8 Online STEM Internships for High School Students
If you are a high school student interested in STEM and want to gain practical experience, an online internship can be a solid option. These internships combine work, research, and skill-building training to provide valuable insights into different STEM disciplines.
Participating in a STEM internship in high school can improve your college application by showcasing your dedication to your chosen area. Many prominent institutes and organizations provide virtual STEM internships, making them available to students globally.
In this blog, we have compiled a list of 8 online STEM internships for high school students. If you want to know more about STEM opportunities, check out our other blogs on STEM scholarships, courses, and competitions for high school students. Note: Please keep in mind the following information is for 2024-2025, though dates tend to be similar from year to year.
Application Deadline:Â Spring: Aug 23; Summer Final: Feb 28; Fall: May 16
Stipend: Varies
Duration: Varies
Eligibility:Â Must be a full-time high school student with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale and must be a U.S. citizen.
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) offers several internship opportunities in various STEM fields centered around space exploration and scientific research. As an OSTEM intern, you will work on projects under the guidance of mentors. You will be given tasks such as conducting research, analyzing data, and contributing to ongoing projects. Structural Design, Analysis of Special Test Equipment, Data Science, and software development are a few fields in which internships are currently being offered. Look here for available internship positions.
Location:Â Virtual
Cost:Â $2,490
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple 8-week cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Open to high school students who have prior experience with AI/ML or have completed a Veritas AI programÂ
The AI Internship Program by Veritas AI is founded and run by Harvard graduate students. Through the 8-week internship, students have the opportunity to work with VC-backed startups on real-world AI/ML projects. Students work directly with mentors from Harvard, Wharton, Google, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and more. This program is a great opportunity for students who have prior experience with AI/ML and are looking to gain real-world exposure to a career in the field. Students get a chance to network with industry professionals, work closely with company leadership, and receive a letter of completion from the company at the end of the internship. You can learn more about the program here and apply here.
Application Deadline: TBA
Cost: None ($25 application fee required)
Duration: June 18 - Aug 9
Eligibility:Â Must be 15 years or older at the beginning of the program
ASSIP is an 8-week-long program where you will get experience using the latest technology and equipment. Every student selected will be paired with faculty researchers across various fields and will work one-on-one with them. The format of the internship will be decided by your mentor. This program will enhance your communication and creative skills and improve your scientific writing. You will also be introduced to several STEM career choices. The research papers written during the internship may be published in scientific journals or presented at scientific conferences.Â
Application Deadline: March 1 (Applications open on Dec 1)
Stipend: $500Â Â
Duration: July - August (5 weeks)
Eligibility:Â High school students from underrepresented groups; must be U.S. citizens
This program is for students interested in neurological sciences. Students taking part in this program virtually will experience educational presentations, professional development training, mentorship training, and more. You will also learn basic laboratory techniques and experiments. The program includes college prep classes and networking activities.
Application Deadline: Aug 4
Cost: $1950
Duration: 3 months
Eligibility:Â High school students 15 or older by August who are fluent in English
For high school students, StandOut Connect provides a three-month online program. The first section consists of interactive weekend seminars that cover topics such as creating resumes, crafting compelling stories for internships and college applications, and incorporating contemporary tools like AI and Excel into daily tasks. After the first month, students participate in a two-month remote internship sourced from accelerators like Techstars and Y Combinator, as well as the university entrepreneurship department. They get a recommendation letter that could lead to a second offer.
Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions
Stipend: Unpaid internship
Duration: VariesÂ
Eligibility:Â High school students with at least one honors science or honors English class with a GPA of over 3.25
EnergyMag offers internships for students interested in renewable energy and energy storage technologies. These internships allow students to conduct research alongside mentors. Interns will be tasked with conducting detailed research, reaching out to industry experts for insights, and compiling findings into comprehensive analysis reports.Â
Application Deadline: Fill this to get updates about future applications
Stipend: Unpaid
Duration: June - August
Eligibility:Â Must be a high school student who will be at least 14 years old by June 17
Stanford University's SHTEM (Science, Humanities, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program offers high school students an eight-week virtual summer internship focused on multidisciplinary research. Participants complete a research project under the guidance of Stanford mentors, devoting 30-40 hours per week to remote study. Projects are conducted in small groups of 2-5 students and cover a variety of fields, including engineering, linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, and technology. The program culminates with a final presentation on the research project. To know more about the program, read our review of the program.
Application Deadline: March 31
Cost: Unpaid
Duration: June 17 - 28
Eligibility:Â High school students over the age of 14 at the start of the program. Only students in the US may apply.
This is an exciting opportunity for students interested in AI/ML and healthcare. There are introductory and intermediate lectures on AI and its applications in the field of healthcare. You will participate in activities with your mentors, who will be Stanford Student Leads and researchers. You will also get to work on group tasks and social activities. Frequent Visual Career Lunch and Learns will also be conducted with guest speakers from academia, non-profit, government, etc. For interested students, there is also an opportunity for an independent research internship.Â
One other option - 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!
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.
Image Source: Stanford University logo