The Definitive Guide to the Facebook High School Internship
- Estelle Reardon
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Meta Summer Academy, also known as Facebook Academy, or the Facebook High School Internship, provides high schoolers with firsthand experience with one of the world’s leading social media companies. Participating in Meta Academy offers ambitious high schoolers the chance to strengthen their resumes, explore career paths in tech, develop skills, and build a network of similarly interested peers and professionals.
About the Facebook High School Internship
The Facebook High School Internship is offered by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The internship lasts six weeks, with interns working 30 hours a week. Shifts typically run from 9 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday. The Facebook High School Internship is a paid opportunity—interns receive a stipend, although the amount of the compensation varies from year to year.
Benefits of Meta Summer Academy
The Facebook Summer High School internship program is more than a decade old. It began in 2012 and since then has provided more than 200 driven high schoolers with internships—imparting skills, providing mentorship, and providing insight into potential careers.
Skill Building
One of the key advantages Meta Academy provides interns is skill building. Interns develop both the hard skills needed to succeed in technology jobs and the soft skills that apply to a broad spectrum of career paths. The most notable hard skill interns learn is how to code.
According to Yasmeen Magaña, a former student at Facebook Academy, “It’s great to see Meta connecting with the local community and providing tools for them to be able to also participate in this industry and the tech industry.”
More than technical abilities, Meta Summer Academy instills skills that will serve students in every aspect of their lives—from social to academic to professional. Past participants report growth in areas like leadership, communication, and teamwork. The program also fosters self confidence, providing a supportive and safe atmosphere where students can ask questions, take risks, and push themselves.
All this adds up to high schoolers who are excited for the future and prepared to make an impact in college, their communities, and careers.
Career Exploration
Gaining real-world experience and an up-close look at tech jobs at a major social media company is a huge feature of the Meta Summer Academy. While STEM is at the forefront of the Facebook High School Internship, participants are also exposed to a wide breadth of non-tech careers. Participants learn that tech companies support a considerable number of non-tech careers in fields like marketing, business, design, human resources, and client services.
Mentorship
Facebook Summer Academy interns only work in a limited fashion with Meta employees, however, there’s ample opportunity to meet and network with them. In fact, the overwhelming majority of participants self-reported that the program increased their ability to build connections that open doors to new opportunities. In addition to Meta employees, the intern group itself is a powerful network, as former Meta Summer Academy participant Enrique Avina states:
“It really does open doors for you and gives you a huge network and community of supporters…I think this cohort element is very underrated because you get to go through college and the rest of your life with a fan club, essentially, where you’re all pretty much supporting each other.”
Facebook High School Internship Application Requirements
Applying for Meta Summer Academy is straightforward. Applicants must submit a completed application, a current transcript, and a letter of recommendation from a school or community representative, like a teacher, school counselor, school official, or community leader.
Facebook Summer Academy Eligibility
The Facebook High School Internship is open to high school sophomores with a minimum 2.0 GPA. To be eligible for the program, students must be full-time residents of one of the following locations:
East Palo Alto
Belle Haven
North Fair Oaks
Redwood City
No prior work experience is required to participate in the program.
10 Exceptional High School Technology-Focused Internships
One downside of Meta Summer Academy is that it’s only open to students from select cities and neighborhoods. If you’re interested in a technology-focused internship, but live outside of Silicon Valley, don’t worry—check out these 10 high school STEM internship opportunities.
Ages: 15-18
Location:
New York City, New York
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Atlanta, Georgia
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: May 25th
This three-week hybrid program exposes students to the cutting-edge field of artificial intelligence (AI). Participants will gain firsthand experience using AI and discover how to use it confidently and effectively. Students will also explore topics like the technology behind AI, the ethical use of AI, and the possibilities and concerns presented by the emerging technology. The program culminates in a group project: pitching an AI-powered tool to mock clients.
The program is mostly conducted virtually, however, there are two required in-person sessions. TECH360: Intro to AI is not only free, but students are awarded a $500 stipend for their participation in the program.
Ages: 14-18
Location: Remote
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: April 11th
Girls Who Code offers two free summer programs to high schoolers, helping them build the computer science skills needed to succeed in tech careers. The Summer Immersion Program is a structured two-week program that exposes students to game design. Pathways is a self-paced six-week program teaching coding languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python.
Participants in both programs benefit from the chance to explore tech careers, build hard skills, and connect with peers and mentors to provide inspiration and support in their pursuit of a job in technology.
Ages: 15-17
Location: New York, New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 21st
ARISE is a 10-week immersive program aimed at helping students build foundational skills and hands-on research experience. The program consists of two distinct sections. The first four weeks focus on skill development, with students learning about lab safety, research techniques, and writing skills. The following six weeks, participants work in an NYU research lab assisting with real-world projects—gaining roughly 120 hours of experience working in a lab. The program concludes with students showcasing their work at a poster symposium.
ARISE is not only a free program, but students receive a $1,000 stipend for their participation. Participants also gain access to further research opportunities and college application support.
The program is open to rising juniors and seniors who are full-time residents of New York City and attend New York City public schools.
Ages: 16-17
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 1st
MITES is a free six-week program on the campus of one of the nation’s top tech schools: MIT. The program challenges participants with rigorous college-level coursework in mathematics and science, along with electives focused on real-world STEM applications like artificial intelligence (AI), engineering design, and architecture. The program is rigorous, with about seven hours of classes each weekday. Participants also report spending an additional six hours on homework during weekdays and four to six hours on weekends.
MITES is open to students from backgrounds underrepresented in science and technology, who identify as:
African American/Black
Hispanic/Latinx
Native American or Alaskan Native
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and who will potentially be the first member of their family to attend college are welcome to apply.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Locations Across the US
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: November 1st
This eight-week program provides high school students with the chance to work in a Department of Navy (DoN) laboratory over the summer—building hands-on research experience, receiving mentoring from professional engineers and scientists, and getting an up-close look at possible STEM careers. More than 300 opportunities are offered annually across 38 laboratories spread out across the country.
The program is open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (provided they’re 16 years of age or older). SEAP is a paid program, with new participants receiving a $4,000 stipend, and returning participants earning a $4,500 stipend.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 15th
The Laboratory Learning Program offers a chance for students to participate in ongoing engineering and science research projects at one of the country’s leading research institutions. Students work under the supervision of Princeton staff and faculty. The length of the program varies depending on where the student is placed, but generally lasts between five and six weeks and occurs during normal business hours. At the conclusion of the program, students are required to submit a two-page research summary of their project.
The Princeton University Laboratory Learning Program is competitive—over the last few years, it has received more than 1,500 applications. Please note that this is a commuter program and is only open to students who live locally near Princeton.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 12th
This paid eight-week program for goal-oriented high schoolers and undergraduates pairs students with mentors in fields including computer science, data science, and public policy. Under the supervision of their mentor, participants sharpen their skills in research methodologies and practices while building skills like teamwork and communication. To conclude the program, students present their findings in a video presented at an end-of-summer symposium.
The program is open to high schoolers who reside and attend school in the Chicago area. Students earn a $5,600 stipend for their participation in the program.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 1st
CS Scholars is a free four-week immersive experience exploring computer science aimed at students who don’t have the resources or opportunity to do so at home—whether due to financial need, lack of internet or computing devices, or some other challenge. Participants engage in college-level classwork and learn the fundamentals of programming and problem solving in Python. Students will put their newfound skills to the test, solving problems using computer science and undertaking a group project that’s presented at the end of the program.
In addition to technology-focused activities, SC Scholars also participate in college-readiness programming covering topics like admissions, financial aid, and well-being.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Redmond, Washington, or Atlanta, Georgia
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 1st
The Microsoft Discovery Program is another great opportunity for high schoolers to intern at a major tech company. Participants in the program engage in hands-on projects, learn core computer science concepts, receive mentorship from Microsoft employees, and build a network of like-minded peers. In the end, participants discover how their passions can transform into a career path.
The program is open to graduating high school seniors who live within 50 miles of Redmond, Washington, or Atlanta, Georgia. Both the Redmond and Atlanta internships have other unique requirements that an applicant must meet.
Ages: 16-18
Location: Stony Brook, New York
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 7th
This summer program brings high-achieving students from across the country to Stony Brook University to participate in a hands-on research project in science, math, or engineering. Students are paired with faculty mentors and, by the conclusion of the program, produce a written abstract and research poster while having gained firsthand experience living and learning at a major university.
The program is open to high school juniors and free, however, participants are responsible for their transportation, dining, and residential (if they choose to room on campus) costs. Students are awarded a stipend at the conclusion of the program.
StandOut Connect
The StandOut Connect Program is a strong option for high school students looking to secure opportunities like the Facebook High School Internship. StandOut Connect participants learn how to find, apply for, and succeed in internships—then put that knowledge into action with a two-month internship at a real company. Students take on leadership roles during their placements, and it’s not uncommon for interns to be invited to continue beyond the program. Apply above!
Students should also check out StandOutSearch, the largest free, searchable database of high school internships, research opportunities, and summer programs. Students can filter by interest area (like STEM), location, and season, making it a powerful tool for finding the right opportunity.
High School Internships Help You Stand Out
Engaging in an attention-grabbing internship like Meta Summer Academy can help high schoolers stand out in competitive fields of applicants when seeking college admission. More so, they can help impart the experience, skills, and self-confidence needed to succeed when setting off on an academic or career path—which are all great reasons to begin your quest to secure an internship today!