11 Most Prestigious Internships for High School Students

Internships provide a platform for you to hone your skills and work on projects in your chosen field. From all the different options available, it’s most beneficial to look for internships with a high level of prestige associated with them. In the next section, we'll explain why participating in prestigious internships is important for high schoolers.

Why should you look for prestigious internships?

Securing a spot in these programs can help you stand out. Their highly competitive nature becomes a testament to your skill and abilities. Secondly, a well-recognized internship can give you a leg up during college applications. Such internships on your resume reflect your achievements. Moreover, such opportunities come with high-quality mentorship, exposure to industry leaders, cutting-edge research, and a network that can shape your future endeavors.

How did we choose these internships?

To determine which internships were the most prestigious, we considered several criteria, including acceptance rates and the reputation of the organizing body. Here are the main determinants:

• Acceptance Rate: A low acceptance rate signals a highly competitive program.

• Stipend Offerings: Internships that are cost-free and those that provide significant stipends are considered more prestigious than paid programs.

• Eligibility Requirements: Prestigious internships have rigorous requirements, such as a high GPA, multiple letters of recommendation, or video submissions. These criteria contribute to the program’s exclusivity.

• Program Duration: The most selective programs typically feature single cohorts, accepting a limited number of students at a time. This limited availability underscores their exclusivity.

Now that you know what makes these internships valuable, here are 11 prestigious internships for high school students:

1. Ladder Internship Program

Cost: Starting at $2,490 (financial aid available)

Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.

Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November). 

Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students! 

Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average raising over a million dollars. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.

2. Research Science Institute (RSI)

Subject: Science and Engineering

Application deadline: January for US citizens and March for international students

Eligibility: High school juniors. Recommended scores are: 740 or higher for PSAT Math, 700 or higher for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score, 33 for ACT Math and 34 for verbal scores.

Program dates: 2 months between June and August

Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Cost: Free

The Research Science Institute is one of the most highly regarded programs for high schoolers. It is organized by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) and is hosted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). You will work on a research project from start to finish under the guidance of a mentor. After a week of intensive STEM classes, you will be given an assignment and spend the next five weeks engaging in guided research and laboratory work. In the final week of the program, you will present your findings. With over 1,600 applications and a cohort size of 80-100 students, the RSI has an acceptance rate of about 5%. For more information on the program, go through our ultimate guide to the RSI.

3. City Of Hope Cancer Center’s Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy

Subject: Biomedicine

Application deadline: March 13

Eligibility: Students who are at least 16 years of age and have completed high school courses in chemistry and biology

Program dates: June 3 – August 9

Location: City of Hope

Stipend: $4,000

Another research-based internship, this program offers you the opportunity to work on an independent project in the field of biomedicine. Known as the Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy, the internship takes place at City of Hope, a cancer treatment and research center. For 10 weeks, you will work as a member of a professional biomedical research team, engaging in lab work while attending seminars and meetings. In the past, the program accepted 82 students out of 2,100 applicants, which is a 3.9% acceptance rate. The high level of competitiveness, coupled with a significant stipend and the fact that City of Hope is a renowned research center, makes this a highly prestigious program for high school students. To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.

4. NASA and UT Austin’s SEES High School Summer Intern Program

Subject: Earth and Space Science

Application deadline: February 24  

Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors who are US citizens  

Program dates: May 1 – August 4

Location: Part online and part on-site at the University of Austin, Texas

Cost: Free, travel scholarships to Texas are available

The SEES program is designed to provide high school students with a unique experience in earth science and related STEM fields. The program is divided into a distance learning section, where you will learn modules, and an on-site period, where you will work with NASA satellite data. At the end of the program, you will present your research at a virtual symposium. This data can include remote sensing data, mission design, analysis of ice sheets, Earth’s gravity field, and other such observations. Earning a spot in this program is extremely challenging, as it has a 3-4% acceptance rate, and the application process requires an essay, a recommendation form, and an introductory video. For tips on getting into this program, check out our ultimate guide here.

5. Harvard-MIT’s Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP)

Subject: Astrophysics and Climate Science

Application deadline: Applications open in May  

Eligibility: High-school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (international students can apply)

Program dates: Begins in September and runs until the end of May

Location: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Stipend: Stipend provided (amount unspecified)

This opportunity is organized by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard College Observatory, and MIT—all renowned institutions. It’s a highly competitive program with an acceptance rate of less than 5% and cohorts of no more than 10-15 students. The SRMP is a research internship where students work on an independent astrophysics project over the course of a year, under the guidance of a Harvard or MIT scientist. You can go through previous cohorts’ projects here. As a participant, you will attend weekly meetings and monthly workshops and present your research during a symposium at Harvard. You can expect to work with professional astrophysicists and climate scientists! To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.

6. The Met Internship Program for High School Students

Subject: Art and Culture

Application deadline:  March

Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors who live or attend school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut

Program dates: June to mid-August

Location: The Met

Stipend: $1,100

An internship at The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers students an introduction to museums, art, and cultural institutions. You will be assigned to one of the museum’s departments (Curatorial, Design, Engineering, Imaging, MetLiveArts, Publications, and more). You will dedicate 10-20 hours per week to assist your department and work on a specific internship project. There are also career labs that will help you explore different career paths. During the process, a staff member will serve as your mentor. The program is highly selective, with an acceptance rate of 3-4%. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn for students interested in art, design, architecture, and museum operations. To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.

7. Bank of America Student Leaders Program

Subject: Leadership and Social Service

Application deadline: January 17  

Eligibility: Current 11th and 12th graders who are legally authorized to work in the USA

Program dates: Varies by internship, but it will take place during the summer

Location: Local non-profit and a one-week summit in Washington, D.C.

Stipend: Students receive a stipend

If you are interested in learning about government, public policy, and community well-being, then consider this national-level leadership program. It entails an 8-week paid internship with a local non-profit organization. Following the internship, you will attend a fully funded 1-week Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. You can expect to learn about community needs, problem-solving, advocating for social impact, and leadership skills. The program accepts 300 students from across the country and has an acceptance rate of 5-8%. To learn more about this internship, check out our full guide here.

8. The Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Science Program (JHIBS)

Subject: Neurological Science

Application deadline: March 1

Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who live in Baltimore City.

Program dates: June to August

Location: Johns Hopkins University  

Stipend: Students will get an hourly wage and transportation funds; housing is not provided

The JHIBS is an internship that allows you to explore cutting-edge topics in brain science, ranging from neurobiology to cognitive neuroscience. While this is a research internship where you work on a guided project, you will also participate in clinical rotations with Johns Hopkins neurologists. You will attend scientific seminars and professional development sessions and prepare a final presentation at the end of the program. This is a highly competitive internship that accepts only 5-6 students, with an acceptance rate of approximately 3-4%. It’s a valuable opportunity for those pursuing careers in brain science or medicine. To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.

A similar program you can consider is the Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship Program.

9. Spark Summer Internship Program (Spark SIP)

Subject: Computer science and related fields

Application deadline: April

Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 9-12

Program dates: Can range between 6-10 weeks from June to August

Location: Greater Seattle Area

Stipend: $500

Spark Summer Internship Program is a non-profit that connects high school students with internship opportunities where they will be mentored by industry experts and educators. Past internships included projects like DNA sequence classification based on machine learning and statistical learning methods, creating a detection tool for measuring the electric profile of cells, verifying solutions to quantum problems, and even social media content generation. This internship is an excellent opportunity to connect with industry leaders and gain experience. The acceptance rate for the Spark SIP is less than 5%, making it a pretty competitive option. To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.

10. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program

Subject: Fisheries and Aquatic Science

Application deadline: January 16

Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years of age and have residency in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Program dates: June to August

Location: Local internship, Hutton Scholars Summit at the University of Arkansas

Stipend: $3,000

Sponsored by the American Fisheries Society, this program pairs you with a local fisheries professional. You will receive mentoring while engaging in laboratory and field work through this eight-week internship. Fish population surveys, electrofishing, water quality testing, data processing, and examining specimens under a microscope are a few possible activities. After the internship, you will also get an all-expenses-paid trip to the Hutton Scholars Summit, where you will hear from industry experts and have a chance to present your work. While this is a niche field of research, the high selectivity (a 12% acceptance rate) and substantial stipend amount make it a prestigious internship opportunity for high school students. To learn more about this program, check out our complete guide here.

11. National Institute of Health’s High School Scientific Training and Enrichment Program (HiSTEP)

Subject: Biomedical engineering and healthcare

Application deadline: January 12

Eligibility: High school juniors who are US citizens/residents, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, attend a school where 30% or more of the student body participates in the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program, and live in Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia within 40 miles of the main NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

Program dates: July 2 – August 1 (Every Tuesday to Thursday)

Location: NIH main campus, Bethesda, MD

Stipend: A stipend is provided based on the interns’ education level

Through the HiSTEP, the National Institute of Health aims to increase the number of students pursuing careers in biomedicine and healthcare. As an intern, you will explore biomedical research through the NIH Intramural Research Program. The curriculum comprises lectures, research group visits, networking events, small-group discussions, group projects, and sessions on college applications and career readiness. The acceptance rate is less than 10% for this program, and the NIH itself is a respected institution, making the program quite prestigious. If you want more information on HiSTEP, go through this article. 

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.

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 Harvard College graduate. 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.

Image Source: SPARK SIP