10 Engineering Internships for High School Students
- Estelle Reardon
- Sep 8
- 7 min read
Topics We Cover:
An engineering internship for high school students offers many benefits, from strengthening college applications to jump-starting a career. Below are some of the best opportunities for high school engineering internships and tips on how to secure one.
Why Do Internships in High School?
Engaging in a high school internship can boost your odds of college admission. According to the consultancy PRISM, 70% of students attending a U.S. News top 50 university have completed at least one internship while in high school.
A high school internship demonstrates an interest in the field and shows that you’ve explored your interests outside the classroom. In college, it also makes it easier to join pre-professional organizations, student engineering groups, technical clubs, and competitions.
High school internships provide valuable real-world experience, giving you firsthand insight into fields and professional environments you enjoy. This helps you make more informed decisions about everything from choosing a major to planning a career path.
How to Find Engineering Internships for High School Students
Online search tools and lists are a great way for high schoolers to discover engineering internships. StandOutSearch is an excellent tool for high schoolers searching for internship opportunities. It’s the largest free database of internship programs for high school-age students. MIT Admissions has also curated a list of high school internships, and it’s another great resource.
The downside of official high school internship programs is that they’re typically extremely competitive. If you’re serious about landing an engineering internship, you’ll also want to formulate a cold outreach strategy—a plan for contacting potential internship providers with the goal of them offering you an internship.
At the end of the article, we cover how to form a cold outreach strategy and include email templates for connecting with professionals, which should help make the process of finding an engineering internship less daunting.
10 Engineering Internships for High School Students
The engineering internships for high school students below are very competitive—most have an acceptance rate of 20% or lower—since there’s more demand for high school internships than available positions.
We recommend applying to at least five opportunities. If you see an opportunity that excites you, take a moment to write the deadline on your calendar!
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various Deadlines
StandOut Connect matches gifted high school students with online internships in their fields of interest. Internship opportunities are available in fields including:
Arts
Engineering
Finance
Law
Math
Medicine
Technology
Science
StandOut Connect is powered by StandOutSearch—the largest free database of high school internships—and has been featured in Forbes. StandOut Connect was developed with support from The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Ages: Juniors
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
This prestigious summer program invites 100 of the world’s most accomplished high school juniors to MIT to participate in scientific theory coursework on campus and an off-campus research internship. Participants gain real-world experience with the entire research cycle—from start to finish—while being mentored by professional scientists and researchers.
Participants in the cost-free program also tour Boston-area science and technology facilities, connect with industry leaders, and engage in seminars on topics such as:
Biology
Chemistry
Engineering
Humanities
Mathematics
Physics
Ages: 16-18
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
This six-week internship program for rising high school seniors offers the chance to gain real-world research experience in biomedical engineering. Participants build skills like scientific writing and effective communication, connect with peers and professionals in the biomedical engineering field, and work under the tutelage of a biomedical engineering graduate student.
Participants will also gain firsthand experience of life as a college student, working on a college campus.
Ages: Rising Seniors
Location: Durham, New Hampshire
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 28
This paid summer internship program for high schoolers places interns in the University of New Hampshire’s computer lab. Interns work with dedicated mentors who guide them through an exciting project, during which they’ll work with the latest technologies in software and hardware.
Interns will develop hard and soft skills, connect with like-minded peers, explore potential career paths in technology, and ultimately prepare for a future in a tech field.
Ages: 16 or older
Location: Varies
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: November 1
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) provides high school students with internships in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories, where they take part in real Naval research for eight weeks during the summer. Participants learn about Naval research and technology while receiving mentoring from top scientists and engineers.
Roughly 300 internships are available through SEAP at more than 38 labs across the country. Interns are selected based on academic achievement, personal statements, recommendations, and career and research interests. Interns can return as participants.
Ages: Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
Location: Batavia, Illinois
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Contact for Deadline
QuarkNet offers summer research opportunities in science and technology for students who have demonstrated a strong interest in and aptitude for science and mathematics. Students work with scientists and both graduate and undergraduate students on real-world projects.
Ages: 14-17
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 18
Participants in this eight-week summer program learn how to conduct academic research, explore different engineering fields, and create a project for the Utah Science & Engineering Fair. Students will also participate in workshops focused on subjects like ethics in research, writing for science, conversations with alumni, and many other interesting topics.
Ages: 16-17
Location: Warrensburg, Missouri
Timeline: All year
Deadline: Contact for Deadline
Students in the MIC program participate in a three-year paid internship with one of the program’s corporate partners—building job skills and working with professional mentors. Internships begin during the summer of a student’s junior year, and they continue with the same business partner year after year.
The program aims to ensure that MIC students enter the workforce with the skills and experience needed to excel in their chosen careers.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Various Locations
Timeline: All year
Deadline: Various Deadlines
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) provides paid internships to high school and college-level students, allowing them to contribute to agency projects under the guidance of a NASA mentor.
Our guide to NASA high school internships provides everything you need to know about these out-of-this-world internships.
Ages: 15-18
Location: Southern California
Timeline: All year
Deadline: Contact for Deadline
While not exactly a high school internship, the Discovery Cube’s Teen Volunteer Program in both Orange County and Los Angeles provides opportunities for high school students interested in STEM fields. Teen Volunteers gain hands-on experience, develop leadership skills, and engage with the museum’s visitors through interactive exhibits and educational programs.
Cold Outreach Strategy for Engineering High School InternshipsÂ
If none of the engineering internship opportunities for high schoolers above are a good fit for you, you’ll want to develop a cold outreach strategy. Many high schoolers find the prospect of cold outreach intimidating, but the guide below makes developing and executing a cold outreach strategy simple and straightforward.
Remember to use caution when reaching out to professionals you don’t know—it's safest to meet and interview virtually.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School InternshipÂ
LinkedIn is a valuable tool for uncovering potential engineering internship providers. Smaller companies are great targets—they’re often shorthanded and more willing to take on a high schooler to help with tasks like social media, coding, content generation, and graphic design.
When reaching out, try to find common connections to professionals you’re contacting—for example, a passion for the same sports team, coming from the same hometown, or a shared hobby.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research PositionÂ
Online university directories are a great place for finding professors who might offer research positions. In-person research positions are more commonly available to high schoolers, as they often assist with manual lab work, like running equipment or washing beakers.
The exception is computational research, which provides remote internship opportunities. In general, you need an introductory knowledge of Python or R to secure these positions. Fortunately, you can learn Python and R on your own, for free, using resources such as Coursera’s Python for Everybody and R Programming courses.
How to Structure and Send Outreach EmailsÂ
Obtaining a high school internship is a numbers game, and the more inquiries you make, the better your odds of landing a coveted position—aim to send at least 50 emails to potential internship providers.
When reaching out to potential leads, include your resume. Keep your resume to a single page and share it as a Google Drive link, rather than a PDF, which can negatively affect email deliverability. Make sure the share setting on the link allows anyone to view it and include any relevant work samples, like the URL of a website you designed or your GitHub profile.
Don’t have a resume? Check out our template and tips—they provide everything you need to create a standout resume in high school.
Email Template for Finding a High School InternshipÂ
If you are unsure how to structure your outreach emails to potential internship providers, here are some basic templates you can customize to your needs.Â
Template for Finding an Internship
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Mr./Ms.____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I read about your company on LinkedIn and found the concept quite interesting. For context, [briefly state how the company relates to your interests or experience].Â
I was wondering if you might be looking for interns. I know I would have a great deal to learn from working with you, and I would love to contribute in any way I can. I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,Â
[Your name]
Template for Finding a Research Position
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Professor/Dr. ____,
I hope you are having a great day! My name is [your name], and I am a rising [grade] at [your school]. I recently read your paper on [restate the abstract] in [name of publication] and was quite intrigued by [part you found interesting]. I was wondering if I might be able to intern for you over this summer. [Elaborate on your relevant skills and experience and why you are passionate about the field].Â
I have included my resume here. Thanks so much!Â
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Conclusion
Grit will get you a long way when pursuing a cold outreach strategy, as there are fewer high school engineering internships than interested students. However, students typically find that their stick-to-itiveness is worth the reward—gaining skills, experience, and insight into their field and getting a head start on their academic and career paths.
If you found this article helpful, save it as a resource for later or share it with a friend who may also benefit from it. Good luck on your internship search journey!