15 Summer Healthcare Internships for Undergraduates
- Stephen Turban
- Sep 10, 2025
- 10 min read
Updated: Oct 13, 2025
If you are an undergraduate student looking to gain professional experience in healthcare, a summer internship can be a strong way to spend your break.
Across the country, hospitals, research institutes, and public health organizations offer internship programs designed for undergraduates. These opportunities give you exposure to the medical field without the long-term cost and time commitment of professional training.
Through these internships, you can explore areas like clinical care, research, health policy, or community outreach. Along with technical learning, you also build important skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving that are vital in healthcare careers. Many programs also give you the chance to connect with mentors, shadow professionals, and gain insights into how different parts of the healthcare system work together.
To help you get started, we’ve narrowed down 15 summer healthcare internships for undergraduates! If you're looking for more prestigious internships, check out this set of blogs for programs across different industries and specializations.
15 Summer Healthcare Internships for Undergraduates
Cost: Varies depending on program type
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
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 highly selective virtual program where students work on real-world projects for startups in fields like health tech, biotechnology, AI, and sustainability. You’ll be paired with a company coach who provides structured feedback and professional guidance every week. You’ll gain experience in research and communication, wrap up the program with a final presentation, and walk away with a strong addition to your resume. Placements are aligned with each student’s interests, and financial assistance is available. Alumni have gone on to attend universities such as Stanford, Princeton, and UC Berkeley. Apply now!
Location: Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island
Stipend: $6000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approx 20 students
Dates: June 8 – August 8
Application deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Students returning to an undergraduate degree program following their URP summer research experience; current sophomores and juniors, or their equivalent, are eligible. Applicants should have a strong academic background in science.
The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Undergraduate Research Program is a full-time summer research experience for undergraduate students. You spend ten weeks working in one of the lab’s research groups on a defined project in areas such as molecular biology, neuroscience, genetics, plant biology, or quantitative biology. You have access to advanced facilities, including genomics and microscopy resources, and receive mentorship from experienced faculty. In addition to lab work, you attend weekly workshops in Python programming, bioinformatics, and computational neuroscience. You present your research in multiple formats, including short talks and a full scientific manuscript. Some projects lead to peer-reviewed publications.
Location: Jacksonville, FL; Scottsdale, AZ, and Rochester, MN
Cost/Stipend: None; stipend $6,000
Dates: May 26 - July 31
Application deadline: February 3
Eligibility: Current second- or third-year college undergraduate students at a U.S. college or university who will be a continuing student in the subsequent fall semester, have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) and are seriously considering a biomedical research career as a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D. (as opposed to a full-time practicing physician).
The Mayo Clinic SURF program is a 10-week summer research experience for undergraduate students interested in biomedical science. You work full-time in a Mayo Clinic lab on a project in areas like biomedical engineering, immunology, neuroscience, regenerative sciences, or molecular biology. You receive daily mentorship from faculty and research staff, learn experimental techniques, and contribute to active research questions. You may use advanced instrumentation and gain experience in bioinformatics or computational modeling.
Location: Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; $5000 stipend
Dates: June 2–July 25
Application deadline: January 17
Eligibility: Open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are undergraduate juniors or seniors, rising first-year medical students, graduate students, or post-baccalaureate students enrolled in a college, graduate school, or medical school in the U.S. or Puerto Rico. Applicants must also belong to a group underrepresented in medicine.
The Massachusetts General Hospital Summer Research Trainee Program is an 8-week opportunity where you join a mentored research team in biomedical science, clinical research, health policy, or health services. If you are from a group underrepresented in medicine, you are paired with a faculty mentor who guides your research and helps you build skills in writing, preparing abstracts, and presenting. You also engage with residents, fellows, and other healthcare professionals to gain exposure to academic medical environments. At the end of the summer, you present your research to the MGH community, and some students continue their projects or co-author publications.
Location: NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Stipend: A $5,000 stipend, free housing, and reimbursement for round-trip travel expenses
Dates: June 1 – August 2
Application deadline: Typically closes in February
Eligibility: U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have completed their sophomore or junior year of college and have completed at least one full semester of bench laboratory research
This 9-week program places you in a biomedical research lab at NYU Langone Health, where you conduct hands-on research in fields like neuroscience, epidemiology, stem cell biology, molecular oncology, and more. You work full-time under the guidance of a faculty mentor, learning experimental techniques and data analysis while contributing to active research projects. Beyond lab work, you participate in journal clubs, weekly seminars, and “Conversations with a Scientist/Physician” sessions. You present your research at both NYU Langone and the Leadership Alliance National Symposium (LANS).
Location: Einstein campus, NYC
Stipend: $4,000 plus free housing and travel stipend
Dates: May 30 – July 24
Application deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Undergraduates with a strong background in science who are considering a research career
The Einstein Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is an 8-week summer research experience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where you work full-time on a biomedical research project aligned with your scientific interests. You’re placed in a lab under the mentorship of Einstein faculty, conducting experiments and analyzing data in fields such as molecular biology, neuroscience, immunology, and more. In addition to lab work, the program includes weekly seminars, ethics discussions, and career planning sessions.
Location: NYC
Cost/Stipend: No cost; competitive stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective, approx 20 interns per year
Dates: 10 weeks from June to August
Application deadline: January 10
Eligibility: Undergraduate juniors and seniors interested in pursuing careers as research scientists
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine – Summer Undergraduate Research Program for Underserved Scholars (SURP4US) is a 10-week research fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. You’re matched with a faculty mentor in one of Mount Sinai’s NIH-funded biomedical PhD training areas, such as cancer biology, immunology, neuroscience, or genomics, and spend the summer conducting full-time, supervised laboratory research. You also participate in graduate-level seminars, journal clubs, and networking events with current PhD and MD-PhD students.
Location: Various NIH campuses
Cost/Stipend: No cost; stipend depends on educational level
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 40 students approx
Dates: June 16-August 8
Application deadline: February 19
Eligibility: U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are currently enrolled in high school, college, graduate school, or a health professional school and are 18 years or older on June 1
The NIH Clinical Center Summer Internship Program is an 8-week paid research experience for students interested in clinical and translational science. Hosted at the NIH’s Bethesda campus, this program places you on a research team within the Clinical Center, where you contribute to projects in areas such as bioethics, nursing, radiology, rehabilitation medicine, laboratory medicine, social work, or critical care. You work under the supervision of a principal investigator or research mentor, engaging in clinical or lab-based research aligned with your academic background and career goals.
Location: Baltimore, MD
Cost/Stipend: None; stipend $3,000–$5,500
Dates: May 25 – August 2
Application deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Undergraduate students from all backgrounds
The Johns Hopkins Summer Internship Program (SIP) is a 10-week, full-time research experience for undergraduates seeking intensive exposure to biomedical or public health research. Hosted by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the program places you in a research lab or project site under close mentorship, where you work independently on a defined research question while learning essential lab techniques. Before arrival, interns receive background readings related to their assigned project. Once on-site, you engage in daily research activities and join weekly team meetings to discuss progress and developments in the field.
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; $5000 stipend
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors graduating in the spring who are currently enrolled full-time in a four-year accredited college or university at the time of application, have a minimum 3.3 overall GPA, are interested in research related to child health and wellness, and are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP) is a 10-week, full-time research fellowship designed for undergraduates pursuing careers in pediatric biomedical science. Hosted by CHOP’s Research Institute, the program immerses you in one of three tracks - basic/translational, clinical, or behavioral research, where you conduct an independent research project under the direct mentorship of CHOP faculty. You’ll engage in weekly luncheons with investigators, professional development workshops, and sessions on mentorship, goal setting, and scientific communication. All participants, regardless of research track, have access to clinical shadowing opportunities.
Location: Vanderbilt campus, Nashville, TN
Cost/Stipend: No cost. A stipend of $1,500 is provided
Dates: June–August
Application deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Students who are college undergraduates at an accredited US college or university during the summer of the program year, are US citizens, and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater on a 4.0 scale.
The Vanderbilt Undergraduate Clinical Research Internship Program (UCRIP) is a 10-week summer experience at Vanderbilt University Medical Center that integrates clinical patient care with mentored research. Designed for students pursuing careers in medicine, the program places you in a research project in either basic science or clinical research under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
Your schedule includes weekly hospital rounds with a general medicine physician team, direct observation of residents and attending physicians, and seminars on medical education, healthcare systems, and medical school admissions. Before starting, you complete on-site orientation and training to prepare for your dual role in clinical and research settings.
Location: Varies across NYC institutions, including hospitals, research centers, and biotech firms
Cost/Stipend: No cost; paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Hundreds of citywide placements
Dates: Summer internships (exact dates vary)
Application Deadline: Open year-round
Eligibility: NYC residents or students enrolled in NYC colleges/universities; undergraduates. The LifeSci NYC Internship Program is the City of New York's innovative, paid internship program to develop the City's next generation of life sciences leaders.
The LifeSci NYC Internship Program is a paid opportunity run by the City of New York that matches you with an internship in the life sciences sector. You could be placed in biotechnology, clinical research, data science, healthcare management, or regulatory affairs. Host sites include research labs, hospitals, startups, and public health organizations, with placements available during the summer or academic year. You apply through a central portal, indicate your preferred roles, and if selected, you’re referred to potential employers for interviews.
Location: Cambridge, MA or San Diego, CA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Wage competitive with local internship wages
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive, small cohort
Dates: 10 weeks starting May 27
Application deadline: November 25
Eligibility: You must be at least 18, enrolled in a US college with at least three semesters completed, eligible to work in the US, have a GPA of 3.4 or higher, and plan to pursue a Ph.D. in a biomedical field.
The Novartis Summer of Science Internship Program is a 10-week, paid research experience that places you in the Biomedical Research division at Novartis, where you contribute to a team project in drug discovery or translational science. You work alongside a Novartis scientist to design and execute experiments, analyze data, and present your findings to the broader research community within the company. Internships are offered at Novartis research hubs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and San Diego, California. You may work in areas such as molecular biology, pharmacology, chemical screening, or disease pathway modeling.
Location: SUNY Medical campus
Stipend: $6,200 plus housing
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Open to students majoring in chemistry, biology, and related fields who have completed their junior year and who have a strong interest in pursuing a career in biomedical research
The SUNY Upstate Medical University – Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (SURF) is a 10-week, full-time research experience that places you in a biomedical lab at SUNY Upstate Medical University. You work with faculty to design and carry out a research project, draft a formal proposal, conduct experiments, and prepare a scientific paper summarizing your findings. Specialized tracks include SURF PS for physician-scientist preparation, SURF CR for cancer research, and SURF HS for health sciences. Throughout the summer, you attend faculty-led seminars, participate in journal clubs, and present your work in a formal campus-wide symposium.
Location: Boston, MA
Cost: Free
Dates: Summer Track (May–August)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Undergraduate students with a GPA of at least 3.0
The Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Anesthesia Clinical and Research Internship (PACaRI) is a 12-week summer program that combines clinical observation with collaborative research in pediatric anesthesiology. You spend one day each week shadowing anesthesia technicians in the operating room and the rest of your time contributing to a mentored research project within the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine. Your responsibilities include literature review, data collection and organization, and preparing a formal presentation for PACaRI Grand Rounds.
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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