14 Online Science Internships for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 5 hours ago
- 9 min read
If you're a high school student eager to explore science from an accessible and practical lens, an online science internship is worth looking into. You get to work on real projects, learn how scientific research actually happens in a professional setting, and meet industry leaders! It’s a good way to build your resume and get a better idea of what science careers look like. Since it’s online, you don’t have to worry about travel or high fees.
To help you get started, we have put together a list of 14 online science internships for high school students! These programs stand out for a few reasons: they’re well-known, they give you real tasks (not just busy work), and they connect you with scientists and researchers.
If you're looking for more prestigious research programs, internships, and region-specific programs in engineering and STEM, check out this set of blogs.
14 Online Science Internships for High School Students
The Veritas AI Internship is an 8-week online program where you work on real AI and machine learning projects at start-ups. It’s meant for high school students who already have some experience with AI/ML. You’ll join teams working at VC-backed companies and get to apply your skills to actual product development or research.
The program was started by Harvard grads, and you’ll be mentored by professionals from places like Google, Microsoft, McKinsey, and top universities. You’ll meet regularly with mentors, build something useful, and get feedback as you go. By the end, you’ll finish a project and get a letter of completion.
Cost: $2,490
Dates: 8-week cohorts available year-round
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. The regular summer application deadline is April 27
Eligibility: Open to high school students with AI/ML experience or prior completion of a Veritas AI program
Acceptance Rate: Small cohorts for 1-1 mentorship
The Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences (JHIBS) is a competitive summer research program for high school students interested in neuroscience. It’s run by the Department of Neurology and aims to support students from underrepresented backgrounds in science. You’ll work directly with researchers at Johns Hopkins, either in-person or online, depending on the year.
The program includes hands-on lab work, virtual simulations, seminars, and mentoring from scientists. You’ll focus on brain-related topics, like stroke, Alzheimer’s, or neural development. Only 5–6 students are selected, so the mentorship is personal and focused. At the end, you’ll present your research through a poster or talk.
Cost: Free; in-person participants receive hourly wages plus transportation support; virtual interns receive a certificate of participation
Dates: In-person: June – August (8 weeks) and Virtual: July – August (5 weeks)
Application Deadline: December 1- March 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; in-person applicants must attend a Baltimore-area high school
Acceptance Rate: Highly competitive; 5–6 students per cohort
The Stanford AIMI Summer Research Internship is a two-week virtual program for high school students who want to learn how AI is being used in healthcare. It’s run by the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging at Stanford and is highly selective. You’ll attend talks from AI researchers, work on group projects, and get mentored by people working in AI at Stanford.
There are also “Lunch and Learn” sessions where you’ll hear from experts in research, public health, and tech policy. These give you a broader view of how AI fits into the healthcare system. While there’s no academic credit, you’ll get a certificate if you complete the program.
Cost: $850 + $40 application fee
Dates: June 16 – 27
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: High school students (14+), U.S. residents; you must live in California; undergrads with CS background may apply as leads.
Acceptance Rate: 20 interns per session
NASA’s OSTEM Internships let high school students join research teams working on space tech, engineering, and computer science projects across various NASA centers. Past interns have contributed to developing machine learning tools for air traffic management, created virtual reality interfaces for astronaut training, and worked on robotics navigation systems in the Ames Astrobee Lab.
The internships are either full-time or part-time and available in both virtual and in-person formats, depending on the NASA center. You'll attend technical briefings, collaborate with engineers and researchers, and work on real deliverables, sometimes contributing to papers or conference presentations.
Cost: Varies by position
Dates: Varies by position
Application Deadlines: February 28 (Summer cohort) and May 16 (Fall cohort)
Eligibility: High school student with a GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) who is a U.S. citizen
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective with low cohort size
The Spark Summer Mentorship Program (SPARK SMP) gives high school students the chance to work on applied tech projects in areas like machine learning, AI, and data engineering. You can take on one to five projects that match your interests, working remotely or in person (if you're in the Greater Seattle area). Mentors include industry professionals, researchers, and university faculty.
Past student projects have focused on building end-to-end data pipelines, applying AI to detect diseases, using ML for extreme weather predictions, and exploring quantum computing applications. Some teams have worked with real datasets from NASA or NOAA, while others have built predictive models or contributed to open-source tools.
Cost: None (some projects offer stipends)
Dates: May – August (8–12 weeks, depending on the project)
Application Deadline: April 22 (tentative)
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents residing in the U.S.
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective, only 3–5% of applicants selected per year
The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) at George Mason University is an 8-week research program where you can work on real-world STEM projects with university faculty. You’ll get hands-on experience using advanced tools and tech while improving your scientific writing and presentation skills.
You’ll work on research in areas like electrical and computer engineering, cybersecurity, information science, and digital innovation. Past projects have included agent-based modeling, cognitive systems, data science workflows, and simulation design.
Cost: $25 application fee (waivers available for financial need)
Dates: June 18 – August 8
Application Deadline: February 2
Eligibility: Must be 15+ for remote or computer lab roles and 16+ for in-person or hybrid wet-lab roles by program start date.
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
The NASA GeneLab for High Schools program is a 12-week online internship focused on bioinformatics and space biology. You will learn how to analyze large-scale biological data from real space experiments using the GeneLab data system developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The program includes interactive sessions like Molecular Biology and the Omics Revolution and gives you the chance to explore how microgravity impacts living organisms.
You will work on a team research project and get guidance from NASA scientists through guest lectures and virtual lab tours. The experience also includes exposure to machine learning and data analysis techniques used in space biology. The program ends with a research pitch competition. The top three teams are invited to present at a national space biology conference with expenses covered.
Cost: None
Dates: June 2 – August 29
Application Deadline: April 9
Eligibility: Age 16+ by Dec 31, entering 11th or 12th grade, GPA 3.0+, and one completed high school biology course.
Acceptance Rate: Moderate; 30 students per cohort
The StandOut Connect program is a three-month remote internship and career prep experience for high school students. It starts with weekend sessions where you’ll work on your resume, learn how to tell your story for college apps, and get hands-on with tools like Excel and AI. These sessions are meant to prepare you for the internship phase.
In the last two months, you’ll intern remotely with startups connected to major accelerators like Techstars and Y Combinator. You’ll work on projects that matter to the companies and get experience that adds weight to your resume. Interns often receive recommendation letters based on their work.
Cost: $2,950
Dates: June 1 – August 29
Application Deadlines: Early deadline: February 23 and regular deadline: April 27
Eligibility: High school students aged 15+ by June who have Fluency in English. International students must adapt to the U.S. time zone.
Acceptance Rate: Highly selective
The EDIT ML Summer Internship Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is a machine learning research internship for high school students interested in how AI can be used in healthcare. You’ll work on projects that focus on building and testing AI tools that help doctors and researchers improve patient care and hospital systems.
As an intern, you’ll get experience using programming tools like Python and R. You’ll also work with high-performance computing to handle large-scale medical data. Projects might include analyzing huge medical images, building diagnostic models, or using NLP to make sense of clinical notes. The internship ends with a research presentation where you’ll explain your work to researchers and professionals in the field.
Cost: Free
Dates: April 15 – June 15
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: High school students with a background in computer science
Acceptance Rate: Moderately competitive
The Building-U Internship is a remote, skill-building program where high school students help grow an online database of free student resources like scholarships, contests, and internships. You can choose from over 10 different roles based on what you’re into or what you want to explore.
If you're into computer science, design, or tech, two teams might interest you. On the Coding Team, you’ll work on web and database development using languages you're comfortable with. On the Animation Team, you’ll help with content creation and platform branding using visual tools and storytelling. The whole program runs at your pace, and you’ll work with other students while learning how to communicate clearly and contribute to a shared project.t
Cost: Free
Dates: 3-month internship, usually June – August
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: All high school students
Acceptance Rate: Low selectivity
The Colorado School of Mines Computer Science Internship Program gives high school students a chance to work on real-world computer science projects. You can join remotely or in person, depending on what works best for you. Most students commit around 10 hours a week, though you can choose to do as few as 5 or as many as 20.
You’ll build skills in programming, problem-solving, and data analysis while contributing to hands-on tech projects. The program doesn’t require previous experience in computer science, so it’s open to anyone curious about the field.
Cost: $100
Dates: June 1 – August 6
Application Deadline: April 18
Eligibility: High school students interested in computer science
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) Internship gives you the chance to work on real science education projects while building your digital media and communication skills. You’ll help create and share educational content on topics like climate change, biodiversity, energy, and public health.
Depending on your role, you might research science topics, write or edit scripts, design graphics, or work on videos used in classrooms across the country. You’ll also help manage social media or assist with online learning tools that make science more accessible.
Cost: Free (Stipend available, amount unspecified)
Dates: Eight to ten weeks between March and May
Application deadline: February 3 - March 7
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs, as well as high school students (at least 16 years old)
Acceptance Rate: Moderate intake
The MPFI Summer Research Internship offers high school students a chance to explore brain structure, function, and development through hands-on research. You can choose one of three focus areas: neuroscience, scientific programming, or mechanical engineering.
The internship requires a full-time commitment of 40 hours per week and ends with a scientific abstract and a formal presentation of your research. You will work alongside professionals at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and receive financial compensation for your work.
Cost: Free with $13/hour stipend
Dates: June 17 – July 26
Application Deadline: Mid-January
Eligibility: High school students (14+), U.S. residents; student leads must be CA residents; CS undergrads can apply for lead roles.
Acceptance Rate: Selective
The Intern Project (TIP) offers paid summer internships to high school students in Los Angeles County, placing them at organizations in sectors like engineering, technology, business, healthcare, and government. The program is run by the LA Promise Fund and is highly selective, with applicants evaluated based on academic performance, interest statements, and teacher recommendations.
You can apply for roles in software development, data analytics, web design, or machine learning. Depending on your assignment, you might gain experience in Python, JavaScript, SQL, Excel, Tableau, and GitHub while learning to manage deadlines, work in teams, and communicate professionally.
Cost: None; A stipend is provided (amount varies based on the internship)
Dates: June 17 – August 9
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students in LA County, including DACA/Undocumented Youth and Foster Youth in grades 10-1
Acceptance Rate: Competitive
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research in science, 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.
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!
Image Source - Johns Hopkins Logo
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.