10 Astronomy Internships for High School Students
If you’re a high school student interested in astronomy, then this list of competitive astronomy internships is for you! Participating in internships will allow you to explore your interests in the build, build on your knowledge and skills, and learn from industry professionals.
Early exposure to astronomy can give you a competitive edge, making your experience stand out on college applications. You’ll also be able to provide detailed answers to interview and essay questions which will set you apart from your peers.
An internship will showcase your dedication to the subject and prove to admission officers that you can apply theoretical concepts in practical situations. It can also help you network with researchers at the top of their field. You can later use these connections for job opportunities or even letters of recommendation!
Here are 10 great astronomy internships for high school students that you can consider. Although some options listed are not traditional internships, they do offer hands-on experience in the field!
Location: These internships are offered across NASA facilities. Depending on the project, interns will work either remotely or on-site at any of NASA’s 10 field centers across the country.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Interns may receive a stipend based on academic level and session duration.
Application Deadline:
Spring 2025: August 23, 2024
Summer 2025: Early Decision - October 25, 2024 | Final Deadline - February 28, 2025
Fall 2025: May 16, 2025
Dates: These internships are offered in 3 sessions but the exact dates vary depending on the opportunity–
Fall (16-week program, from late August or early September to mid-December)
Spring (16-week program, from mid-January to early May)
Summer (10-week program, from late May or early June to August).
Eligibility: Applicants must:
Be a U.S. citizen.
Have a cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
Be a full-time student (high school through graduate level) or a part-time college-level student enrolled in a minimum of 6 semester hours.
Be a minimum of 16 years of age at the time of application (no exceptions).
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) offers paid internships to high school and college-level students based in its various sites across the country. These internships provide training, mentorship, and career development to students alongside exposure to leading experts in science, engineering, finance, IT, and business. The internships are offered in a range of subjects and disciplines, including space science, engineering, aeronautics, astronomy, technology, space microbiology, robotics, ecology, and even outreach and communications. You will get to design experiments, analyze mission data, and develop innovative technologies.
You can expect to work 1:1 with a researcher or in a small cohort on a current NASA project. You might record and analyze data, track the movement of celestial bodies using cutting-edge telescopes and other astronomical equipment, and assist with mission preparation. You’ll also attend lectures from astronauts and other experts in various fields of astronomy. You’ll also learn a plethora of skills that will prepare you for your undergraduate studies and a future career in astronomy.
You can explore different internship opportunities here by using the ‘Filter’ option to view the options open to high school students. If you’re interested in other NASA programs and how to successfully secure a spot, you can check out this blog post.
Location: Batavia, IL
Cost/Stipend: Free (transportation, housing, and meals not provided); A stipend of $17.20 per hour is provided to the interns.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in January. Applications will open in November 2024 for the 2025 program.
Dates: June 17–August 2, 2024
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors attending an Illinois high school with U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status can apply.
The QuarkNet Summer Program is designed as a research opportunity for students who have a passion for science and technology. The program pairs you with a scientist working on a project in your chosen area of interest. Astronomy and astrophysics are foundational fields for Fermilab, so there are ample research opportunities available in these fields.
You can expect to work in a small team on a current, Fermilab research project. You’ll spend your time gathering data and working on the advanced equipment available at the U.S. government’s particle physics and accelerator center. You’ll also learn skills and work on equipment that is unavailable anywhere else in the country, giving you a unique understanding of astronomy compared to your peers. At the end of the 7-week internship, you will write a research abstract and give an oral presentation on your findings. You’ll leave this internship with a foundation in the confluence of particle, astro, and quantum physics.
Location: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), Cambridge, MA. Virtual mentorship options are also available.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; A stipend is provided courtesy of the City of Cambridge.
Application Deadline: Applications for the 2024 SRMP Cohort are closed but expected to open in May 2024 for the 2025 SRMP Cohort.
Dates: September 2024 – May 2025 (based on last year’s dates)
Eligibility: Cambridge Rindge and Latin School students (grades 9–12) are eligible to apply.
With an acceptance rate of under 5%, the Harvard-Smithsonian Science Research Mentoring Program provides high school students with a rare opportunity to engage in a year-long astrophysics project alongside scientists from Harvard or the Smithsonian Center. Each year, 10–16 students are carefully chosen and organized into 5–8 groups to collaborate intensively on their research projects.
During the program, you will get to participate in monthly workshops and lectures designed to enrich your knowledge and skills. You’ll also attend monthly advisory sessions with the SRMP team to discuss your progress. At the culmination of the program, you’ll have an opportunity to showcase your findings at a symposium through posters and presentations, demonstrating your achievements and contributions to the field of astrophysics. This program will allow you to learn what it is actually like to conduct real, cutting-edge research and work closely with living scientists from diverse backgrounds.
Location: Rochester, NY
Cost/Stipend: No cost; This is a paid opportunity and students also receive academic credit.
Application Deadline: You can contact the CMAP program administrator at natalie.antal@rochester.edu for nomination deadlines.
Dates: Program dates vary by year, but the internship lasts between 4 and 5 weeks.
Eligibility: Applicants must be nominated by their high school teachers from the Rochester City School District and Pittsford Central School District to apply.
The CMAP Research Experience for High School Students (REH) is a one-month, paid summer internship hosted by the University of Rochester. The program is designed to give students the experience of campus life while conducting a research internship in the fields of energy-density physics, planetary science, and Python. You’ll get to observe and participate in experimental demonstrations and work on real-world projects in university labs.
Apart from your daily work on your research project, you can expect to tour the campus and the Laboratory of Laser Energetics. You’ll also receive college application support and learn about different STEM careers. You’ll get the benefit of experience in astronomy and related fields and significant support in the college application process.
Location: Dale Etheridge Planetarium, Las Vegas, NV
Cost/Stipend: None
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: Internship duration and hours are determined on a case-by-case basis. Most interns serve for six months.
Eligibility: High school seniors and college students can apply.
The Ambassadors of Astronomy internship is hosted by the Dale Etheridge Planetarium at the College of Southern Nevada. The goal of this program is to provide a low-risk space for students to build skills in astronomy in real-world situations.
You have to be available for one weekend night every other weekend. Planetarium faculty and professionals will provide you with extensive training in what it takes to make a planetarium function. You might make astronomy presentations to the public, assist with academic lectures, and learn to operate the astronomy equipment. Your duties will consist of learning the ins and outs of the planetarium. You’ll gain a deep understanding of public astronomy education. You’ll also develop close relationships with your mentors due to the length of the internship. Many interns have also received related scholarships for college!
Location: San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Cost: No cost is mentioned for this program on the official website.
Application Deadline: Applications open in mid-January and close on March 1.
Dates: June 24–July 5, 2024 (Session 1) | July 8–July 19, 2024 (Session 2); TBA for 2025
Eligibility: Current high school juniors, seniors, recent high school graduates, community college students, and SDSU undergraduates in their first or second year who are based in the San Diego area can apply.
The San Diego State University Training Astronomy Research Scholars Program (STARS) is hosted by San Diego State University every summer. It lasts four weeks and is designed to enable local high school students to take part in astronomy research. You can expect to gain hands-on experience by programming computers and instruments, participating in the scientific process from start to finish, and observing through powerful telescopes. At the end of the program, you will present your research findings.
You’ll work exclusively with faculty and students from SDSU’s Department of Astronomy. Research projects center around galaxy formation, binary star systems, and supernovae. You’ll work in small cohorts of 3-4 students and take occasional evening trips for observing. You can expect a focus on transferable skills like computer programming, critical thinking, and navigating academic pathways. Activities and research take place between 9 am and 2 pm on weekdays. Only 15 students are admitted to this competitive program.
This program is a great way to build foundational skills necessary for all STEM fields. You’ll also get the benefit of learning the theory and application of computer programming, a competitive skill.
Location: Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Stipend is paid but varies depending on the opportunity.
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the opportunity.
Dates: Typically during the summer but the exact dates vary depending on the opportunity.
Eligibility: High school juniors, seniors, and college students who live in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia at the time of employment can apply.
The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) provides internship opportunities for high school juniors, seniors, and college students to explore a wide range of positions involved in the management of telescopes. At STScI, there are all kinds of jobs available, from astronomers and scientists to engineers, support staff, and educators. This mix of roles creates a friendly and inclusive atmosphere where you can learn, engage, and connect with people from different backgrounds.
You can choose to gain specialization in areas spanning accounting, astronomy, cybersecurity, data management, finance, grants administration, human resources, information technology, library sciences, program management, public outreach, software engineering, and systems engineering. If you work with a research astronomer, you may get to work with observatory instrumentation, science product, and service development, user support for the astronomical community, archive and science data management, outreach, science policy, or community support. You may also get to assist research astronomers in conducting personal astronomical research.
Location: Marina, CA
Cost:
There is a fee of $2,000 for the Summer Internship Program.
Scholarships are available.
The program is free for the residents of Monterey County, CA.
Application Deadline: April 1, but applying as early as possible is strongly encouraged.
Dates: The program lasts 10 weeks, typically from mid-June through the beginning of August. Dates TBA for 2025.
Eligibility: High school and college students interested in astronomy and astrophysics can apply.
The Monterey Institute of Research in Astronomy (MIRA) hosts a summer internship program for high school and college students that allows them to work on current research problems and projects including star formation, gravitational lenses, earth-threatening asteroids, comets, stellar atmospheres of unusual stars, stellar flares, and more.
This program offers a 1:1 ratio of student to mentor, so you’ll learn directly from a professional astronomer daily. You can expect to analyze data, observe celestial bodies at the Oliver Observing Station, design and build research lenses and instruments, and prepare research telescopes for nights of observing. Previous students have assisted with the discovery of T Tauri stars in the Pelican Nebula, observed explosive stars, and discovered new comet trails using NASA infrared images.
This competitive opportunity gives you the chance to work at one of the top-notch professional observatories on the West Coast. You’ll get a solid foundation of astronomy skills and specialized knowledge from your project to carry forward into college and future careers. You’ll also get to perfect your mastery of astronomy equipment. Finally, you’ll be able to share your research results on your resume and college applications, setting you apart from your peers.
Location: Hybrid (primarily virtual, with in-person options at the GMU Fairfax Campus)
Cost/Stipend: The fees have not been mentioned on the website (Interested students can reach out to execed@gmu.edu for the fee structure); No information about a stipend is specified but students may be eligible to receive awards and scholarships.
Application Deadline: Available seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. (For the first 50 students)
Dates: June 15–August 16, 2024; TBA for 2025
Eligibility: Open to all high school students.
The Young Scholars NASA Data Science Analysis and Research Paper Program offers you an engaging and authentic professional, cutting-edge research experience in NASA space data science and statistical analysis. You will engage in a comprehensive program delving into astronomy and space sciences through a combination of research projects and lectures. Working collaboratively on current NASA mission research, you will receive guidance on crafting professional-quality scholarly papers to enhance your research and communication skills.
During this program, you will be participating in a guided astronomy-based research project applying some of the following methods, including but not limited to:
Astronomy data analysis on NASA missions
Observational astronomy and statistical analysis
Quantitative Research
Scientific methods of inference
Observational data collection and management
Statistical science inference
The private space revolution and its impact on astronomy and space policy
You can check the different software and data used for research here. You will also have the benefit of having your research paper posted on the official George Mason University webpage see Schar School Young Scholars Journals page.
Location: Evanston, IL
Cost/Stipend: None
Application Deadline: You can apply at any time to open labs and research projects.
Dates: You and your faculty advisor determine the length of your internship.
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 16 years old at the time of the internship. If you are 18 at the time of the internship, you’ll need to complete a criminal background check.
Northwestern University offers volunteer research opportunities for high school students. The internships are available based on the faculty's needs and cover a wide range of astronomy-related fields and projects. Currently, there are several open internships in observational astronomy and theoretical astrophysics. Acceptance to the program is at the discretion of the faculty member who needs assistance in their lab, so you’ll be required to demonstrate accomplishment and high grades in high school science and math classes, and your passion for astronomy.
You can expect to research topics like gravitational wave sources, supernovae, and stellar tidal disruptions created by supermassive black holes. Depending on your internship, you might use advanced lab equipment to observe and record data about the universe. You’ll typically work 1:1 with your faculty mentor or graduate or postdoctoral students. You will learn about the formation of galaxies, the function of light, and the role of radiation in space. You might assist with crafting research results into presentable papers or compiling data for inter-departmental projects. You can expect strong mentorships and specialized knowledge from this internship.
This internship has the benefit of closely mimicking the daily life of an astronomy professional. You’ll get to see exactly what an astronomer does and your work will have a direct impact on the research project to which you’re assigned.
One other option - the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, you could also 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 4000 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!
Elise is a writer for Lumiere and a graduate of the University of Montana School of Law. She began writing for Lumiere in 2024 to help connect high school students to research opportunities. She is passionate about agency, advocacy, and linguistics. Outside of academics, she enjoys hiking, swimming, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.