15 Paid Internships for High School Students in California
Paid internships can be a strong option if you’re a high school student looking to gain experience while exploring potential career paths. They allow you to build practical skills, learn how organizations operate, and develop a better understanding of different industries. Many of these opportunities also offer stipends, which can help you earn while gaining experience and make it easier to commit your time to the program.
Why should you intern in California?
California is home to universities, research institutions, and companies that offer a wide range of internship opportunities across fields like technology, healthcare, and engineering. Depending on the internship, you might conduct research, contribute to coding projects, assist with lab work, or support organizational operations while developing professional and technical skills. These opportunities are worth considering, whether you are a local or out-of-state student seeking experience in a new environment.
To help you navigate these options, we’ve narrowed down 15 paid internships for high school students in Florida.
If you’re looking for programs in California, check out our blog here.
1. Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy
Location: City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $4,500 will be given to you after you complete the 10-week internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 70 students
Dates: June 1 – August 7
Application Deadline: Online application should be filled in by March 11, and supplementary documents should be uploaded by March 12
Eligibility: High school and undergraduate students who are at least 16 years old by the first day of the program and are US citizens or permanent residents; you should have completed high school courses in chemistry and biology.
The Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy places you in the laboratories of City of Hope Medical Center to expose you to a high level of chemical and biomedical research. You will engage in activities that include conducting experiments, such as synthesizing compounds and analyzing complex data. You will be expected to present your research results on a poster. As a result of participating in the program, you will learn some advanced topics that include medicinal chemistry, drug development, DNA repair, and chemical biology. You will also gain technical lab skills and improve your scientific writing and public speaking.
2. Experiences in Research (EinR)
Location: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $500 per week
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Dates: June 15 – July 24
Application Deadline: February 2 – March 22
Eligibility: 10th- to 12th-grade students enrolled in a school in Northern California, and at least 16 years old
Catered towards high school students who are considering having a career in the STEM field, the Experiences in Research lets you work on a project with a Berkeley lab scientist alongside another participant. You will find projects across data science, coding, experimental research, data collection, and other subject areas. You will have expanded your skills in data science or Python coding, thanks to the free bootcamp offered to you before the program. There will also be weekly professional development sessions that will connect you to industry experts and equip you with the skills to succeed in the field.
3. Samuels Family LA-HIP High School Internship Program
Location: The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: Interns are paid a stipend and a Metro card, and meals at the hospital cafeteria are provided.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Approximately 24 students
Dates: In-lab internships taking place June 16 – August 1
Application Deadline: November 3 – February 1
Eligibility: 11th graders who attend a public high school in Los Angeles County and have the legal documentation to work in California
The Samuels Family LA-HIP High School Internship Program trains you for a career in medical research by immersing you in in-lab research activities under the supervision of scientists at the Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital. During this summer internship, you will primarily work on projects focused on pediatric health and disease. You will become familiar with maintaining lab notebooks, communicating scientifically, and sharing your results at lab meetings. As a participant, you will also benefit from the SAT preparation and college-level biology classes, plus college readiness workshops.
4. SMUD High School Internship Program
Location: Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Sacramento, CA
Cost/Stipend: Stipends are provided.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; see the full list of qualifications here.
Dates: Six weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Not publicly available; interested students must contact the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency at SacramentoWorksFor.Youth@seta.net for more information
Eligibility: 11th and 12th graders who are at least 16 years old and have a minimum GPA of 2.5; you should be attending one of the high schools listed here.
During this six-week summer internship program, you will have the opportunity to work in one of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District departments, like information technology, engineering, vehicle mechanics, accounting, and more. In addition to enhancing your knowledge in the field you work in, you will also learn more about the public utility industry. There are professional workshops and networking events conducted during the internship period. Before the internship, all students must participate in SMUD’s unpaid program orientation, work readiness workshops, video interviews, and the three-day paid internship preparation workshops.
5. Textron Aviation High School Internship Opportunities
Location: Various Textron Aviation locations in the US, including California
Cost/Stipend: Stipends are provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by the department
Dates: June 8 – July 31 and orientation on June 4; spring and fall cohorts available
Application Deadline: Opens in January for the summer internship, in June for the fall internship, and in October for the spring internship
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old
With Textron Aviation offering internships across its departments like aviation maintenance, engineering, human resources, manufacturing, business management, and more, this program is particularly suitable for students who are enthusiastic about the aviation industry. The ultimate goal of this paid internship program is not just to provide you with a work experience that you can add to your resume, but also to ensure that you gain the skills to succeed in the aviation industry. Given that this is a part-time internship, you are only required to work in the morning hours.
6. Meta Summer Academy
Location: Meta Headquarters, Menlo Park, CA
Cost/Stipend: Stipends are provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 200-plus students have participated since 2012
Dates: June 15 – July 24
Application Deadline: December 1 – February 14
Eligibility: 10th graders who are full-time residents of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, or Redwood City and have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0
If you have always been curious about what Meta staff do daily, this program will be highly suitable for you. As an intern in this program, you will explore different career opportunities in the field of technology and gain the skills required to work successfully in the field. Working here during the summer, you will also develop your coding skills. The program will also equip you with leadership, communication, self-reflection, teamwork, networking, and other soft skills. You will be working 30 hours per week during this six-week internship.
7. Pediatrics Internship Program at Stanford
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $3,000 is provided for students who demonstrate financial need
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 35-40 students
Dates: June 8 – July 24
Application Deadline: January 7 – February 23
Eligibility: Rising 11th- and 12th-graders who are at least 16 years old, have an unweighted GPA of 3.0, and live in one of the Northern California counties listed here.
The Stanford PIPS program is aimed at students with no research experience who want to dive into science, medicine, and related fields. The seven-week internship will allow you to work alongside professors, students, and researchers at the university as you contribute to a research project. As a result of working on these projects, you will also develop your understanding of the scientific research process. With the program being offered by Stanford’s Office of Pediatric Education, the department’s goal is to inspire you to consider a research career. The program also prepares students for careers in maternal and child health and pediatrics.
8. UCSF Science and Health Education Partnership’s High School Intern Program
Location: University of California, San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $4,500 will be given to you after you complete the eight-week (35 hours per week) internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 25 positions available
Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: January – February 8
Eligibility: 11th graders who attend an SFUSD school or an SF charter school
This is an eight-week internship that lets you work on a biomedical research project under the mentorship of a UCSF scientist. By working on it, you will master some lab techniques and learn to use scientific literature for research. The program will expose you to research in areas such as infectious diseases, neuroscience, molecular biology, immunology, cancer, and stem cell research. As an intern, you will also participate in group discussions with other participants to share insights and the learning outcomes of their projects.
9. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
Location: Various Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories; there are a couple of labs in California
Cost/Stipend: $4,000 for new participants; $4,500 for returning participants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Only 300 students are selected across more than 38 of the DoN laboratories.
Dates: 8 weeks in the summer; if required, the internships can be extended for up to two additional weeks.
Application Deadline: August 1 – November 1
Eligibility: 10th to 12th graders who are US citizens and at least 16 years old on the first day of the internship
SEAP is particularly intriguing for students considering a career in STEM and curious about research across science and technology. Students selected for this highly selective program will conduct naval research at one of the many Department of the Navy laboratories across the USA. While working here, you will receive training from expert scientists and engineers and expand your understanding of naval research and technology. Some past participants have landed full-time careers within the Department of the Navy (DoN).
10. Bridge Undergraduate Science Jr. Program (BUGS Jr.)
Location: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $800
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 17 – August 2
Application Deadline: April 18
Eligibility: Rising 9th graders through 12th graders who are US citizens, permanent residents, or have a valid immigration status in the US.
This program gives you research experience by immersing you in lab experiments across various science-related fields. During your participation in the program, you will be placed on a lab team led by a USC staff member and consisting of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. It will give you the experience of working in an advanced lab setting. In addition to research, the program’s schedule will include campus tours, journal clubs, career symposia, technical panels, research seminars, and multidisciplinary social mixers. You are required to do a presentation of your research at the program’s final symposium.
11. KP Launch’s High School Program
Location: Kaiser Permanente Medical Center or business offices closest to your home address
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $23 per hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Dates: June 15 – July 31
Application Deadline: November 17 – January 9
Eligibility: High school students between the ages of 16 and 19 as of June 1 who live in a Northern California Kaiser Permanente designated service area and can legally work in the US
Hosted by Kaiser Permanente, the KP Launch High School Program gives high school students in Northern California the opportunity to intern at its medical center or business while receiving a stipend for their work. Your role will primarily consist of working and completing admin and operations-related tasks while being introduced to how the healthcare system works. This is a part-time internship program, and there are openings across human resources, IT, finance, community health, and other departments. You will be invited to participate in the program’s weekly professional development sessions, mentorship meetings, and career exploration activities.
12. SF YouthWorks Summer Internship
Location: Multiple San Francisco public department offices
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $19.18 per hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by the SF City Departments
Dates: June 16 – August 2
Application Deadline: April 10
Eligibility: 11th and 12th graders plus graduating seniors who live and attend a high school or are enrolled in a GED program in San Francisco
The SF YouthWorks Summer Internship is a program that gives you an insight into what it is like to work for the city government by having you work in the Public Utilities Commission, Public Library, SF International Airport, and other departments. As an intern, you will take responsibility for some of the work that is being done within your assigned department. This will help you enhance your communication, organization, and teamwork skills. Other advantages of being an SF Youthworks intern include the workshops. mentorship, career guidance, and the college-planning support you receive.
13. Project Pull Internship
Location: City and County of San Francisco departments
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $23.00/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by department
Dates: June 8 – July 31
Application Deadline: February 13
Eligibility: Rising 11th or 12th graders, or first-year college students, who live or attend school in San Francisco and have a GPA of at least 2.75 in their latest semester
The Project Pull will place you in one of the City and County of San Francisco departments, such as business, architecture, engineering, and others. You will work on public-sector projects that demonstrate why civic pride and community service are crucial. The program ensures that, in addition to acquiring work experience, you also develop your leadership, teamwork, project management, and other workplace skills by assigning you a mentor. The program will schedule you with professional development workshops and networking events where you meet with professionals in the public sector. You will also be introduced to business operations in a government setting.
14. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: Need-based stipends provided to a limited number of students
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Typically 50 students
Dates: June 8 – July 30
Application Deadline: December 19 – February 21
Eligibility: 11th and 12th graders who are at least 16 years old, US citizens or permanent residents, and live and attend a high school in the US
As a SIMR participant, your main responsibility would be to conduct medical research alongside professors, postdoctoral fellows, students, and researchers at Stanford University. The research will be offered across eight medical fields, including immunology, neurobiology, cancer biology, bioengineering, stem cell and regenerative medicine, cardiovascular biology, bioinformatics, and genetics and genomics. By giving you exposure to such fields, the Institutes of Medicine at Stanford University strive to boost your interest in medicine and biology. In addition to being trained in scientific research, you will also receive one-on-one mentorship.
15. The Lawrence Hall of Science Teen Internship
Location: The Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, CA
Cost/Stipend: A stipend of $3500 ($72 will be deducted for every day you miss)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Dates: June 1 – August 7 (workshops are conducted in May)
Application Deadline: December 17 – January 15
Eligibility: Rising 11th and 12th graders who can commit to the entire program, plus the workshop trainings in May and the summer trainings before the program
For students who see themselves becoming science teachers, this program, hosted at the University of California, Lawrence Hall of Science, would be fun. As an intern, your role would be to help the staff with their lesson plans, with the goal of getting more young children excited about learning science. The program will introduce you to different teaching methods and share ways to make them fun. The experience will strengthen your communication, leadership, and classroom management skills. Note that there are mandatory workshop training sessions and summer placement workshops that you must complete before the internship.
Bonus: Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid is available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
This program allows high-achieving high school students to work for startups. These startups will be high-growth companies that raise an average of more than a million dollars. You can choose to work in one of the many disciplines in which the internship is offered, and your options include tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Regardless of which discipline you choose, you will be paired with a manager within the startup so that you can receive the guidance to work on a real-world project for the company and present it to the company. Click here to apply for this eight-week virtual internship.
If you’re looking to build a project/research paper in the field of AI & ML, consider applying to Veritas AI!
With Veritas AI, which was founded by Harvard graduate students, you can work 1-on-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we have had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. Check out a past student’s experience in the program here. You can apply here!
Image source - Ladder Internship