15 University Psychology Internships for Undergraduates
- Stephen Turban
- 2 hours ago
- 13 min read
As an undergraduate studying psychology or interested in the subject, internships provide you with valuable experience for future opportunities in the field. They give you access to professional skill development, exposure to career paths in the field, and networking opportunities that can both boost your resume and build connections.
What will I do as an undergraduate intern in psychology?
Many internships place you into mentorship relationships with faculty members to pursue summer-long projects. These internships also commonly include additional educational activities to train you in advanced research methodologies, subject-specific knowledge, and guidance on graduate school applications.
In this blog, we’ve identified 15 of the best university psychology internships for undergraduate students to guide your search.
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cost/Stipend: $5,000 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; only 2-6 students selected
Dates: Early June - Mid-August
Application Deadline: January 23
Eligibility: Undergraduate students | Admitted students typically must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents; non-citizens are considered on a case-by-case basis, but may be ineligible based on administrative/legal regulations
The Summer Internship program for undergraduates at Harvard’s Laboratory for Social Cognitive Science allows students to complete research on the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and sociology. You’ll be mentored by one or two Harvard researchers, pursuing a project in cognitive processes, including moral reasoning, social learning, and causal judgments. You’ll additionally be trained in advanced research methods in computational psychology, cognitive science, and philosophy. Professional development opportunities include social gatherings and networking events with Harvard professors, post-docs, and graduate students.
Location: NYU’s School of Global Public Health, New York, NY
Stipend: $5,000 + housing provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 12 students accepted
Dates: June 9 – July 18
Application deadline: February 3
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students and recent college graduates who are U.S. citizens or non-citizen permanent residents
Students interested in quantitatively-oriented psychology research can consider pursuing NYU’s PQUAR university internship program to gain experience across data analysis, healthcare, and psychology. You’ll pursue quantitative research focused on aging healthcare, joining a small cohort of interns on one of the program’s designated projects for the year with support from graduate student mentors. Former psychology-focused projects include a study of mental health in New York City, focused on neighborhood cohesion and implications for NYC’s elderly population. You’ll also attend professional development workshops on graduate school admissions and defining an academic track, faculty lectures, and coursework on advanced statistical methods for biology and epidemiology research. Other program offerings include a year-long journal club following the internship, conference attendance funding, and the potential to rejoin the lab for continued research in the winter.
Location: Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Stipend: $18/hour plus funded housing for undergraduate students without residences in the area
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; ~15 students
Dates: May 26 – July 31
Application deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Undergraduate and master’s students
Psychology undergraduates interested in biomedical science and bioinformatics can spend the summer at Washington University in St. Louis for the BIDS@I2DB Summer Research Internship. You’ll work under an I2DB professor to support their ongoing research, with the option to be matched with faculty studying psychology-focused bioinformatics. To extend your knowledge outside of your immediate project area, you’ll also attend courses in biomedical informatics, statistics, and data analysis. At the end of the program, you’ll design a conference poster, present your research to WUSTL faculty and your fellow interns, and attend a cohort-wide retreat to strengthen your connections with professors across the I2DB program.
4. Rice University - Translating Research in the Psychological Sciences to the Real World Fellowship
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Stipend: $4,800 plus funded housing, travel, and meal stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 8 students
Dates: 8 weeks over the summer
Application Deadline: January 6
Eligibility: Current undergraduates in psychology or related fields planning to pursue graduate-level study
Rice University hosts a small group of students interested in developing and researching solutions to questions in social and individual psychology, spanning from modern technology to political engagement. You’ll work under the guidance of a Rice faculty member sharing your academic interests to develop and execute a research project. Focus areas might include social and educational mobility, AI and personality, and childhood trauma. Outside your research, you’ll network with Rice professors and graduate students and attend educational colloquia on psychological research. You’ll deliver a conference-style presentation on your research at the end of the program and receive travel funding to attend a national psychology conference in the following year.
Location: University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI
Cost/Stipend: $6,000 plus $2,100 for meals and fully-funded housing and travel
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; ~8 students selected
Dates: May 26 - August 1
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Current U.S. citizens or permanent residents | Students must be rising undergraduate juniors and seniors, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and be planning to pursue a career in psychology research | Students with limited access to research opportunities are prioritized (students from low-income households, historically underrepresented groups in academia, affected by a documented disability, first-generation college students)
University of Wisconsin - Madison’s PREP internship hosts prospective psychology PhD students and researchers for a two-month research-focused internship. You’ll be paired with a professor in one of UW’s psychology sub-fields, including Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Perception Psychology, based on matching research interests, and spend most of the internship working on a project designed between you and your mentor. Outside of your own research, you’ll participate in additional training like data science workshops and touring psychology lab facilities to build skills in advanced research protocols such as neuroimaging and behavioral neuroendocrinology. As a program geared towards future PhD students, you’ll also attend presentations on the grad school application process and a university fair with admissions representatives from over 30 graduate programs. At the end of the program, you’ll present your research at the PREP Symposium to other interns and UW-Madison professors, leading into a social networking event.
Location: Boston College, Boston, MA
Stipend: $6,000 stipend | Students not accepted through the NSF REU admissions process will not receive a stipend, but will be supported by BC in applications for external funding
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: June 3 - August 9
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions, usually beginning in late winter or early spring
Eligibility: Rising sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate students, particularly from underrepresented and/or minority groups | Talented students not meeting criteria for REU funding may be accepted
BC’s Cooperation Lab is a research center focused on social and developmental psychology that hosts a small group of students each year for an NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates research internship. You’ll work under a mentor to study cooperation in children, with a focus on culture, evolution, and development. While methodologies used will vary based on your research topic, you’ll learn and apply skills like running studies with child subjects, quantitative and computational data analysis, and merging psychology with anthropology and evolutionary biology. You’ll additionally attend weekly lab-wide meetings, educational workshops, training in quantitative research methods, and panels on preparing for psychology PhD applications.
Location: Center of Science and Industry, Columbus, OH
Cost: Stipend of $4,800 (distributed at $600/week)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective, cohort of 12 students
Dates: May 19 - July 11
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Open to undergraduate students, especially those with limited research experience, from underrepresented backgrounds, or attending one of OSU’s regional campuses or community colleges
OSU’s Summer Program is an opportunity for psychology undergraduates with a shared interest in linguistics, sociology, and education to gain experience in both research and public outreach. With OSU’s Language Sciences Research Lab, you’ll pursue a research project in the connections between language, psychology, and society under 1-on-1 faculty guidance. Topics might include studying child language acquisition, perceptions of regional accents, or mental representations of plural versus singular words. You’ll additionally work at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus on a museum outreach initiative, designing interactive methods to share information on language sciences with the public. You’ll give presentations to COSI visitors, host educational activities for children, and present your final research findings to OSU faculty and COSI researchers. Other programming includes training in research ethics and human subjects research.
Location: University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Cost: $3,000 stipend plus funding for meals, travel to campus, housing, and activity expenses
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; admissions vary by academic department, but 15 students are accepted each year
Dates: June 2 - July 25
Application Deadline: February 10
Eligibility: Current undergraduate sophomores and juniors planning to pursue a PhD in social sciences | Underrepresented groups and minoritized students are encouraged to apply in particular
UMD’s Behavioral and Social Sciences Summer Research Initiative program supports undergraduates in psychology and other social and behavioral science fields to pursue two months of mentored research and prepare for graduate school. You’ll be matched with a psychology professor from the University of Maryland to design and execute a research project tailored to your academic interests. Outside of your work, you’ll be trained in cross-disciplinary social science research methodologies, attend educational lectures, and participate in academic discussions with UMD professors and other interns. You’ll also prepare for your next educational and professional steps through graduate school application workshops, discussions on career paths in research and academia, networking events, and an opportunity to present your work at the end of the program.
Location: Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective, ~10 students
Dates: June 9 – August 15 | Students may be permitted to extend their internship on a case-by-case basis
Application Deadline: February 3
Eligibility: Rising undergraduate seniors and graduate students enrolled in an American college/university, with relevant interests and academic backgrounds in public health and health equity. International students must have valid CPT/OPT authorization.
The Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard’s Chan School provides undergraduates with the opportunity to study psychology from a public-health approach through its Summer Internship Program. Based on your interests, you’ll work on a research project either at Harvard or a Boston-area institute under the guidance of a mentor. Your work will focus on connections between physical and social health, with applications to improve global health policy and healthcare equity. You’ll also attend networking events and professional development workshops with Chan School faculty, public health researchers, and medical professionals.
Location: University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Cost/Stipend: $5,400 stipend plus paid room, board, travel, and travel funds for conference attendance after the program
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 8 students
Dates: 9 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: February 16
Eligibility: Rising sophomore, junior, or senior undergraduates studying behavioral or social science | Underrepresented students and/or students with limited prior access to research opportunities prioritized | Applicants must be attending college in the U.S.
Focused on the psychology of human connections and relationships, the University of Missouri’s internship provides undergraduates with a 9-week research experience. You’ll work with a faculty mentor to design a research project in Psychological Sciences, Human Development & Family Sciences, or Communication with a focus on familial, friend, or romantic relationships. You’ll attend weekly seminars on advanced academic topics or research approaches in developmental and communication psychology, as well as workshops on preparing for a career in academic research. At the end of the program, you’ll share your findings with other interns and professional researchers through a conference-style presentation and receive funding to attend a national conference with your mentor in the following year.
Location: Texas State University School of Family and Consumer Sciences, San Marcos, TX
Stipend: $5,625 plus travel expenses and meals
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 12 students
Dates: October 1 - May 15 | 300 hours total; details determined with mentor
Application Deadline: August 31
Eligibility: Undergraduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 | Applicants should be studying human development, psychology, sociology, or related fields; able to commute to campus throughout the year | Students should be attending local Texas colleges with limited STEM and psychology research opportunities
Texas State University’s undergraduate Human Development & Family Sciences fellowship combines the study of mental health, developmental and social psychology, and sociology through a long-term research and professional development program. Over the course of 25 weeks, you’ll work alongside a TSU professor and graduate student to pursue a research project and be mentored in pursuing a career in academia. You’ll collaboratively build a research focus, with past topic areas including culture and emotional well-being, family dynamics and long-term mental health, and educational performance in school-age students. You’ll additionally attend a series of lab meetings, academic seminars, and networking events to prepare you for graduate-level research and coursework.
Location: University of Minnesota
Stipend: $4,000 plus funding for travel, room, and board
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ~16% acceptance rate; about 60 students across 6 program areas
Dates: May 31 - August 9
Application Deadline: February 16
Eligibility: Undergraduate students at 2- or 4-year institutions interested in pursuing a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. in life sciences | Underrepresented students prioritized | Applicants for the NS and NS-ADD Programs are encouraged to have taken some biology and/or chemistry courses before applying | Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents (or their territorial possessions)
The Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the University of Minnesota hosts students interested in clinical research across disciplines, including a program in neurological disorders and addiction for students with an interest in psychology and the brain. You’ll begin with a cohort-wide “Introduction to Neuroscience” course, developing a background in clinical research and neuropsychology before beginning a research project in addiction sciences or neurological disorders. You’ll work full-time in a lab under faculty mentorship, attend educational seminars throughout the program, including topics like research ethics, data analysis, and academic writing. You’ll also receive guidance on preparing for graduate studies and attend regular networking events. You’ll present your research findings in a final poster symposium. While not a direct path to graduate admission at UM, the program aims to promote diversity in UM’s life sciences graduate programs and provides students with application feedback directly from department faculty.
Location: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, or Remote
Stipend: Unpaid (Virtual) | $5,000 stipend plus funded travel and housing (Residential)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: June 2 - July 20 (Remote) | May 27 - August 1 (Residential)
Application Deadline: February 3
Eligibility: Undergraduate students, not including graduating seniors, planning to attend graduate school | Virtual applicants are often current undergraduate freshmen and sophomores
The LGS SOAR program at Emory University provides a summer research experience for undergraduates across disciplines, including Psychology and Mind, Brain, & Culture. You’ll work for 10 weeks with a mentor from Emory or an Atlanta research institution based on your interests, where you’ll design and execute a project drawing from psychology, cognitive science, and/or brain sciences. You’ll network with Emory faculty and professional researchers, learn about the graduate school application process, and hear graduate students’ experiences with writing PhD dissertations and Master’s theses. You’ll finish the program by writing a research report and presenting your work to the SOAR cohort.
SOAR also hosts a less-competitive online option, where you’ll study advanced topics in your field with a small group of interns under the guidance of Emory graduate students.
Location: Virtual or Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; students not receiving external funding may be eligible for a stipend of $2,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 15 interns
Dates: 8 weeks beginning in June
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Rising undergraduate seniors interested in pursuing careers in mental health
The Undergraduate Summer Internship at Columbia-WHO Center for Global Mental Health exposes students to mental health research on an international scale with a focus on both clinical psychology and equitable mental healthcare. You’ll work in collaboration with 1-3 professors and graduate students across Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Psychiatry, and School of Public Health to pursue a research project. Supported research topics focus on merging psychology and psychiatry with global health policy, epidemiology, and medical anthropology. You’ll receive additional training in data analysis, manuscript writing, and public speaking, as well as discussions on graduate school applications and discerning the right PhD or Master’s program for you.
15. Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Pediatrics Summer Internship – Clinical Behavioral Health Track
Location: Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY; some internships may follow a remote/hybrid work model
Stipend: Offered; housing and other expenses not covered
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 2 – August 8 (10 weeks); 6-week internships within this timeline are also offered in some departments (including Behavioral Health)
Application deadline: January 5
Eligibility: Current or recent undergraduates, and high school juniors/seniors, Weill Cornell, and other medical students
Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Pediatrics Summer Internship supports students interested in diverse medical fields with internships focused on both medical research and practice. As placements are offered across the Department of Pediatrics’ practice areas, students looking for a university psychology internship should specify interest in the Clinical Behavioral Health track. You’ll complete mentored research in topics such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, diagnostic methods, and Exposure and Response Prevention focused on children’s mental health. The program provides training for practicing medicine as well as medical research, as you’ll also get to assist with case management and shadow therapy sessions. Other practice areas with potential for a psychology-focused experience include Brain Development and Advocacy & Health Policy.
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies depending on program type; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 1-1 personalized internships
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Undergraduate students
Ladder’s Internships are flexible online internship programs for undergraduates, where psychology students can use their academic skills to support growing startups and nonprofits. Ladder’s partnerships with health tech companies and mental health nonprofits are a particularly strong fit for psychology students. You’ll be guided through the program by a company coach, with whom you’ll develop a personal project to support the organization’s goals, completing intermediary assignments before presenting your final project to the board.
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.
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 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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