege and Undergraduate Education placements, you’ll draft and edit content for educational newsletters, webpages, teacher preparation, and more. Author Marketing internships feature assignments such as developing written and visual content for online platforms, based on APA journal articles. You’ll access networking opportunities with APA staff across departments, receive career mentorship and advising, and be supported to create portfolio-worthy writing samples. In each internship, you’ll conduct flexible remote work ranging from 10 to 30 hours each week while contributing written materials for a national academic and professional organization.
Location: Remote or on-site at the Boston Globe, Boston, MA
Stipend: $18/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 12-week internships are offered in the summer, spring, and fall
Application Deadline: Varies by season
Eligibility: Undergraduate students and recent graduates are eligible. Must be able to work full-time during the internship period. Students should have journalism experience, such as reporting for their college publication, prior internships/freelance work for other publications, a major in journalism, and ideally experience with science writing. Students from groups underrepresented in reporting, particularly science journalism, are encouraged to apply.
The Boston Globe’s STAT Internship Program offers a 12-week in-person or remote writing internship for students with a passion for journalism and science. You’ll serve as a generalist reporter for STAT, the Boston Globe’s science-focused newsroom, where you’ll write pieces covering updates from scientific journals, features, profiles, and more. You’ll also have opportunities to pitch, research, and write pieces on topics of your choice. Your work will be advised by a STAT staff editor, who will also provide professional mentorship. Outside of hands-on work, you’ll attend programming, such as Lunch-and-Learns on specialized topics in health and science journalism, including navigating relationships with major companies and developing unique angles for a feature story. If you’re working in person, you’ll have access to events such as conferences or meetings with interviewees at hospitals and academic institutions in Boston. Many former STAT interns have received offers to become freelance and/or full-time journalists at leading scientific publications, including STAT itself.
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; interns may be eligible for course credit
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; exact details not provided
Dates: One academic year (September - May). Students must work at least 10 hours each week.
Application Deadline: TBA; typically late July
Eligibility: Current full- or part-time undergraduate and graduate students who are U.S. citizens. Recent graduates, incoming undergraduate or graduate students, and gap year students may be eligible. Specific projects may require additional credentials
Virtual Student Federal Service Internships are offered by nearly all U.S. federal agencies, providing students with a part-time internship over the course of the academic year. Based on your expressed interests and academic background, you’ll be placed with two federal employee mentors and be assigned a personal project to work on throughout the year. Writing internships may include assignments such as drafting and editing press releases, researching and writing policy reports, developing marketing materials, or adapting digital and print publications for accessibility. Projects vary each year, and you’ll apply to specific postings rather than the internship program at large.
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; eligible for academic credit. Stipends may be offered to students with financial need.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically one
Dates: Varies. Semester-long internships (8+ weeks, 16-20 hours/week) and Summer internships (10 weeks, 40 hours/week) are offered with flexible dates.
Application Deadline: TBA; recruitment begins in January
Eligibility: Current undergraduate, graduate, and law school students with an interest in Advancing Justice | AAJC’s initiatives. Preferred majors for Communications internship applicants include journalism, public relations, marketing, and related fields.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice offers fully-remote internships for undergraduates, with writing-focused options available through the Communications Internship placement. In this role, you’ll contribute to public- and media-facing content creation and written materials to promote AAJC initiatives, programs, and campaigns. You’ll work on writing assignments, including blogs, article pitch letters, press releases, fact sheets, issue briefs, and more. Your other assignments will include researching journalists for targeted outreach, creating editorial calendars for press meetings, contributing to organization-wide communications strategies, and monitoring news trends. You’ll support an organization focused on human and civil rights for Asian Americans, with a focus on immigration, voting rights, and anti-profiling. Other undergraduate internship placements include Development, Policy and Programs, and Human Resources.
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; typically one intern is selected for each posting
Dates: Internships are offered in the Spring (January - April), Summer (May-August), and Fall (September-December). Dates are flexible, and internships may be eligible for extension.
Application Deadline: Spring: December 31 | Summer: April 30 | Fall: August 31
Eligibility: Current undergraduate and graduate students; see here for additional criteria for Communications interns.
International Social Service USA offers remote Communications internships for college students, providing professional writing experience across a wide array of platforms and media. You’ll contribute to advancement initiatives through writing donor solicitation letters, fundraising materials, and grant proposals. To increase public awareness, you’ll update website content and articles, event marketing materials, and newsletters. You’ll also contribute to the internal operations of ISS-USA’s Fund Development & Communications team by assisting with planning fundraising events, identifying target grants, and developing marketing strategies. Your work will strengthen outreach and funding initiatives for a global organization dedicated to protecting vulnerable children and reuniting families separated by national borders.
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 1 – July 29
Application deadline: February 3
Eligibility: Undergraduate students, excluding graduating seniors, planning to attend graduate school; remote internship applicants are typically current freshmen and sophomores.
Emory’s LGS Program offers a Virtual Experience in addition to its on-campus option, providing 9 weeks of networking and exposure to graduate-school academics, writing, and research. While the residential program supports a more limited group of disciplines, you can pursue writing-focused disciplines offered at LGS through the Virtual Experience, such as Comparative Literature, English, Philosophy, and more. You’ll be mentored by current LGS students in a wide array of graduate programs, attending Discipline-Specific Research Sessions to learn about advanced concepts and research skills in your academic area(s) of interest. You’ll practice and strengthen your writing abilities through training in writing academic papers and research reports, which will culminate in a final project of your choosing. You’ll also attend Professional Development Sessions, where you’ll learn skills across networking, identifying well-fitting graduate programs, preparing graduate school applications, and writing Ph.D. dissertations and Master’s theses.
Location: Remote or Washington, D.C.
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 12-week internships are offered in the Fall and Spring. 10-week internships are offered in the Summer
Application Deadline: Varies by year and season
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students aged 18+ with at least 3 semesters of completed college coursework. Must be a U.S. citizen, Green Card holder, or be classified as a U.S. Person under IRS tax code. Graduate students and recent graduates (within 6 months of graduation) are also eligible. Some departments request additional qualifications.
The Human Rights Campaign’s internship program offers paid positions for undergraduates interested in LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy throughout the year, with opportunities available across the organization’s departments and initiatives. If you’re looking for a writing internship, placements in Rapid Response & Narrative Strategy, Communications, and the organization’s Equality Magazine are strong fits. Your work might entail writing press releases for the media and HRC’s website, editing magazine pieces, developing responses to opposition narratives, or crafting talking points and storylines for digital press. You’ll be mentored by employees in your department, learn professional skills for nonprofit and writing-based careers, attend educational seminars, and network with high-ranking leaders in the LGBTQ+ movement.
Location: Remote or New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; college credit is offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not provided; however, as a boutique agency, there are likely limited openings
Dates: 8-12 weeks; internships offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: December 18 (for summer internships)
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students and graduates with an interest in publishing
The boutique literary agency JVNLA offers both in-person and remote writing internships for undergraduates, providing generalist experience across the publishing lifecycle and work areas. You’ll take on real-world publishing responsibilities, including reviewing manuscripts, evaluating submissions and proposals, and creating content. You’ll also be trained in writing and publishing skills, including negotiating contracts and royalty payments, using literary agency software, and navigating the nuances of U.S. and international publishing requirements.
Location: Remote
Stipend: Up to $15,000, depending on the length of the internship term and hours worked. Course credit may be available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: One intern selected
Dates: Flexible; 10-20 hours/week
Application Deadline: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Undergraduate students are eligible. Students in the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and other traditionally underrepresented communities are highly encouraged to apply.
Kirkus Reviews offers writing internships for college students seeking broad experience in the publishing industry. You’ll work on the editorial team, where you’ll directly collaborate with Kirkus editors to review publications, journalism, and cultural criticism, with opportunities to contribute written content of your own to the publication. You’ll also take on writing assignments, including online and social media content creation, fact-checking, cataloging submissions, and more. You’ll have opportunities to network and work with staff across other Kirkus departments, including marketing, advertising, and consulting.
Location: Remote. Note that the first and last weeks require on-campus attendance at UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
Stipend: $5,400 plus $1,255 for food and housing, and fully-funded travel and housing at UC San Diego for in-person events.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 12 students.
Dates: June 17 - August 16 (June 22-26 and August 11-14 are in-person)
Application Deadline: April 5
Eligibility: Current undergraduates (including community college students) aged 18+ who have good academic standing at their college or university. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
UC San Diego’s VERSA program is a remote internship focused on STEM and cross-disciplinary educational research, supporting students interested in pedagogy and teaching across fields from anthropology to physics. You’ll start your experience with a half-week introduction to the program, then attend a 5-day “Theory to Practice” STEM Education Bootcamp. Unlike most undergraduate research internships, VERSA is a writing-heavy program; you’ll focus your research on theoretical and methodological questions in education and learning within your field of study. You’ll develop work products such as instructional materials, evidence-based pedagogical resources, and more. Along the way, you’ll explore how social and historical factors have shaped both formal and informal educational approaches and spaces through guest research seminars and journal clubs. You’ll work with two mentors, receiving support from both a UCSD faculty member and a graduate student. Your faculty mentor will provide research supervision, lead your Bootcamp educational sessions, and host professional development events. Your graduate student, or “Pod Mentor,” will support you and three of your peers for virtual co-working, social activities, and other personal or academic support. After finishing your project, you’ll write a formal scientific paper on your work.
Location: Remote (must be in Eastern or Central time zone)
Stipend: $22-$25/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; one intern selected per role
Dates: May 26 – August 7
Application Deadline: Applications reviewed on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Undergraduate students are eligible.
The health- and technology-focused government services company Maximus offers a remote writing internship focused on funding and advancement for undergraduate students on its Global Impact and Belonging (GIB) team. You’ll take on writing responsibilities, including responding to donor inquiries, developing communication and engagement materials, developing written content for the GIB website, preparing program evaluation documents, and more. You’ll also provide operations support, including maintaining grant databases, auditing corporate giving content, and conducting research for outreach initiatives. You’ll be mentored by experienced Maximus GIB employees, network with major individual and corporate donors, and meet Maximus senior management and executives through the internship’s professional development opportunities. You’ll also develop professional skills beyond writing, such as grant applications and processing, communications, corporate giving, and project management.
Location: Remote or Holiday House Publishing offices in New York, NY or Atlanta, GA; hybrid work arrangements are also available.
Stipend: $17/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not provided
Dates: 3-month internships offered in spring, summer, and fall
Application Deadline: Varies. Applications typically open at the beginning of the semester preceding the internship term.
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students. Some internships require a hybrid work schedule; review postings carefully before you apply.
A publishing house focused exclusively on children’s books, Holiday House provides both in-person and remote writing internships to college students, where you’ll take on tasks in departments across editorial, marketing, sales, legal, and more. You might be responsible for creating publicity materials, editing copy or manuscripts, or coordinating book distribution with sales team members. This role is part-time and involves working alongside Holiday House employees.
Location: Remote or George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Cost: $1,299 plus $25 application fee; financial aid offered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 18 – August 12
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Current high school students and undergraduates aged 15+ by program start date (16+ for in-person/hybrid “wet-lab” internships).
GMU’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program is a combined research and writing internship for undergraduate students with an interest in STEM. You’ll work with a faculty mentor to take on a research project in a STEM field of your choice, with options spanning proteomics, forensic science, nanoscience, engineering, robotics, and more. You’ll be trained in research skills, including experimental design, utilizing advanced technology and research equipment, and scientific innovation. You’ll receive substantial training in scientific writing and communication, preparing you to write scientific journal articles, conference papers, and presentations. You’ll work closely with your mentor to create high-quality, impactful project outcomes; many participants are ultimately listed as co-authors on journal articles and have their work presented at scientific conferences.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here, check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.