15 Summer Psychology Internships for Undergraduates
- Stephen Turban
- Nov 2
- 9 min read
As an undergraduate, summer internships can be a great way for you to explore the real-world work within your field of interest. If you are pursuing a psychology degree, an internship in the field can help you develop skills in data analysis, research design, interviewing, and observing, as well as build professional networks in academic and clinical environments. Psychology internships can also help you apply classroom knowledge to real situations.
These internships can be an opportunity to learn from experts, explore various career paths in psychology, and boost your profile. You have the opportunity to meet professionals in the industry, helping you build up your network and build your resume for future opportunities. Many of these programs are also entirely virtual opportunities, allowing you to gain practical exposure from anywhere without worrying about travel costs and looking for accommodation.
To help you find the best fit, we have put together a list of 15 summer psychology internships for undergraduates.
If you are looking for more prestigious internship opportunities, check out this set of blogs here.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial assistance available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies; typically, selective enrollment
Dates: Multiple cohorts scheduled in a year; summer cohort starts in June/July
Application deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: College students and young professionals
Ladder Internships offers students opportunities to work with high-growth start-ups in various fields, including psychology, health tech, and mental health. As an intern, you will work under the supervision and guidance of a start-up manager and a Ladder Coach on projects that align with your interests and the organization’s goals. The experience can help you contribute to real projects in a professional setting and access opportunities to build soft and technical skills. While applying, you can choose the Startup Internship and work with an organization’s representative, or opt for the CEO Internship, where you will work directly with a start-up CEO from a FAANG (Facebook, Google, etc.) background. You can also choose the Combination program, which combines the CEO Internship format with a mentored research opportunity.
Location: University of Pennsylvania, PA
Stipend: Paid monthly
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 8 students
Dates: May 31 – August 7
Application deadline: Not specified; applications will open in early November
Eligibility: First–third-year full-time undergraduate students enrolled at accredited institutions who are U.S. citizens/permanent residents
MindCORE, UPenn’s hub for studying human intelligence and behavior, offers paid mentored 10-week summer research experiences to undergraduates interested in cognitive science. During the program, you will work on a research project at the university lab under the guidance of a mentor. You will engage in one week of introductory sessions to learn about interdisciplinary research in cognitive science. You will undergo training in research ethics and technical skills. Additionally, you will participate in lab tours, informal group check-ins, journal club meetings led by a grad student or postdoc, research seminars, and other professional development opportunities. You will work with your mentor to create and showcase a final poster or presentation sharing your summer research experience with lab staff, faculty, and peers.
Location: Social Origins Lab at UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Stipend: $2,400 offered in the past; amount can vary by year
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 2 – July 25
Application deadline: Typically, in spring; dates vary by year
Eligibility: Undergraduates with prior experience working with children
This internship offers you an opportunity to engage in developmental and/or comparative psychology research. You will spend eight weeks collecting data at local museums and camps, learning how to analyze and code data, and helping with ongoing research projects. You will find opportunities to learn from and connect with graduate students, postdoc researchers, and other undergraduates during the program. The program also offers access to weekly professional development events covering topics like graduate school applications, academia versus industry, scientific papers, and ongoing projects in the Berkeley Developmental Labs.
Location: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Stipend: $5,000 – $6,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: May 27 – August 1
Application deadline: Rolling; students should ideally apply in early spring
Eligibility: Undergraduates
RISE at Rutgers Scholars is an opportunity to spend 10 weeks participating in research in STEM disciplines, including behavioral sciences, under the guidance of faculty mentors. You will gain experience in lab-based research, including tasks like data collection, analysis, and scientific writing. You will also present your work at an end-of-program symposium. Along with research mentorship, you will have access to social and recreational activities, wellness workshops, and community engagement opportunities. The program also offers optional GRE preparation assistance.
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Stipend: $2,700
Cohort size: Varies; typically selective enrollment with a small cohort
Dates: June 2 – August 1
Application deadline: February 18
Eligibility: Undergraduates, graduating seniors, and recent graduates with coursework in psychology, linguistics, or cognitive science
The Cognitive Development & Learning Lab Internship offers a chance to contribute to research on cognitive development in children, focusing on how cognitive skills are acquired and refined. As an intern, you will assist the lab staff and researchers with various tasks, including data collection and analysis, reading scientific papers, creating study stimuli, preparing study materials, and recruiting study participants. You will also get to test study participants at schools and/or children’s museums in the Bay Area. You will attend weekly lab meetings and reading groups to discuss research projects. Additionally, you will present your projects at the end of the internship.
Location: Virtual, hybrid, or in-person at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Stipend: Unpaid; parking costs covered by the assigned department
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by department
Dates: TBA; typically, eight weeks in the summer
Application deadline: TBA
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students
The Baylor College of Medicine provides students with internships within various departments, including its psychology/psychiatry department. As an intern, you will spend 20 hours each week assisting the administrative staff in supporting the clinical, research, and education missions of the institution. While this is an admin role, it can offer insights into the operations of the psychology department of a private medical school. Along with assisting the staff, you will work on projects tailored to your interests. You will also hear from speakers from different areas of Baylor College of Medicine.
Location: Pace University Counseling Center, New York, NY
Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; four positions/year
Dates: May 20 – July 24
Application deadline: Not specified, but applications typically stay open throughout January
Eligibility: Rising seniors enrolled in an undergraduate program in psychology or related fields
This Pace University internship is an opportunity to learn about the responsibilities and routine of professional psychologists in university counseling centers. Structured like a training program, the internship offers you access to weekly seminars covering topics like clinical interviewing, therapeutic techniques, and diagnostic categories. As an intern, you will also contribute to ongoing Counseling Center projects, gaining experience in conducting literature reviews, managing statistical databases, and scholarly writing. Additionally, you will work on and present an individual project related to the counseling center data projects. You will also engage in consultation and outreach efforts to serve the Pace University community.
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Stipend: $4,800
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 8 students/year
Dates: June 2 – July 25
Application deadline: January 6
Eligibility: Undergraduates who are U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents
This paid research experience offers students experience in translating psychology research to tackle real problems in the healthcare and mental health fields. You will spend eight weeks working with a mentor on a research project. You can focus on topics like health psychology, discrimination, patient safety, human-automation interaction, language comprehension and production, emotional regulation, etc. You will also attend research presentations by faculty mentors and professional development activities like workshops on writing resumes, giving oral presentations, interviewing for a job, research paper development, and writing an essay for graduate school applications. You will also learn how to create a research poster and practice science communication by delivering a final conference-style oral presentation.
Location: Active Minds, Washington, D.C.
Stipend: $1,250/month
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June – August (summer); fall and spring internships also available
Application deadline: TBA; applications for the summer will open in late February or early March
Eligibility: Undergraduate, graduate students, and recent graduates
Active Minds is a nonprofit that works on promoting mental health among young adults. Its internship program offers students the opportunity to contribute to its mission. As an intern, you will be directly involved with the organization’s initiatives and projects and assist with administrative tasks. This internship offers exposure to and experience in the nonprofit sector, while also enabling you to contribute to improving the culture surrounding mental health. Your specific role and tasks vary depending on the organization’s needs, but you will spend around 20 hours each week working for the organization.
Location: Virtual or in person at UC Berkeley’s Berkeley Early Learning Lab, Berkeley, CA
Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 2 – July 25
Application deadline: February
Eligibility: Undergraduate students who have completed coursework in developmental psychology and cognitive psychology, have experience working with children, and have basic computer skills
The Berkeley Early Learning Lab internship is an opportunity to engage in research on children’s cognitive and language development, exploring areas like language acquisition, social cognition, and probabilistic learning. You will collaborate with a graduate or postdoctoral mentor, assist with studies on campus and at children’s museums, and take on tasks like recruiting participants, running experiments, coding data, and creating study materials. You will also join weekly reading groups, attend lab meetings, and work with tools like R, LookIt, and Datavyu. The program also offers mentorship and seminars on research careers, providing you with insights into child development research.
Location: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Stipend: $1,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 2 – July 12
Application deadline: January 17
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students, preferably enrolled in programs within developmental psychology, cognitive science, moral psychology, or related fields; applicants must be U.S. citizens, green card holders, or student visa holders (F1/J1) and have experience working with children (e.g., babysitting, childcare, or research)
Cornell’s Developmental Moral Psychology Lab’s Internship is a summer internship for undergraduates studying psychology and related subjects to contribute to the lab’s research. As an intern, you will investigate questions regarding morality, psychology, and their connections through research. You will also investigate how people engage with questions of morality throughout their lives. You will gain exposure to the complete research process while participating in literature discussions, study design sessions, participant recruitment, data collection, and analysis. You will also complete an independent project during the internship.
Location: Any university campus or other degree-granting institution in the U.S., where a faculty member has agreed to supervise your research
Stipend: $4,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Nine weeks in the summer; flexible dates decided by you and your mentor
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Undergraduate students studying at accredited undergraduate degree-granting institutions in the U.S. or Canada
The APA SUPER fellowship offers psychology undergraduates the opportunity to engage in mentored research experiences. You will begin by securing a faculty member mentorship, followed by nine weeks of work in their lab on a psychological science research project. You will connect with peers, researchers, and APA staff through a series of virtual summer meetings. APA also offers career development webinars and opportunities to present your research.
Location: University of Texas, Austin, TX
Stipend: $2,500
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 5 – July 5
Application deadline: Typically March; applications open in January
Eligibility: Undergraduates who are majoring in psychology at colleges/universities in Texas and are U.S. citizens/permanent residents
UT Austin’s SURE program allows you to spend two months conducting research in a psychology lab in fields like developmental psychology, cognitive science, and clinical psychology. You will work with faculty and graduate mentors on tasks like observing children (study participants), administering surveys, and programming behavioral tasks. You will also attend weekly seminars covering topics like research methods, research ethics, and graduate school preparation. The program also offers opportunities for peer collaboration and networking. At the end of SURE, you will present your findings to faculty and peers.
Location: Advanced Therapeutic Solutions, Oak Brook, IL
Stipend: Unpaid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not mentioned
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application deadline: January 26
Eligibility: Undergraduate students; preference given to psychology majors with a GPA of 3.5 or higher
This program is an opportunity to explore the operations of a private mental health practice and learn about its efforts to treat anxiety disorders, especially selective mutism. As an intern, you will assist the clinic staff with daily duties, completing phone intakes, submitting abstracts for conference presentations, and marketing. You will also serve as an assistant to a psychologist at the ATSA’s Adventure Camp for children with selective mutism, gaining hands-on clinical experience. The program also offers professional development seminars and activities covering graduate school pathways and finances.
One other option—Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you want to pursue independent research under the guidance of a mentor, consider applying to Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, which are selective programs founded in partnership with Harvard and Oxford researchers. In the past, 4,000+ students applied for just 500 spots in the research program. You can learn about the application and available programs on the application form here.
Also, you can check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation—a non-profit research program for talented low-income students. Last year, it offered 150 students full need-based financial assistance.
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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