15 STEM Internships for High School Students in California
If you are a high school student in California who is interested in STEM, internships are a great way for you to gain professional experience. They provide exposure to skills, allow you to explore potential career paths, and build connections with professionals in your field of interest.
In California, a number of top colleges, research institutions, and tech organisations offer competitive summer internships specifically for high school students. These local internships allow you to save on long-distance travel. Many of these internships include mentorship, lab work, and team-based projects, making them ideal if you want to be an engineer or scientist.
We’ve carefully reviewed dozens of opportunities and narrowed them down to 15 STEM internships for high school students in California.
1. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; a stipend of at least $500 is provided
Application Deadline: February 21
Program Dates: June 8-July 30 (tentative)
Eligibility: Current juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years old at the program’s start
SIMR is an eight-week program that offers high school students an opportunity to engage in medical research at Stanford School of Medicine. During the program, you’ll be placed in one of several research areas, such as immunology, cancer biology, or neuroscience, and work alongside faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students. The experience is designed to help you understand scientific research methods and gain insight into the daily work of a research scientist. In addition to lab activities, you will attend lectures and workshops. The program concludes with a poster session where you will present the research you’ve been involved in.
2. Ladder Internships — STEM Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on program type
Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year
Program Dates: 8-week programs with multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Eligibility: Open to all high school students who can work for 5–15 hours/week for 8–12 weeks. These internships are also open to undergraduates and gap-year students!
Ladder Internships is a remote program where you can gain experience by working with startups or nonprofit organisations in fields like healthcare and medicine. You’ll be matched with an organisation based on your interests and the kind of work you want to explore. During the internship, you’ll contribute to real projects and complete tasks that support the organisation’s goals. A project manager from the organisation will oversee your daily work, and a Ladder coach will provide additional guidance throughout the program. You’ll also take part in weekly sessions that focus on building practical skills such as time management and communication. There are opportunities to connect with other interns, exchange feedback, and learn from each other. At the end of the internship, you’ll put together a summary of your work and reflect on what you’ve learned.
3. City of Hope Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy
Location: City of Hope National Medical Centre, Duarte, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; participants receive a $4,500 stipend
Application Deadline: March 12 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program Dates: June 2 — August 8 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: U.S. Students who are at least 16 years old and have completed courses in chemistry and biology
This 10-week program allows you to conduct biomedical research alongside scientists at City of Hope, a well-known cancer research centre. You will work on projects focused on cancer, diabetes, or other serious diseases, spending full-time hours in a research laboratory. The program also includes seminars and workshops aimed at professional development. At the end of the program, you’ll have the chance to present your research at a symposium.
4. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) Experiences in Research Program
Location: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CA
Cost/Stipend: None, interns are paid $500 a week as a stipend
Application Deadline: March 23 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program Dates: June 16 — July 25 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: Current 10th, 11th and 12th graders from the Northern California area
The Experiences in Research Program at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory offers high school students a paid internship lasting six weeks. During this time, you will work with scientists and engineers on projects across various fields, including computing, energy technologies, biosciences, and physics. The program is intended to give you practical research experience in a professional setting and help you develop skills relevant to STEM careers.
5. Salk Institute High School Scholars Program
Location: Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA
Cost/Stipend: Free; stipend provided
Application Deadline: March 28 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program Dates: June 16 — August 8 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: Students living in San Diego County who are at least 16 years old by the start of the program, have completed one year of high school biology and chemistry, attend a local high school, and have a GPA of 2.75 or higher
The Salk Institute, known for its contributions to biological research, offers a summer program for high school students called the High School Scholars program. Over eight weeks, you will work in a Salk laboratory on active research projects, receiving guidance from a mentor who is a scientist at the institute. This program provides an opportunity to gain experience in a professional research environment. Alongside your lab work, you will participate in seminars, workshops, and visits to biotech sites to broaden your understanding of biological science.
6. Internships at Sandia National Laboratories
Location: Livermore, CA | Albuquerque, NM | other Sandia sites
Cost/Stipend: No cost. Students will receive a stipend based on their earned credit hours, classification, and degree level
Application Deadline: Rolling deadline; internship openings are continuously updated.
Program dates: The summer program typically runs from May to the last Thursday in August. Summer interns work 40 hours per week
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, full-time students in high school or college, age 16+, with a minimum 3.0 GPA for R&D, technical, or business roles
Sandia National Laboratories offers internships for high school students throughout the year, including during the summer. If you participate, your work will depend on your assigned area, which could include cybersecurity, mechanical or electrical engineering, or computer science. Your tasks might involve coding in Python or Java, testing electrical circuits, creating designs using CAD software, or running simulations with tools like MATLAB or COMSOL. Projects can range from working on energy systems and improving cybersecurity to analysing sensor data and developing engineering models. You will be paired with a mentor who will guide you through your project and provide technical support.
7. Project Pull, SF Govt Internship
Location: Various government department offices in San Francisco, with a hybrid option
Cost/Stipend: No cost, stipend of $19.25/hour
Application Deadline: February 17 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program Dates: June 9 — August 1 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: All applicants must be entering junior year, senior year, or college-bound freshman in Fall; must live or attend high school in San Francisco, and have at least a 2.75 GPA from their last finished semester
Project Pull is a paid summer internship program offered by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) for high school and college students from San Francisco. The program includes both in-person and remote work and aims to introduce you to careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), especially within public agencies. During the internship, you will be paired with a mentor and work on projects that help develop skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. The program also provides insight into how public agencies function and offers a chance to explore various career options. While applications are not currently open, the program is competitive, so starting early preparation is advised.
8. UCSF Summer Student Research Program
Location: San Francisco, CA, and Oakland, CA.
Cost/Stipend: None; Summer stipends range from $3000–$4300.
Application Deadline: February 14 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program dates: June 2 — August 1 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors, age 16+ by June 1, with at least one year of completed math and biology.
The UCSF Summer Student Research Program gives high school students the chance to support research in health and biomedical sciences. You will be matched with a faculty mentor and assist with an ongoing project in fields like molecular biology, clinical research, neuroscience, or public health. Throughout the program, you may work in a laboratory setting, learning research techniques such as pipetting, PCR, gel electrophoresis, or collecting data from clinical studies. Your responsibilities will vary based on your project, but could include analysing patient data, observing experiments, or helping to prepare summaries of research findings.
9. Kaiser Permanente LAUNCH Internship
Location: Oakland, CA, and across KP’s Northern California market.
Cost/Stipend: No cost. A stipend is provided
Application Deadline: Usually in the spring (March-April)
Program Dates: Summer internship program, from June to August
Eligibility: High school students are eligible
The Kaiser Permanente LAUNCH Internship is a healthcare research program designed for high school students. During the internship, you will support projects involving data collection, workflow analysis, and identifying ways to improve clinical operations. You will also learn about tools commonly used in healthcare systems and how research helps enhance patient care and clinical practices. The program provides insight into how healthcare organisations use data and analysis to guide decisions and improve their systems.
10. High School Intern Program — Science & Health Education Partnership
Location: UC San Francisco
Cost/Stipend: No cost, stipend is as follows: Part-time = 25 hours/week earns $3200 upon program completion. Full-time 35 hours/week earns $4500 upon program completion.
Application Deadline: March 2 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program Dates: June 9 — August 1 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: Applicants must be current high school juniors, enrolled in an SFUSD high school, SF charter school, or College Track San Francisco, and from backgrounds historically marginalised in the sciences
The UCSF High School Intern Program (HIP) is a paid, eight-week summer internship for high school seniors in San Francisco. During the program, you will work alongside UCSF researchers on biomedical projects in fields like neuroscience, immunology, cancer, or stem cell biology. In addition to gaining lab experience, the program offers activities that help develop communication skills and provide information about career options in science. HIP is designed to support students from underrepresented backgrounds in biomedical research, aiming to increase access to opportunities in this area.
11. Experiences in Research
Location: Berkeley Lab
Cost: None; pays a stipend of $500 per week.
Application Deadline: March 23 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program dates: June 16 — July 25 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: This program is for current 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students enrolled in Northern California with experience in independent work
Experiences in Research (EinR) is a six-week summer internship at Berkeley Lab for high school students interested in STEM fields. During the program, you will assist with projects in areas like data science, science communication, research design, and lab operations. Your tasks may include writing code for data analysis, helping with experiments, contributing to research planning, or creating materials to explain scientific concepts to wider audiences. The internship provides an opportunity to work with professionals and learn how research is carried out in a laboratory environment.
12. California Academy of Science Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program
Location: California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Cost/Stipend: No cost. Students will receive a stipend, but information on the exact amount is not available.
Application Deadline: April 1
Program Dates: After school and on weekends, year-round participation for 2–3 years till graduation
Eligibility: Must be full-time 9th or 10th graders at an SFUSD school (check eligibility), have a GPA of 2.5 or higher with at least a C in science and math, hold a valid work permit, and commit to attendance requirements through high school graduation for 2 or 3 years
Careers in Science (CiS) is a paid, multi-year internship and youth development program for students from underrepresented communities in STEM, including girls and students of colour. If you’re interested in science careers, this program offers an opportunity to work with scientists, researchers, and educators at the California Academy of Sciences. You will be involved in scientific research and science communication, participate in training sessions and outdoor field activities, and receive support with your college applications. Throughout the program, you’ll also contribute to a research or environmental action project.
13. Summer Science Intensive: iCLEM
Location: Emeryville, CA and virtual
Cost/Stipend: No cost, participants are rewarded with a stipend of $3,000
Application Deadline: March 16 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program Dates: June 16 — August 1 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, a high school sophomore or junior with a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and have completed Algebra 1 and Biology. You need to be at least 16 by June 16, live in Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco County, and meet HUD low-income guidelines.
The iCLEM (Introductory College Level Experience in Microbiology) program is a paid, seven-week summer internship for rising juniors and seniors from low-income, underrepresented backgrounds in Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco counties. In this program, you will assist with research at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and receive training in areas such as microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and synthetic biology. The program provides a $3,000 stipend and includes additional support for college preparation, such as workshops on financial aid. It also provides guidance with personal statements and opportunities to learn about STEM careers through guest speakers and site visits.
14. GRIPS Program
Location: Hybrid (Virtual + in person at a research lab in Stanford, CA)
Cost/Stipend: No cost. (Need-based scholarship available).
Application Deadline: February 28 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Program Dates: June 16 — August 7 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: Age 16+ by start date, 3.0+ GPA, basic knowledge of biology, chemistry, or programming, and residence in select Bay Area counties
GRIPS Summer is an eight-week internship at Stanford for Bay Area high school students interested in computational genetics and genomics. You will be placed in a research lab where you will work with a mentor on projects that involve analysing genomic data and applying computational methods to study health and disease. Along with your lab work, you’ll attend weekly meetings featuring researcher presentations, career panels, and workshops on topics like science communication and research methods. You will regularly meet with your mentor to discuss your progress and get feedback. The program also offers experience using tools such as R or Python for data analysis within genomics.
15. Summer Internship, Cardiothoracic Surgical Skills and Education Center, Stanford Medicine
Location: Virtual
Cost: Application fee: $95 | Tuition: $4,500
Application Deadline: January 13
Program Dates: Program 1: June 23 — July 4 | Program 2: July 14 — July 25 (tentative, based on previous year’s schedule)
Eligibility: Applicants must be at least 16 years of age on the first day of the program. The only exception we make for students below 16 years of age is if they are a junior in high school
Stanford University’s Summer Internship in Cardiothoracic Surgery is designed for high school students interested in heart and lung conditions and surgical procedures. You will attend lectures and take part in lab sessions led by faculty, residents, and clinical staff. During the program, you will practice skills like suturing, knot tying, dissection, and simulated surgeries such as coronary bypass and valve repair. The internship offers an introduction to surgical techniques and clinical concepts, and it may be demanding if you don’t have prior experience in medical or lab settings.
One more option- Veritas AI
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 had over 1000 students learn AI & ML with us. You can apply here!