15 Paid Internships in Michigan for College Students
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 10 min read
If you’re a college student trying to understand how to move from coursework to the workplace, an internship can make that shift smoother. You will learn how assignments turn into tasks, how teams coordinate, and how your classroom skills hold up when you apply them to professional projects. Paid internships tend to be competitive, which makes them a great addition to your resume for future internship or job applications.
What paid internships are available in Michigan for college students?
Michigan has a broad mix of internship opportunities for college students, from engineering and tech to public health, business, and nonprofit roles. These programs give you room to explore different interests, pick up new skills, and learn from people who’ve been working in your field for years. Choosing a local, paid internship also helps you avoid travel or housing costs, and you earn money while building experience.
With that, here are 15 paid internships in Michigan for college students! If you're looking for more prestigious internships, check out this set of blogs!
15 Paid Internships in Michigan for College Students
Location: Michigan
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: During the summer
Application Deadline: Late December to early February
Eligibility: Juniors, seniors, and graduate students in relevant majors
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Summer Internship Program offers a paid, roughly 15-week summer placement where you work on real environmental issues alongside professional scientists and staff across divisions like water, air, land, and energy. You might be sampling lakes or rivers, doing GIS mapping, researching PFAS or toxic chemicals, helping with landfill monitoring or Brownfield redevelopment, or drafting reports on air-quality or water-resource data. Internship roles vary widely, from lab work to field sampling, policy research, GIS mapping, or outreach, and projects are assigned based on your interests and academic background (biology, chemistry, engineering, environmental science, etc.).
Location: Michigan, primarily hybrid with in-person work
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: Summer, varies by bureau or division
Application Deadline: Varies by bureau
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an accredited college or university
The Michigan Department of Treasury’s internship program gives you a paid, typically hybrid position where you work alongside state staff on real projects in public service. Depending on where you’re placed, from business tax, accounting, or data divisions to communications, policy, or IT, you might help draft reports and presentations, analyze data, manage documents, or support day-to-day operations. The program accepts students from varied fields, including social sciences, business, STEM, and more, providing flexibility no matter what you’re studying. Beyond hands-on work, you get mentorship, professional-development training, and networking opportunities that help build your skills and prepare you for a future in government or related fields.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: May 20 to July 29
Application Deadline: January 26
Eligibility: U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or students with valid U.S. work authorization. Rising juniors or seniors with a 3.0 or higher GPA
The Cancer Research Summer Internship Program (CaRSIP) is an intensive 10-week research experience hosted by the University of Michigan Medical School for undergraduates interested in cancer biology. You’ll be paired with faculty mentors at the Rogel Cancer Center to contribute to research projects while building a strong foundation for future PhD or MD/PhD training. Alongside your research work, you’ll participate in seminars, workshops, professional development activities, and a culminating research symposium. CaRSIP gives you an early exposure to the scientific skills, laboratory methods, and research environments that define graduate-level cancer research.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Stipend: $5,000
Program Dates: May 23 – July 30
Application Deadline: January 28
Eligibility: Rising juniors or seniors, not enrolled at UM–Ann Arbor with a 3.0+ GPA, and must be U.S. citizens/permanent residents/DACA.
The University of Michigan’s Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) is a long-standing, highly structured research program designed for undergraduates who are underrepresented in their field and are preparing for graduate study. You’ll work full-time on a faculty-mentored research project while participating in workshops, enrichment sessions, and community-building events. Throughout the summer, you’ll receive mentorship from faculty and graduate students, guidance on applying to graduate school, exposure to the research community at U-M, and you’ll also present your work at the annual SROP Research Symposium.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Stipend: $6,000
Program Dates: May 26 – July 31
Application Deadline: January 18
Eligibility: Full-time undergraduates with a minimum 3.0 GPA who have completed at least two semesters.
The Pharmacology Undergraduate Summer Research Program at the University of Michigan is a 10-week immersive research experience for students interested in basic and translational biomedical science. As fellows, you’ll join a U-M pharmacology laboratory and work with faculty and research staff on a dedicated project, giving you an introduction to graduate-level research. You’ll receive structured mentorship and take part in a seminar series designed specifically for summer fellows, along with opportunities to connect with students from other U-M summer research programs. Additional activities include a regional pharmacology colloquium, a Rackham Graduate School open house, and the Pharmacology in Color event, an opportunity to meet program alumni and learn about scientific career paths.
Location: Southeast Michigan, primarily Dearborn
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: 10 to 12 weeks
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at an accredited U.S. institution
The Ford Motor Company Summer Internship Program runs for 10–12 weeks and places you on a team working on projects in engineering, marketing, finance, design, and many other departments. You earn a competitive stipend, join a hybrid or on-site work setup (often in southeast Michigan), and start with a one-week orientation that helps you settle in. During the internship, you work full-time over the summer, work with professionals, and get exposure to how a large global automaker operates, from product development to business operations.
Location: Detroit, MI
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: Starts in May or June for 10-12 weeks
Application Deadline: Starts from November 4
Eligibility: Undergraduate or master’s students graduating between October this year and June next year in Accounting, Finance, Business, Economics, or related fields.
GM’s Summer Accounting Internship lets you work with finance and controllership teams on real analytical projects that shape how the company understands its numbers. You will assemble financial data, review transactions, run accounting analyses, and present what you find to senior leaders. The program is hybrid, with three days each week on site in Detroit or Warren, and you also learn how GM designs, builds, and sells vehicles through facility tours and a case competition. Your placement may be with Corporate or Automotive Controllership teams, where you help with consolidated reporting, review accounting treatments, and contribute to work that keeps the company’s financial reporting accurate and transparent.
Location: Across Michigan
Stipend: Minimum $15/hour
Program Dates: 8–12 weeks
Application Deadline: Varies by employer
Eligibility: Current college students or recent graduates with a Michigan connection.
The STEAM Ahead internship program gives you a paid internship with a Michigan-based company in fields like technology, engineering, life sciences, clean energy, arts, and advanced manufacturing. You must be a current college student or recent graduate with a connection to Michigan, and you are placed with a company that provides at least one week of on-site work and a dedicated supervisor. The program places you inside real companies where you work on projects in areas such as electric vehicle mobility, semiconductors, and research-driven science while building skills and gaining experience that can support your path into Michigan’s growing STEAM industries.
Location: Holland, MI
Stipend: Stipend is provided; non-local interns also receive a cost-of-living stipend
Program Dates: 12 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Undergraduate students interested in experience in design, business, engineering, technology, and related fields.
The MillerKnoll Summer Internship Program is a 12-week, fully paid experience designed to give undergraduates meaningful exposure to professional life inside one of Michigan’s most iconic design companies. You’ll work on projects that support the business, gaining practical skills while collaborating with cross-functional teams across the organization. The program begins with a week-long orientation where you’re introduced to the company’s culture, your peers, and the structure of the internship. Throughout the summer, you’ll take part in professional development sessions, receive consistent mentorship from experienced staff, and gain insight into long-term career paths in your chosen field.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Stipend: $18–$21 per hour
Program Dates: Early May – Early August
Application Deadline: Applications open in December and close in February
Eligibility: Currently enrolled U.S. college students able to work full-time and commute on-site to Ann Arbor at least twice per week.
The Information and Technology Services Summer Internship Program at the University of Michigan gives you a 14-week, full-time opportunity to work on a real departmental project: technical or non-technical, depending on your interests. You’ll be paired with a mentor who will help you build your technical skills, guide career planning, and expand your professional network. Alongside that, you join weekly sessions on project management, career development, and conversations with university leaders. You also work with other interns on a cohort project, which helps you experience how cross-functional tech teams operate within a university setting.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Stipend: A stipend is provided
Program Dates: 15-week program offered in Winter, Summer, and Fall
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Undergraduate or post-baccalaureate students who meet ACLP coursework requirements
The Child Life Internship at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital is a clinical training program designed for students preparing for Child Life certification. Over 15 weeks, you’ll rotate through inpatient and outpatient units, gaining experience supporting pediatric patients through play therapy, preparation for procedures, coping strategies, and family-centered care. You’re paired with certified Child Life Specialists who provide structured mentorship, daily supervision, and ongoing feedback. The program includes weekly journal clubs, clinical skills seminars, case studies, and opportunities to shadow across multiple hospital units, giving you a comprehensive look at Child Life practice in a leading children’s hospital.
Location: Across Michigan (throughout the Great Lakes region)
Stipend: $9,000 (plus up to $1,000 additional travel funding available)
Program Dates: May–August
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Enrolled undergraduate students at any accredited Michigan college or university.
The Michigan Sea Grant Environmental Internship is designed to connect undergraduate students across Michigan with environmental stewardship work on Great Lakes conservation and sustainability projects. You have two pathways: bring your own project idea with an organization you've identified, or choose from pre-submitted projects listed by sponsoring organizations. Either way, you'll work directly with private businesses, local government agencies, state and federal organizations, or environmental nonprofits, from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to watershed groups to university sustainability offices, on work that genuinely matters.
Location: Dearborn, MI
Stipend: $3,200
Program Dates: 8–12 weeks between May and August
Application Deadline: Opens in November
Eligibility: Current UM-Dearborn undergraduates graduating in December or later.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) at the University of Michigan–Dearborn gives you paid, hands-on research for eight to twelve weeks during the summer. You will work with a faculty mentor on a research project in areas ranging from biology to engineering to social science. You spend about 15–20 hours a week researching while attending professional-development sessions, and end the summer by presenting your findings at the SURE Showcase.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Stipend: $5,700
Program Dates: Minimum 300 hours over the summer
Application Deadline: January 12
Eligibility: Upper-level U-M undergraduates or U-M graduate students with an interest in injury prevention
The University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center offers five college students a paid internship position and a chance to work inside a CDC-funded, multidisciplinary public health center. You’ll be matched to a research or practice-based project designed to build skills in injury prevention across areas like teen driving, suicide prevention, mental health, environmental injuries, and perinatal health. Throughout the program, you’ll contribute to tasks such as conducting literature reviews, assisting with research design, analyzing data, preparing educational toolkits, and supporting project implementation and evaluation. The experience is structured to give you an exposure to multiple disciplines and approaches in injury prevention, while developing research skills and expanding your professional network. You may rank up to two project preferences when applying.
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Stipend: Paid
Program Dates: May–August
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Current College of Pharmacy students with a Michigan Pharmacist Intern License.
Corewell Health’s Summer Pharmacy Internship places you inside its Medicare Quality team, where you’ll work with pharmacists to support medication adherence and improve health outcomes for Medicare members. As an intern, you’ll engage patients using motivational interviewing, help identify barriers to adherence, and educate members on chronic disease medications and Medicare Part D coverage. You’ll also assist with clinical tasks like documenting comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs), coordinating with providers, and contributing to operational improvements within the health plan. The role includes opportunities to participate in internal meetings, collaborate with care teams, and prepare presentations on pharmacy-related topics.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
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 undergraduates and gap year students!
The Ladder University Internship Program connects students with early-stage startups for about eight weeks of remote, project-based experiences. You can choose a placement area that aligns with your academic interests, whether in technology, sustainability, public policy, or even forensic science, while contributing directly to company projects. You will work around 10–15 hours a week and receive mentorship from a Ladder Coach, who will offer regular feedback and career guidance throughout the internship. You will get to take ownership of your projects and present your results to company leaders at the end of the internship. Apply now!
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.
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