40+ Medical Internships for High School Students
Updated: 4 days ago
TL;DR
You'll find 41 medical internships on this page, grouped by host type, from university and medical school labs to hospital and cancer center placements, state-funded programs, and fully virtual options. Several cost nothing and pay a stipend on top, including UCSF's SEP High School Intern Program and MD Anderson's King Foundation Summer Program. You'll find options open from age 15 upward. Eligibility matters more than competition here, since many of the strongest programs are restricted to a single city, county, or state, and several require you to be 18 by the start date. If age or geography closes off most of this list for you, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you 1:1 with a PhD mentor, virtually and with no residency requirement.
The strongest medical internships put you in a real lab or research setting, working under a faculty mentor or physician-scientist rather than sitting through lectures. Below are 40 of the most selective and well-regarded programs available to high schoolers, drawn from top research universities, cancer centers, and national institutes. Each one delivers genuine hands-on experience, not just exposure.
How to get a medical internship in high school
You need to check deadlines, dates, and eligibility very carefully. Typically, these narrow your list down more easily than grades or academic prerequisites.
Work backwards from the deadline: Many summer internships close applications in last year’s fall or early spring. Stanford's STaRS internship closed on November 30 for the 2026 cycle, and UCSF opens its application in January. It’s best to look for summer internships in the fall before/
Don’t assume you need a perfect transcript: Many internships will look for medical interest, prior experience, and letters of recommendation rather than grades alone. UCSF's Science and Health Education Partnership states on its High School Intern Program page that acceptance is not contingent on grades. The program runs an eight-week paid placement with a cohort of 25, and selects based on curiosity and motivation instead.
Filter by location: Many internships come up with a geographic eligibility cap. Look for internships you’re eligible to apply for and in places you can travel to.
Involve a science teacher early: Several programs require a teacher reference, and a few select partly on nomination. Asking in October gives your teacher time to write something specific and improves your chances of acceptance.
Keep a remote option open: Don’t just apply to in-person and local programs, as these tend to be more selective. Keeping a virtual option open gives you a fallback in case you do not get accepted into local alternatives or are not able to travel.
Are medical internships for high school students paid?
Many are, and the paid ones are usually the hardest to qualify for.
Geographic restrictions: Many paid programs restrict admission to students from certain states, districts, or cities. UCSF's SEP High School Intern Program is open only to rising seniors at SFUSD and San Francisco charter schools. MD Anderson's King Foundation program pays its interns, but its eligibility page restricts it to current Texas high school seniors.
Check citizenship requirements: In addition to geographic restrictions, most paid programs only admit US citizens. The NIH internship pays its summer interns, but requires US citizenship or permanent residency. For international students, that rules out a large share of the paid options in one line.
Free options exist: Several internships on this list don’t offer a stipend, but are either entirely free or offer financial aid. Houston Methodist's program and Rice's PATHS-UP charge nothing and pay nothing. Stanford's STaRS internship covers transportation costs without paying a wage. If paid options don’t work, you should next consider free programs.
Do medical internships help your college application?
Yes, though the benefit comes from what you can say about the work rather than the prestige of the institution you intern at.
It gives you something specific to write about: Conducting medical procedures or medical research gives you actual medical experience that you can mention in your application essays. Admissions officers see these as useful engagement in the field, which helps your chances.
It earns you a valuable recommender: A faculty mentor or physician who supervised you can describe how you handle being out of your depth, how you engage with complex medical topics, and how you handle challenges. These are not things classroom teachers can typically comment on, making mentors more useful recommenders for your college applications.
It signals continued interest: If you pair your medical internship with research, a summer program, or local hospital work, it shows continued engagement with the field. Admissions officers see this as strong interest, making you a stronger applicant.
It shows your academic skills: The AAMC's analysis of its Matriculating Student Questionnaire found that 30.6% of students entering US MD programs had taken part in a pathway program at any stage, whether in middle school, high school, or college. Fewer than one in three arrive with that kind of structured exposure behind them.
Our admissions report points the same way for research specifically. Across 492 scholars in the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, students who completed an independent research project were around four times more likely than the general applicant pool to be admitted to a top university, with Class of 2030 acceptances including Stanford, Columbia, Harvard, and Cornell.
How we selected these medical internships
We assessed every program against four criteria.
What you actually do on site: Whether you are placed in a lab or clinic with defined responsibilities and an output at the end, or just observing someone else work.
Who supervises you: A named faculty mentor, a physician-scientist, or a rotating staff roster, and how much direct contact you get with them.
Cost, stipend, and what is covered: The full price including application fees, the stipend where one exists, and whether housing, meals, or transport are included.
How clearly eligibility is stated: Age floors, residency rules, GPA thresholds, and citizenship requirements published openly rather than discovered partway through an application.
Section | Top programs | Cost | Best for |
University & medical school research programs | Free – $3,000 (several pay 4,500 stipends) | Students who want a mentored, lab-based research placement hosted by a university or med school department | |
Hospital & cancer center research programs | MD Anderson King Foundation Program, Fred Hutch SHIP, Houston Methodist Emerging Researcher Experience, Wistar Institute Biomedical Research Internship | Free – $7,200 | Students drawn to cancer research or hospital-based biomedical work, often with a stipend attached |
State & government-funded programs | Kaiser Permanente KP Launch, Minnesota SHCIP, Hennepin County Internships, DocPrep (Baylor College of Medicine) | Not published – $1,200 (Hennepin County pays $22/hr) | Students who want a government-backed placement, usually residency-restricted but reliably paid |
Virtual & online programs | Lumiere Research Scholar Program, Mayo Clinic HERO, UT Austin HERO, Zon Lab Camp Zon, UT Southwestern Mental Health Internship | Free – 15/hr at Camp Zon) | Students who don't live near a major medical center, or want a lower-commitment way to explore medicine remotely |
University & Medical School Research Programs
Mentored, lab-based research placements hosted by university science and medical school departments. Most run 6 to 8 weeks and pair you one-on-one or in small groups with a faculty mentor.
Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Cost/Stipend: $1,299 tuition (need-based waivers available) + $25 non-refundable application fee.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 8 weeks, June 18 – August 12, 2026.
Application deadline: 2026 cycle already closed at time of check; historically opens in winter.
Eligibility: Minimum age 15 for remote/computational tracks, 16 for wet-lab tracks.
Through ASSIP, you're paired one-on-one with a Mason faculty mentor and their research team for eight weeks of hands-on lab or computational work, alongside seminars on scientific writing and career pathways in STEM. Tracks span biology, chemistry, computer science, and engineering, so the exact day-to-day depends on which lab you're placed in.
Who it's best for: A student who wants a genuine university-lab placement and doesn't mind paying tuition for it (waivers exist, but the sticker price is real) rather than seeking a paid stipend program.
Location: Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Cost/Stipend: Paid; stipend around $3,120.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Summer; the program paused in 2025 and resumed for 2026.
Application deadline: Check current cycle.
Eligibility: High school students interested in biomedical research.
A paid research internship at Emory exposing students to biomedical research, most recently focused on genetics, through faculty-mentored lab placements.
Who it's best for: A student who wants a paid Atlanta-area research placement.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: $55 application fee (new drift, program was previously free to apply).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: High school students interested in genomics.
A Stanford-hosted genomics research program, which now charges a $55 application fee (a change from its previously free application process).
Who it's best for: A student specifically drawn to genomics/genetics research who's comfortable with Stanford's now-fee-based application process.
Location: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Paid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: June 29 – August 14, 2026.
Application deadline: Check current cycle.
Eligibility: Open to Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts high school juniors and seniors only, minimum 2.7 GPA.
A paid, mentored summer research internship placing you directly in Harvard Medical School labs, administered by the Office of Community Careers in Education (OCCE).
Who it's best for: A Boston or Cambridge resident specifically. This program isn't open to students from elsewhere in Massachusetts or beyond.
Location: University of Minnesota, Lillehei Heart Institute
Cost/Stipend: Paid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective, only 2 high school spots.
Dates: June 1 – July 24, 2026.
Application deadline: February 15, 2026.
Eligibility: High school juniors/seniors, 16+.
A cardiovascular-research partnership between the University of Minnesota's Lillehei Heart Institute and the American Heart Association, extremely selective, with only two high school spots available each cycle.
Who it's best for: A top-tier applicant specifically interested in cardiovascular research who's prepared for one of the most selective placements on this list.
Location: Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, NJ
Cost/Stipend: Paid; stipend around $1,200 (recheck current amount).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 15 students selected from roughly 250–300 applicants.
Dates: 6 weeks, July–August.
Application deadline: Check current cycle.
Eligibility: New Jersey high school juniors/seniors from underrepresented backgrounds; recently expanded to include children of Hackensack Meridian Health employees.
A well-established, highly selective New Jersey program combining suturing practice, ER shadowing, SAT prep, and a capstone research project.
Who it's best for: A New Jersey junior/senior from an underrepresented background who wants one of the state's most prestigious and comprehensive medical-exposure programs.
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective, only 12 students/year.
Dates: 3 weeks, summer.
Application deadline: Typically April.
Eligibility: Houston-area sophomores/juniors; no prior programming experience required.
A free, three-week digital-health research program (part of an NSF-funded engineering consortium) working with pulse oximeters, GPS devices, and accelerometers to explore digital health technology.
Who it's best for: A Houston-area sophomore/junior interested in the intersection of engineering and healthcare, with no coding background required.
Location: Indiana University School of Medicine / IUPUI / Indiana Biosciences Research Institute / Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, IN
Cost/Stipend: Paid; stipends up to $4,000.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 8 weeks, summer.
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: Grades 10–12 prioritized.
A faculty-mentored research placement spanning multiple STEM fields (not just biomedical) across several Indianapolis institutions, including industry partner Eli Lilly.
Who it's best for: An Indianapolis-area student open to a range of STEM fields, medicine, dentistry, computer science, engineering, not just biology-focused research.
Location: UCSF, San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid; $4,500 stipend upon completion.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~25 spots from ~50 interviewed.
Dates: 8 weeks, 35 hrs/week.
Application deadline: February 8.
Eligibility: Open only to current juniors attending an SFUSD or San Francisco charter school.
An unusually accessible research internship for a program of this caliber, selection deliberately doesn't weigh grades or academic achievement, prioritizing instead maturity, persistence, and motivation, plus a full college-counseling component.
Who it's best for: A current SFUSD or SF charter school junior. This program isn't available to students outside San Francisco's public/charter school system.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; tuition-free residential program.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective, 24 students/year.
Dates: 5 weeks, June 22 – July 26, 2026.
Application deadline: March 23, 2026.
Eligibility: Low-income, first-generation high school juniors from Northern/Central California.
Running since 1988, this is one of the most established and mission-driven programs on this list, a free, 5-week residential enrichment program combining faculty lectures, a Stanford Health Care hospital internship, public-health research, and structured SAT/college-essay support.
Who it's best for: A first-generation, low-income junior from Northern or Central California, this program is specifically and deliberately not aimed at students who already have easy access to college-prep resources.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; $3,000 needs-based stipend available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 35–40 students/year.
Dates: 7 weeks, June 8 – July 24, 2026 (30 hrs/week).
Application deadline: Closed February 23, 2026 for the 2026 cycle.
Eligibility: Rising junior/senior, 16+, 3.0 GPA, resident of one of 7 specific Bay Area counties (SF, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz).
A research-intensive introductory program in maternal and child health, explicitly designed for students with little or no prior research exposure.
Who it's best for: A Bay Area student in one of the seven eligible counties who's brand-new to research and wants a genuinely introductory (not assumed-prior-experience) program.
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; no stipend, but transportation assistance available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective, ~20 students/year.
Dates: 8 weeks, June 15 – August 7, 2026 (drift from a previous 7-week format).
Application deadline: Closed November 30, 2025 for the 2026 cycle.
Eligibility: 16+; low-income and underrepresented students specifically encouraged to apply.
A biomedical research internship through Stanford's Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, teaching wet-lab techniques like histology, imaging, and genotyping, unusual in offering a specific dental/oral-healthcare track (RAMP UP) within the broader program.
Who it's best for: A student open to Stanford's mentorship-heavy, community-focused research culture, who doesn't need a stipend to participate (transportation costs are covered, but there's no wage).
Location: UCSF, San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 8 weeks, summer.
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: Rising HS seniors (and CCSF students), 16+, 2.5 GPA, must have completed Biology and Chemistry coursework.
A paid, 8-week research internship through UCSF's Center for Science, Education and Outreach, restricted to rising seniors, so not usable by underclassmen.
Who it's best for: A rising senior who's already completed Bio and Chem coursework and wants a paid UCSF research placement.
Location: Children's Hospital Colorado / Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
Cost/Stipend: ~$4,400 stipend.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 24 participants.
Dates: 9 weeks, summer.
Application deadline: February 1.
Eligibility: High school seniors, 18+ by program start, Colorado residents only.
A competitive pediatric-research internship jointly hosted by CU School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, restricted to Colorado resident seniors who are already 18.
Who it's best for: A Colorado-resident senior who's already 18 and specifically interested in pediatric/child-health research.
Location: University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL
Cost/Stipend: No cost to attend; a stipend is provided (the program doesn't publish the exact amount).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Extremely selective, only 5 spots/year (~11% acceptance rate).
Dates: Summer (exact 2026 dates not reconfirmed this run).
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: High school students.
A 35+ year-old, Thermo Fisher Scientific-partnered research program, one of the longest-running and most selective on the entire list, admitting only 5 students annually.
Who it's best for: An exceptionally strong applicant prepared for one of the most selective programs on this list, in the Rockford, IL area.
Location: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL
Cost/Stipend: Free (transportation only cost); housing, meals, and a monetary award provided.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 6 weeks, 30–35 hrs/week.
Application deadline: Priority deadline typically late March.
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th graders from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, or Wisconsin.
A fully-funded, six-week research program spanning cancer immunology, neuroscience, AI, physics, and bioengineering, open to a seven-state regional footprint rather than Illinois residents only. Part of Grainger Engineering's WYSE (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering) initiative.
Who it's best for: A student from any of the seven eligible Midwest states who wants a fully-funded research experience across a wide range of STEM fields.
Location: University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute, Ann Arbor, MI
Cost/Stipend: $3,000 stipend; free housing and meals.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 6–10 students/year.
Dates: 6 weeks, June 14 – July 24, 2026 (residential).
Application deadline: February 15, 2026.
Eligibility: Michigan rising seniors, 16+, from under-resourced communities statewide.
A residential, paid life-sciences research internship deliberately recruiting from under-resourced and rural Michigan communities rather than students already near a research university.
Who it's best for: A Michigan rising senior from a rural or under-resourced community who wants a fully-funded, residential university-lab experience.
Location: Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
Cost/Stipend: Monetary award on completion (exact figure varies by year; historically ~$1,250).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~60 students/year from ~200 applicants.
Dates: 6 weeks (4 weeks in some recent years), Monday–Thursday, up to 5 hrs/day.
Application deadline: Historically mid-February.
Eligibility: Grades 10–12, GPA 3.0+, Wayne County priority.
Established 2014, a research-and-mentorship program in partnership with the Michigan Area Health Education Center, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, and Detroit Public Schools, includes college-admissions and career-networking sessions on Fridays.
Who it's best for: A Detroit/Wayne County student wanting a well-established, structured pipeline program combining research with explicit college-prep support.
Location: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Cost/Stipend: Paid, NIH R25-funded.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective, 12 students selected from 272 applications for the 2026 cycle.
Dates: 7–8 weeks, summer.
Application deadline: Check current cycle.
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors/seniors; students from underrepresented backgrounds prioritized.
Running since 2021 with 60+ alumni to date, this is a competitive, federally-funded neuroscience research internship distinct from OSU's separate, similarly-named neuroscience summer camp.
Who it's best for: A strong applicant specifically drawn to neuroscience who's prepared for one of the more competitive internships on this list.
Location: UBC, SFU, and affiliated hospitals, Metro Vancouver and Kelowna, BC
Cost/Stipend: $3,250 (6-week high school salary).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Grown from 1 student (2018) to 104 (2025).
Dates: 6 weeks.
Application deadline: Check current cycle for student application window.
Eligibility: Open exclusively to Indigenous high school students in Grades 9–12 in BC.
An award-winning (2025 City of Vancouver Leadership in Reconciliation Award), fully-supported research placement, transit, meals, loaner equipment, youth support workers, travel bursaries, spanning fields from neuroscience to biology across 40+ university and hospital departments.
Who it's best for: An Indigenous high school student in BC. This program is not open to the general student population.
Hospital & Cancer Center Research Programs
The same caliber of hands-on research as above, but hosted directly by hospitals, cancer centers, and independent research institutes rather than academic departments.
Location: Genspace, Brooklyn, NY
Cost/Stipend: $2,000 stipend.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Spring: Feb 27 – May 22; Summer: June 30 – Aug 15.
Application deadline: January 8.
Eligibility: 16+ by orientation date; must live or attend a NYC public/charter school within 45 minutes of Genspace.
Biorocket places you in Genspace's community biotech lab for a hands-on introduction to biotechnology and genetic engineering, working alongside working scientists in a nonprofit "citizen science" lab setting rather than a traditional university or hospital lab.
Who it's best for: An NYC-area student who wants biotech/genetic-engineering lab exposure specifically, in a smaller, community-lab environment rather than a large research institution.
Location: MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Paid; stipend $7,200–$6,480 depending on placement (drift from earlier $6,800 figure).
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; up to 10 students/year.
Dates: ~10 weeks, summer (exact 2026 dates to reconfirm).
Application deadline: Typically winter/early spring.
Eligibility: Texas high school seniors, 18+ by program start.
Now in its 66th year, this is one of the most established biomedical research programs for high schoolers in the country, full-time lab placement with an MD Anderson faculty mentor, five days a week, with abstract writing, poster design, and an "elevator pitch" competition built into the curriculum.
Who it's best for: A Texas senior who's already 18 and wants the most prestigious, longest-running cancer-research credential on this list, not for underclassmen, since the age floor rules them out.
Location: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
Cost/Stipend: Paid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: June 22 – August 14, 2026.
Application deadline: 2026 applications already closed at time of check.
Eligibility: Entering senior year (or final term after the summer).
An 8-week program beginning with two weeks of foundational lab training (DNA isolation, gel electrophoresis) before pairing you with a research group for hands-on cancer research, plus sessions on ethics, data visualization, and college essay writing, ending in a formal presentation to the Fred Hutch community.
Who it's best for: A rising senior who wants one of the most structured, training-first research internships on this list, ideal if you have no prior lab experience.
Location: Houston Methodist, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Free.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 8 weeks, June 8 – July 31, 2026.
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: Juniors and seniors, 16+.
An 8-week translational research internship, working alongside undergraduate interns and expert mentors in the Texas Medical Center.
Who it's best for: A junior or senior wanting a free, structured Houston research placement without a GPA-based application barrier.
Location: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL
Cost/Stipend: Paid; stipend historically $11.50–$14/hr depending on year.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 6–8 students/year.
Dates: ~6 weeks, summer.
Application deadline: Typically February.
Eligibility: Rising juniors/seniors, 16+, Palm Beach or Martin County residents only.
A highly selective, hands-on neuroscience research internship at a Max Planck Society institute, the only one of its kind in North America, but geographically restricted to two specific Florida counties.
Who it's best for: A rising junior/senior from Palm Beach or Martin County, FL specifically, interested in neuroscience.
Location: NIH, Bethesda, MD (and Framingham, MA)
Cost/Stipend: Paid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published; highly competitive federal program.
Dates: 6–8 weeks, three possible May/June start dates.
Application deadline: Historically opens mid-November, closes mid-February.
Eligibility: 18+ by program start (or a current HS senior turning 18), U.S. citizens/permanent residents.
A federally-funded NIH research internship, one of the most prestigious names on this list, though the age requirement (18 by start) effectively limits it to graduating seniors rather than underclassmen.
Who it's best for: A graduating senior who's already 18 and wants the credibility of an NIH-affiliated research internship.
Location: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
Cost/Stipend: Paid, where funding allows.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published; the program has run for over 70 years.
Dates: 7 weeks, summer.
Application deadline: Applications open in November, accepted through January.
Eligibility: High school juniors within commuting distance of Buffalo, 15+ by program start.
A mentor-matched cancer research placement at one of the country's longest-running high school science programs, also known in recent materials as SURE-CAN, concluding with a formal poster presentation.
Who it's best for: A Western New York junior within commuting distance of Buffalo who wants one of the most established cancer-research credentials available to high schoolers.
Location: Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
Cost/Stipend: Paid, NIH/NCI-funded.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 9–10 weeks per summer, across two consecutive summers (a 2-year commitment).
Application deadline: Application portal opens November 4; early decision February 23.
Eligibility: Rising high school junior/senior (or rising college freshman/sophomore), 16 by June 15, tri-state area (NJ/NY/PA/CT) resident, and current with Rutgers' vaccination policy.
A mentored cancer-research program aimed specifically at students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences, structured as a two-summer commitment rather than a single-summer program.
Who it's best for: A tri-state-area student ready to commit to a two-year research relationship, particularly one from an underrepresented background in biomedical science.
Location: Rockville, MD (JCVI's La Jolla, CA location is not offering internships this cycle due to a facility move)
Cost/Stipend: Paid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Postings open March 2026.
Application deadline: Check current cycle.
Eligibility: 16+, 3.0 GPA minimum.
A genomics research internship at a leading nonprofit genomic research institute, currently consolidated to its Maryland location.
Who it's best for: An East Coast (Maryland-area) student this cycle, JCVI's California site isn't accepting interns while it relocates.
Location: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH
Cost/Stipend: Paid.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~10 students/year.
Dates: 8 weeks, full-time, summer.
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: Rising HS seniors from the Columbus area; underrepresented-minority students prioritized.
A full-time, paid cancer-research internship for Columbus-area rising seniors, with explicit priority given to students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine.
Who it's best for: A rising senior in the Columbus area, particularly one from an underrepresented background, ready for a full-time summer research commitment.
Location: VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, Richmond, VA
Cost/Stipend: Free; need-based scholarships available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 5 weeks, June 22 – July 24, 2026 (25 hrs/week minimum).
Application deadline: November 15, 2025 – February 6, 2026.
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors/seniors, Greater Richmond Area.
A mentored cancer-research placement pairing you with a Massey investigator for five weeks, ending in a poster presentation at Massey's Summer Research Symposium, one of several distinct high-school programs Massey runs, alongside a separate SHE-in-Oncology program and others.
Who it's best for: A Greater Richmond-area junior/senior wanting a genuine mentored lab placement.
Location: The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: $1,500 stipend, plus SEPTA transit passes.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 15 students/year.
Dates: 4 weeks, July 6–30, 2026.
Application deadline: Check back in early January.
Eligibility: 16+, completed at least one HS science course.
A well-funded, established biomedical research fellowship (cancer biology, infectious disease) at a nationally recognized nonprofit research institute, with Philadelphia public school students strongly encouraged to apply.
Who it's best for: A Philadelphia-area student, no prior research experience required, wanting a paid, structured lab fellowship with strong institutional backing.
State & Government-Funded Programs
Government-backed internships placing students across multiple host sites rather than a single institution. Eligibility tends to be residency-based, and pay is usually solid.
Location: Kaiser Permanente Northern California service areas
Cost/Stipend: Paid; $1,200 stipend for the 8-week high school track.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; a recent cycle drew 2,700+ high school applicants for 294 spots.
Dates: 8 weeks, June 15 – July 31, 2026.
Application deadline: 2026 applications closed January 9, 2026.
Eligibility: Ages 16–19, focused on underrepresented and low-income students in Kaiser Permanente Northern California's service area.
A paid, 8-week healthcare exposure program now in its sixth decade, deliberately built for students who might not otherwise have access to healthcare career exploration, placing you in a mix of clinical and administrative departments with a dedicated mentor.
Who it's best for: A Northern California student ages 16–19 from an underrepresented or low-income background who wants paid healthcare-system exposure at a major national provider.
Location: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Cost/Stipend: Not published by the program; contact the office directly for cost details.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 60 students plus 12 teacher mentors selected each year.
Dates: One week during the summer.
Application deadline: Applications open in March through your affiliated school.
Eligibility: Rising seniors from South Texas affiliated high schools (including MISD, added as a new partner in 2026).
A week-long academic enrichment program at Baylor College of Medicine for rising seniors from a set list of South Texas partner high schools, featuring medical lectures, college and medical school counseling, a communications course, and simulation lab experiences.
Who it's best for: A rising senior attending one of DocPrep's partner school districts specifically, not a general open-application opportunity.
Location: Hennepin County, MN (various departments)
Cost/Stipend: Paid; $22/hr minimum.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: Year-round, including summer.
Application deadline: Rolling, department-dependent.
Eligibility: High school students; over 50 departments participate.
A county-government internship program spanning 50+ departments, from public health to administration, pay is well above minimum wage, but placements are general county-government roles rather than clinical/research-specific, so a health-focused placement isn't guaranteed.
Who it's best for: A student open to non-clinical, public-health-adjacent government work who wants strong pay and doesn't need a purely clinical placement.
Location: Statewide Minnesota (multiple host sites)
Cost/Stipend: Paid, minimum wage or higher; up to half reimbursed by a state grant.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Roughly 100–170 interns statewide per year.
Dates: 6–12 weeks, Memorial Day–Labor Day.
Application deadline: Employer applications close mid-April; student postings follow.
Eligibility: Completed junior or senior year of Minnesota high school (or a Minnesota postsecondary student).
Minnesota's statewide, state-funded healthcare internship program, running since 1998, placing students at hospitals, clinics, and nursing facilities across the state with wages partially subsidized by the Minnesota Department of Health. Essentia Health, Lakewood Health System, and Madison Healthcare Services below are individual host sites within this same statewide program.
Who it's best for: Any Minnesota junior/senior who wants a paid, government-backed healthcare internship and is flexible on which specific facility they're placed at.
Virtual & Online Programs
Fully remote programs, useful if you don't live near a major medical center, or if you want a lower-commitment way to explore medicine before applying to an in-person program.
Location: Remote, and you can participate from anywhere in the world
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type; full financial aid is available, and the official page lists current pricing
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; recent cohorts have drawn over 4,000 applicants for about 500 spots
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring; options range from 12 weeks to 1 year
Application deadline: Varies by cohort; cohorts usually open for applications around January, May, September, and November
Eligibility: Currently enrolled in high school with a high level of academic achievement
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students, offering extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities across a broad range of subject areas. It pairs students with PhD mentors to work one on one on an independent research project, and at the end of the 12-week program you will have developed an independent research paper. You can choose research topics from subjects such as medicine, psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more.
Who it's best for: A student who wants a genuinely individual, mentored research paper rather than a group program, including an economics-minded student who would rather write original research than sit in a class.
Location: Virtual (Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center + Midwest partner consortium)
Cost/Stipend: $500 taxable stipend.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Up to 20 applicants per year at the Mayo site.
Dates: 2 weeks, July 20–31, 2026.
Application deadline: April 24, 2026.
Eligibility: Rising sophomore, junior, or senior; Minnesota residents only.
Formerly known as Summer Healthcare Experience (SHE) in Oncology and recently rebranded to HERO at this site, this is a virtual cancer-research and career-exploration program run in partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin, University of Iowa, and University of Minnesota/Wisconsin cancer centers.
Who it's best for: A Minnesota student interested in oncology who wants a virtual, low-barrier introduction alongside peers from across the Midwest.
Location: Virtual (Boston Children's Hospital / Harvard Medical School Zon Lab)
Cost/Stipend: Paid; $15/hour.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 2 weeks, July 6–17, 2026.
Application deadline: Check the current cycle for exact dates.
Eligibility: HS students or rising college freshmen, 16+, Massachusetts residents only.
A paid, two-week virtual zebrafish research program studying blood development and cancer biology, including live experiments performed to order by the lab based on student-designed protocols.
Who it's best for: A Massachusetts student interested in hematology/cancer biology who wants a paid virtual research experience.
Location: Virtual (UT Austin/Dell Medical School + national partner consortium)
Cost/Stipend: Check current cycle.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 20 Central Texas students per year, part of a roughly 100-student national cohort.
Dates: Virtual; dates vary by cycle.
Application deadline: Next cycle opens March 2027.
Eligibility: Central Texas residents (within 50 miles of Austin), rising sophomore/junior/senior.
The original site of this program, UT Austin created it in 2019 as Summer Healthcare Experience (SHE) in Oncology and has since rebranded it to HERO, matching the Mayo Clinic site above. It's part of a national consortium also including the University of Michigan, University of Chicago, UPenn, and University of Kentucky.
Who it's best for: A Central Texas student (within 50 miles of Austin) interested in oncology who wants the flagship site of this national program.
Location: Virtual (UT Southwestern Department of Psychiatry)
Cost/Stipend: Free.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not published.
Dates: 2 weeks, June.
Application deadline: Early February.
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th graders and incoming college freshmen.
A free, virtual introduction to mental-health careers, social work, neuropsychology, psychiatry, combining live sessions with pre-reading assignments from clinical and mass-media sources.
Who it's best for: A student curious about mental health/psychiatry careers who wants a free, low-barrier virtual entry point rather than a clinical placement.
Frequently asked questions: medical internships for high school students
Can high schoolers do medical internships?
Yes, but the word internship covers a wider range than it sounds like. Most of what is available to high schoolers is lab-based research, structured hospital programs, or supervised observation rather than clinical work with patients, since liability rules keep minors away from direct care. The strongest options place you with a named faculty mentor or physician-scientist for six to eight weeks and end with a poster or presentation.
What is the difference between a medical internship and shadowing?
Shadowing means observing a clinician at work, usually arranged informally and lasting a few days. An internship is a formal placement with an application, a selection process, assigned responsibilities, and something you produce by the end. Both give you clinical exposure, but an internship is far easier to document on a college application and gives a mentor enough time with you to write a specific recommendation.
Are there virtual medical internships for high school students?
Yes, though fewer than you would expect, and most still carry residency rules. Mayo Clinic's HERO program is open only to Minnesota residents, Camp Zon at Boston Children's Hospital only to Massachusetts students, and UT Austin's HERO only to students within 50 miles of Austin. If you want a longer remote project and no residency requirement at all, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program pairs you with a PhD mentor to produce an independent research paper, though that is research rather than clinical exposure.
Which medical fields can you intern in as a high school student?
Oncology and cancer biology dominate the available placements, through cancer centers like MD Anderson, Fred Hutch, Roswell Park, and Rutgers Cancer Institute. Neuroscience is the next largest category, with programs at Max Planck Florida and Ohio State. You will also find cardiovascular research, pediatrics and child health, genomics, digital health, and mental health placements, though these cluster around one or two institutions each.
Can international students apply for medical internships in the US?
Mostly not, at least for the federally funded ones. University-hosted programs are slightly more open, but many still set residency or school-district rules that exclude students outside the area. If you are applying from outside the US, virtual research programs and programs in your own country are a more realistic starting point.
Do you need a high GPA for a medical internship?
Not always, and the threshold is lower than most students assume. Where a GPA floor exists, it tends to sit between 2.5 and 3.0, as at UCSF's CURE program, Harvard Medical School's Project Success, and Wayne State's BCAP. Some programs set no academic bar at all and select on motivation instead.