15 Pharmaceutical Summer Internships for Undergraduates
- Stephen Turban
- 7 hours ago
- 11 min read
If you’re an undergraduate looking to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals, you can consider pursuing an internship to gain professional experience. These internships allow you to contribute to drug development, laboratory research, and data analysis while learning how large-scale pharmaceutical projects take shape. You gain exposure to professional skills and industry practices that help you interact with professionals and build your network. These experiences help you develop your profile and prepare for future academic and professional opportunities.
In this blog, we’ve narrowed down our list of 15 pharmaceutical internships for undergraduates.
If you are looking for medical internships, check out our blog here.
15 Pharmaceutical Summer Internships for Undergraduates
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: Varies by program; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Multiple two-month programs throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: College 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 their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. Interns work closely with their manager at the startup. Apply now!
Location: Multiple locations worldwide
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: 12-week programs; opportunities and timelines vary yearly
Application Deadline: N/A
Eligibility: Current undergraduates with a GPA of 3.0 or above | Quality Assurance & Manufacturing internships require a major in biology, chemistry, or a highly related field
At Abbott Laboratories’ pharmaceutical internships for undergraduates, you’ll be placed on a team based on your skills and experience and tasked with a specific project. Quality assurance internships will focus on reviewing product quality with a focus on meeting pharmaceutical regulatory and quality standards; R&D internships can focus on engineering novel products in areas like neuromodulation. Outside of your work, you’ll attend career development programming events, including networking opportunities with senior leadership at Abbott and pharmaceutical industry professionals from across the world. You’ll complete project assignments throughout the course of the internship, culminating in a final presentation to senior management and division executives at the end of the program. These internships are designed to serve as a gateway to full-time employment or the post-graduate Professional Development Program, so performing well over the summer can solidify your plans after college.
Location: Carlsbad, CA, Boston, MA, Dublin, IE, Remote
Cost/Stipend: Paid ($18-$23/hour); housing and travel assistance are also provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Approximately 2 months over the summer
Application Deadline: April 30 (Application review begins in advance of deadline)
Eligibility: Current undergraduate and graduate students
Ionis Pharmaceuticals offers summer internships for undergraduates interested in applying their skills in STEM to hands-on pharmacology work. Internship placements are targeted towards specific projects, including opportunities to perform biochemistry research advancing the development of novel pharmacological therapeutics. You’ll work closely with a company mentor, attend networking events, and participate in internship social activities with an emphasis on building relationships within Ionis. At the end of the program, you’ll deliver a presentation on your work to company leadership, internship mentors, and fellow students.
Location: Multiple locations; primarily Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: Late May/Early June - August
Application Deadline: Recruitment begins in October; interviews take place November - March | Applying early is strongly advised
Eligibility: Current undergraduate and graduate students
Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Summer Intern Program hosts undergraduate students for a two-month experience with focus areas across the company’s operations. Students with a scientific interest in pharmaceuticals should pursue options in research, medicine development, and pharmaceutical sciences in particular, where you’ll complete hands-on work related to drug development and discovery. You’ll have access to professional development opportunities, including professional development workshops on industry research and careers, networking events, and opportunities to engage with organizational leaders. To finish your internship, you’ll attend an end-of-summer capstone event, where you’ll present on what you learned and accomplished throughout the program to both Vertex employees and other interns.
Location: Multiple locations worldwide
Cost/Stipend: Paid plus housing support for students living outside the internship region
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very Selective
Dates: 10-12 weeks over the summer
Application Deadline: Varies by internship
Eligibility: Current undergraduate or graduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 | Specific internships may have additional requirements
Through Johnson & Johnson’s summer pharmaceutical internship program for undergraduates and graduates, you’ll get to directly contribute to the company’s research and development process. R&D programs include tasks like hands-on chemical experimentation, developing pharmaceutical development test methods, generating research and product reports, developing pharmaceutical prototypes, and collaborating with outside suppliers. You’ll develop your professional skills through networking opportunities with both professionals in your department and across the company, meetings with senior leaders and project directors, and mentorship from current employees on your assigned team.
Location: Multiple locations in the U.S. and worldwide
Cost/Stipend: Paid; includes housing stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: 10-12 weeks over the summer
Application Deadline: Recruitment begins in the preceding summer/fall
Eligibility: Current undergraduate Freshmen - Juniors| Students interested in pharmaceutical research placements should be majoring in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Engineering, or a related discipline
Lilly’s Research & Development pharmaceutical internships for undergraduates provide the opportunity to do hands-on work in pharmaceutical creation. You’ll directly assist Lilly’s Drug Discovery or Drug Development departments through conducting research on tasks related to drug design — tasks include peptide synthesis, developing drug product manufacturing processes, developing bioassays, and biological testing of drug compounds. You’ll access professional development opportunities like lunch and learns and other networking events, group activities and events, and 1-1 mentorship with a member of your research team. The internship is also used to recruit potential new hires, so strong performance can lead to a return offer.
Location: Multiple; Chemistry, Biology & Pharmaceutical Sciences internships are available in CA, IN, MA, MD, and NC
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: 10–12 weeks in May/June - August
Application Deadline: Rolling application review beginning the preceding summer
Eligibility: Current undergraduate freshmen, juniors, and seniors | Pharmaceutical science internships require majors in Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, or Animal Science
AstraZeneca’s Summer Internship Program provides students pursuing careers in pharmaceutical development with a 10-to-12 week hands-on work experience. With prime focus areas in Chemistry, Biology & Pharmaceutical Sciences, you’ll contribute to drug development and discovery alongside AstraZeneca scientists. Assignments might include synthesizing pharmaceutical excipients, using gene editing software to study drug functions, or using bioinformatics research to analyze pharmaceutical safety. Professional development opportunities include workshops on resume writing, 1:1 career guidance, networking events, and community events. At the end of the internship, you’ll present a poster on your research accomplishments to current employees and other interns.
Location: Multiple locations available
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: Varies
Application Deadline: Varies; check internship postings on website
Eligibility: Current undergraduate and graduate students | R&D internships seek out students majoring in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Computer Science, Data Science, or other related disciplines with a GPA of at least 2.7
Dow’s internship program for undergraduate students hosts opportunities across departments, including Research & Development, for students interested in applied pharmaceutical sciences. In this program, you’ll be assigned to one or two specific projects in chemical- and material-related pharmaceutical research that you’ll work on alongside a professional team. You’ll complete tasks including laboratory work, product design, contributing to drug discovery processes, and developing pharmaceutical applications. You’ll have access to professional development opportunities, including networking events, skill training workshops, and panel discussions with former interns currently working full-time at Dow to learn about their career progression.
Location: Multiple locations across the U.S.
Cost/Stipend: $26-$29/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: June - August
Application Deadline: December 15
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students
The Pfizer Futures program offers pharmaceutical summer internships for undergraduates in departments across the company. You’ll be placed at an internship site based on your interest area — students interested in pharmaceutical sciences can pursue a Research & Development focus, where you’ll directly support Pfizer employees with their ongoing research initiatives in drug development and discovery. You’ll be mentored by professional team members on assignments, including regular feedback to continue improving your skills and contributions. As you’ll take on assigned tasks independently, you’ll provide updates on your work at team meetings, contribute to design sessions, and meet with other Pfizer department members and external stakeholders to share progress updates. Other professional development opportunities include structured mentorship and advisor relationships, team-building activities, and networking events with Pfizer leadership.
Location: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Cost/Stipend: Stipend provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: May 19 - July 25
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students
Rutgers’ School of Pharmacy offers pharmaceutical summer internships with specializations including Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmaceutics, Medicinal Chemistry, and Clinical Pharmacy. You’ll work within a Rutgers lab to complete a research project in your preferred specialization within pharmaceutical sciences, directly supporting the goals of a faculty mentor’s lab. You’ll join cohort-wide discussion sessions on research progress, attend research training workshops, and participate in seminars preparing for graduate-level study or industry careers in pharmaceutical research. For additional career planning support, you’ll go on field trips to pharmaceutical companies to gain insight into how your work can be applied to industry practice. You’ll finish the program by presenting an oral presentation on your research to Rutgers faculty researchers and students.
Location: Duke University, Durham, NC
Cost/Stipend: Paid plus on-campus housing and travel assistance
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: May 27 - July 25
Application Deadline: February 10
Eligibility: Current undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, and juniors intending to pursue a PhD
For undergraduates looking for pharmaceutical internships to prepare for graduate-level research in the field, Duke’s SROP program provides a 9-week research opportunity in biomedical sciences with the ability to focus on pharmaceutical work. You’ll spend most of the internship completing research under the guidance of a faculty member sharing your interests, with tasks including laboratory experiments, collecting and analyzing data, troubleshooting research protocols, and presenting at lab meetings. Professors in the Pharmacology department will provide mentorship during your research. To prepare for the next steps after graduation, you’ll attend career-planning workshops, discussions on successful graduate school performance, guidance sessions on writing grad school applications, interview technique practices, and social activities to build connections with Duke faculty and peers. At the end of the program, you’ll develop a conference poster and give an oral presentation on your research at the SROP symposium and campus-wide poster session.
Location: Varies— hosted at mentor’s home institution
Cost/Stipend: $4,600
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: At least 10 weeks over the summer
Application Deadline: February 3
Eligibility: Current undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, and juniors at schools without their own SURF program, majoring in pharmacology, toxicology, pharmaceutical sciences, and/or biological chemistry | Students must independently gain sponsorship from a university researcher (who is a member or affiliate of ASPET) to serve as their mentor
ASPET’s SURF program funds pharmaceutical internships for undergraduate students searching for an otherwise inaccessible hands-on research experience. You’ll need to independently identify and gain the sponsorship of a university mentor in the field of pharmaceutical sciences — this allows for a large degree of freedom in your research experience, but makes the application process more challenging. As a fellow, you’ll complete a research project alongside your mentor; due to the independent fellowship development process, this can include any direction or methodology in pharmacology and pharmaceuticals approved by ASPET. You’ll additionally attend a weekly seminar series hosted by ASPET and present a formal research poster at the end of the Fellowship. Fellows will be considered for funding to attend the ASPET Annual Meeting in the following year; while this is not guaranteed, strong performance can lead to a funded conference experience.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: $5000 plus on-campus housing, meal plan, and transportation to/from campus
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; ~30 students
Dates: June 2 - August 8
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current undergraduate sophomores and juniors (freshmen are eligible to apply but rarely admitted) | First-generation and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged students, students attending colleges/universities without comparable research opportunities, and students intending to pursue a career in research are prioritized
University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine provides undergraduate internships in pharmaceutical and biomedical research to students intending to pursue a PhD or MD-PhD in a related field after graduation. You’ll be matched with a mentor sharing your field of interest — the pharmacology and gene therapy options will be particularly relevant to pharmaceutical-focused students — to complete a 10-week research project advancing their laboratory’s goals. At the end of the program, you’ll present your work at the SUIP Symposium to Penn Medicine faculty and students. Outside of research, you’ll attend research seminars on biomedicine and pharmacology, receive guidance on career development and graduate school applications, and receive funded attendance to The Leadership Alliance National Symposium to build your network in the field.
Location: RDQ internship offered in New Brunswick and Princeton, NJ; other internship locations offered
Cost/Stipend: $23-$34/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very Selective
Dates: 10-12 weeks over the summer
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted from August to March; applying early is strongly encouraged
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (Rising seniors only accepted if attending graduate school the following year) | Applicants must be majoring in data science, statistics, mathematics, or life sciences or health sciences
Bristol Myers Squibb offers a variety of student opportunities each year, including pharmaceutical internships for undergraduates in their Research & Development Quality team. In this role, you’ll support functions in drug and molecular entity discovery and development, pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality management, and plan for clinical trials and product release. Intern tasks might include assisting product development protocols, assessing clinical quality and patient safety, evaluating pharmaceutical compliance with regulatory compliance, and analyzing data for business reports and R&D Quality improvement. As part of the internship, you’ll join networking events and mentor meetings, attend formal research and product symposiums, and deliver presentations on future strategies for the RDQ team.
Location: Purdue University College of Health & Human Sciences, West Lafayette, IN
Cost/Stipend: $15/hour ($4,800 maximum) plus free on-campus housing
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: May 19 - July 11
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Current undergraduate freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents | Students should be studying biology, chemistry, and other fields relevant to toxicology research
Purdue’s PURETox program provides a research internship for undergraduates interested in merging pharmaceutical research and toxicology. You’ll be paired with a faculty member to complete a research project — pharmaceutical-focused topics might include studying how a given drug or chemical produces harmful effects through studying drug action. You’ll expand your knowledge outside your project by joining weekly seminars on research in the toxicology field from professional researchers. You’ll receive professional development guidance through workshops on graduate school applications, presentation skills, research ethics, and careers in toxicology research. At the end of the program, you’ll present your work at a research seminar followed by a networking event with peers, mentors, professional researchers, and former interns. You’ll also be supported to turn your research into a formal abstract to submit to Society of Toxicology conferences and meetings.
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 Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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