NASA offers a number of high school internships in fields ranging from engineering and aeronautics to space microbiology and ecology to communications. Landing one of these prestigious positions is an out-of-this-world chance to gain firsthand experience with the USA’s space agency, build a network of professionals in the field, and bolster college admission odds—according to Prism Consulting Group, 70% of students at U.S. News Top 50 Universities have completed at least one internship during high school.
What Qualifications are Required for a NASA High School Internship?
The qualifications required by NASA internships vary from position to position, however, there are some commonalities possessed by most NASA internships. In general, NASA internships are very competitive, looking for students who have demonstrated a high level of academic aptitude, have an interest in STEM, and have sterling recommendations.
The majority of NASA internships for high schoolers occur over the summer, but a handful of the opportunities also include a component during the school year. Application deadlines vary; we recommend getting your information in order well in advance to avoid spacing out when one of these coveted opportunities becomes available.
7 NASA High School Internships
Shoot for the stars and explore these seven NASA internships that can help rocket your academic and professional career to success. Note that NASA also helps fund internships at a regional level through the Space Grant national network in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. These state programs, like those found in Maine and Michigan, offer an excellent opportunity to participate in projects and connect with professionals in the field. They also offer an opportunity to participate in space-related work that is less competitive than the opportunities below.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Various
Timeline: Summer, Spring, and Fall
Deadline: Various
Internships with NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) provide students with the chance to gain experience working with professionals in fields like science and engineering while bolstering their resumes and building career readiness. Internships are paid and offered at NASA centers and facilities across the country. Remote internship opportunities are also available.
2. NASA SEES
Ages: Rising Juniors and Seniors
Location: Texas
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 22, 2025
NASA’s STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) exposes high schoolers to Earth and space research. The SEES program is conducted in two parts, beginning with mentor-led distance learning and followed by an on-site internship where interns work with professional engineers and scientists, learning how to interpret satellite data and support a variety of research fields. At the conclusion of the program, interns have firsthand experience in NASA research and data analysis and have taken one giant leap toward a career in STEM.
Ages: Juniors
Location: Texas
Timeline: Year-long
Deadline: TBD
Texas High School Aerospace Scholars is a year-long STEM program for high school juniors that covers space exploration, Earth science, technology, and aeronautics. During the school year, scholars participate in online learning activities and discussions (some led by NASA engineers and scientists). Select students are then invited to participate in a five-day virtual summer experience, working in a team to complete a Moon to Mars mission and design challenge with the top-performing teams invited to an all-expense paid residential experience at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Ages: Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
Location: New York or Maryland
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 28, 2025
The NASA Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI) provides high schoolers the chance to work on real NASA projects such as monitoring and studying lakes from space in a changing climate, characterizing the urban land surface temperature, and understanding the role of snow and measurements. Students work directly with NASA scientists and research teams, immersing themselves in research, delivering presentations, and creating a scientific poster and publishable research papers.
5. NASA DEVELOP
Ages: 15-19
Location: Various
Timeline: Summer, Spring, and Fall
Deadline: Various
NASA DEVELOP is a competitive internship program in which participants work on research projects in small teams for 10 weeks. Projects are available in nine fields:
Agriculture
Climate
Disasters
Ecological Conservation
Energy
Health and Air Quality
Urban Development
Water Resources
Wildland Fires
Participants work under the guidance of science advisors and mentors to address real problems facing the world while building research, communication, and collaboration skills and developing a passion for innovation and solving environmental issues.
Ages: Rising Juniors and Seniors
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
GL4HS is a competitive, virtual, free program sponsored by NASA’s Ames Research Center that immerses students in the space life sciences. The four-week program puts a particular emphasis on omics-based bioinformatics research—the science of collecting and analyzing complex biological data and computational biology. Over the course of the program, students learn scientific concepts and how to apply that knowledge; build a network of scientists, engineers, industry experts, and professors; and work as a team to develop hypotheses and produce a research proposal based on their work.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virginia
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
The Young Scholars NASA Data Science Analysis and Research Paper Program gives high schoolers the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research in space data science and statistical analysis. Students participate in research projects and lectures while immersing themselves in astronomy and the space sciences, developing their research and communication skills, and learning how to craft professional scholarly papers. The goal of the program is to produce papers suitable for student competitions or, in some cases, suitable for publication in a professional journal.
10 Programs Similar to the NASA High School Internship
NASA high school internships are just one of many prestigious STEM-focused internships available to high schoolers—below are ten more STEM internships worth looking into. We recommend applying to at least five opportunities, given that these programs tend to be very competitive.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various
StandOut Connect is a program that pairs high school students with internships in fields of interest like STEM, finance, medicine, law, and technology. Students are taught how to recruit for and secure internships and have the opportunity to participate in a two-month internship. Many students are asked to continue their internships for as long as they desire and everyone leaves having built real-world work experience, bolstered their resumes, and developed their professional skills.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: November 1, 2025
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) program places high schoolers interested in science and engineering in paid eight-week internships at one of its more than 38 labs across the country. Interns are mentored by professional scientists and engineers while participating in meaningful research and gaining exposure to a variety of STEM careers.
Ages: 16-19
Location: California
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: Various
Sandia National Laboratories provides internship opportunities for high schoolers, allowing them to gain firsthand experience at one of the nation’s preeminent research and development labs—it’s focused on developing science-based technologies that support national security. Interns work under the guidance of a mentor, participate in professional development activities, and build a network of working professionals and peers.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 10, 2025
The Air Force Research Library (AFRL) Scholar Program provides paid internship opportunities to high-achieving high schoolers interested in pursuing STEM degrees and careers. Interns work under the supervision of professional scientists and engineers and contribute to cutting-edge research and technology projects while building valuable hands-on experience.
Ages: 15-17
Location: New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 6, 2025
ARISE is a free 10-week program for academically motivated high schoolers interested in STEM—the program covers fields ranging from biomolecular engineering to robotics to machine learning and AI. ARISE consists of two parts. First, students spend four weeks engaging in remote workshops after school, learning about topics like lab safety, research practices, and data collection and analysis. This is followed by a six-week research experience in one of NYU’s labs contributing to the lab’s research objectives.
Ages: 16-18
Location: New Hampshire
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 12, 2025
The Dartmouth Health High School Foundations Summer Internship is a paid seven-week experience combining work, professional development, mentoring, and experiential learning. The internship follows a rotational model, allowing interns to explore two to three fields over the course of their experience, gain a broader perspective of the field as a whole, and deepen their network of healthcare professionals. Interns also participate in professional development, building valuable skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving, empathy, initiative, and work ethic—all of which will serve them well in healthcare fields and beyond.
Ages: 16-17
Location: Massachusetts
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 1, 2025
MITES is a free six-week residential summer program for high school juniors with a passion for STEM that immerses them in life at MIT. Participants take courses in math, science, and the humanities while living and learning like college students and building valuable professional, academic, social, and practical skills. Other activities for participants include lab tours, social events, and college admissions counseling.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 19, 2025
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is a paid eight-week internship that introduces high schoolers to fisheries and aquatic sciences. Activities depend on the particular internship but may include work such as calculating fish populations, water quality testing, data processing, and assisting with educational programs. The internship culminates with an all-expense paid trip to the Hutton Scholars Summit, where participants will meet interns from across the country, take part in fisheries-related programming, and deliver a short presentation about the project they worked on.
Ages: 14-18
Location: New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Student Program is open to high school students in the New York City area. This paid eight-week program is focused on two distinct areas: research and professional/personal development. Interns are paired with a mentor who supports them with a self-directed research project. Participants also explore life outside of the lab and gain insight into the world of translational medicine and research through events hosted by a variety of hospital departments.
Ages: 16-18
Location: New Jersey
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 14, 2025
The Princeton University Laboratory Learning Program offers high schoolers a free chance to participate in ongoing research projects in the natural sciences and engineering led by Princeton faculty and staff on the campus of one of the nation’s most prestigious universities. Internships vary depending on the project but typically run between five and six weeks. At the end of the program, students must submit a two-page research summary highlighting the research question, methods, data, and conclusion of their study.
Conclusion
Above are just some of the multitude of STEM internships available to high schoolers. While you should certainly shoot for the moon with a NASA high school internship, make sure to diversify your strategy by finding other opportunities to apply to as well. Online search tools and lists are an excellent resource for finding more opportunities. So is the StandOutSearch database. It’s the largest free resource catalog of high school internships and allows users to filter their search by criteria, such as interest area, location, and season.