12 Software Engineering Internships for High School Students
As a high school student with an interest in software engineering, securing an internship can provide invaluable hands-on experience and a competitive edge for college applications and future careers. Software engineering is an evolving field, and getting first-hand experience with coding early on in your life might help ignite a lifelong interest in this field.
Whether you're a coding enthusiast or a beginner, these internships will be hugely beneficial to all. Apart from being a rewarding experience, internships can also boost your college experience, as they demonstrate your initiative to pursue knowledge beyond your school curriculum to admissions officers.
Finding a suitable internship opportunity can be challenging, but if you are interested in software engineering, we have got you covered! In this blog, we have curated 12 software engineering internship opportunities tailored specifically for high school students.
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. You can explore all the options here on their application form. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies, on average, raising over a million dollars. Past founders have included YCombinator alumni, founders raising over 30 million dollars, or founders who previously worked at Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. In the program, interns work closely with their managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present their work to the company. Here is the application form.
Interns are offered one-on-one training in communication, time management, and other valuable skills, and they will also have the opportunity to attend group training sessions with other interns in their cohort. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
Check out our in-depth review of Ladder Internships here!
Cost: $1990 (Financial Aid Available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Program dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates and gap year students!
If you are interested in the application of AI and machine learning in the field of medicine and healthcare, consider this research internship. The program will include lectures on the fundamentals of AI in healthcare, mentoring by Stanford researchers, guest lectures, and group projects involving hands-on work.
During the internship, you will focus on developing innovative AI solutions to advance human health, which would include several aspects of machine learning. The program doesn’t offer any academic credit, but you will receive a certificate of completion.
As a virtual program that is offered by a prestigious institution, this program is a solid choice for those who can’t travel or leave their homes. Although each cohort usually accepts 20 interns so the process can be quite selective.
You can also consider the SHTEM Summer Internship, an 8-week program that offers multiple research-based opportunities, including computer science and information technology.
Location: Virtual
Program dates: June 17, 2025–June 28, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: None
Eligibility: High school students who are over the age of 14
Application deadline: March 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
3. Department of Navy’s Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) is a summer internship program that offers high school students the chance to work at Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories, where they get to participate in real Naval research for eight weeks. Selected interns will learn about naval research and technology while receiving 1-on-1 mentorship from Navy scientists and engineers.
Based on your application and preference, you will be placed in one of the 38 research labs across the country. Last year, at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, students worked on projects such as Raspberry Pi Data Logger for Rocket, Improving Deception Methods on a Decoy Network, and Building a Cluster Computing Environment. Hence, it is good for someone looking for a software engineering internship.
Location: At one of the 38 Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories around the country
Program Dates: The program duration is eight weeks during the summer, and selected students will be notified of the dates by their respective labs
Cost: $4,000 (new participant) | $4,500 (returning participant)
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old, and the program is open only to U.S. Citizens
Application deadline: Applications for the 2025 program open in August 2024.
4. Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP)
In collaboration with universities and the U.S. Army Research Laboratories and Centers, AEOP offers summer internships for high school students across the country. You will gain experience conducting research in one of the U.S. Army’s research laboratories, working alongside the top researchers and engineers.
Moreover, each apprentice receives formal mentorship from a professional scientist or engineer. In addition, there will be multiple opportunities to learn from STEM practitioners of varying experience levels. For instance, one of their programs at the State University of New York (SUNY) (Buffalo) focuses on the basics of simple and well-established neural networks and makes for a great opportunity for software engineering enthusiasts interested in machine learning.
Location: Varies from lab to lab.
Dates: Not specified (expect it to be during the summer months)
Cost: No cost; stipend provided
Application Deadline: Applications for the 2025 program open in December 2024.
Eligibility: High school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. A GPA of 3.0 is recommended due to the high competition.
5. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Internships
The Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP) by NIST is ideal for students who have completed their junior or senior year of high school (by the start of the program) and have a strong interest in scientific research. During this program, you can participate in cutting-edge research at NIST and work closely with NIST staff scientists and engineers on a specific research topic. Students can choose to intern at one of these 6 NIST laboratories:
Communications Technology Lab
Engineering Lab
Information Technology Lab
Material Measurement Lab
NIST Center for Neutron Research
Physical Measurement Lab
If you are interested in software engineering, the Information Technology Laboratory is recommended, where your areas of focus will be networking and communications, computer security, software engineering, and human interaction with computers. Your examples of area research can include computer network modeling, biometrics for computer access and security, cryptography, and digital data retrieval, just to name a few. You can look at the full list here!
Location: NIST Campuses – Boulder, CO | Gaithersburg, MD
Dates: June to August 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: No cost (but students must cover housing and transportation costs); Unpaid.
Eligibility: Applicants must be U.S. citizens, and students should be in their Junior and Senior year of high school, though recent graduates are also considered. Students need to have a minimum GPA of 3.0
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in February.
6. Boston University’s Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) Program - Internship track
In the Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) Program conducted by Boston University, selected students spend six weeks conducting university laboratory research under the tutelage of distinguished faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.
Interns can choose research opportunities in astronomy, biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, medical laboratory research, neuroscience, physics, psychology, and public health. They are required to present the results of their research at the Poster Symposium that concludes the program.
You should apply for internship opportunities in the computer science, electrical, and computer engineering departments for software-related projects. You can check out some of the Poster Symposium presentations related to computer science here and for computer engineering here.
Location: Boston University, Boston, MA
Program dates: July to August 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: $50 Application fee, $5,350 tuition fee, and $470 service fee (Fee might increase for the 2025 program). Financial aid is available.
Eligibility: High School students entering senior year after the summer
Application deadline: February 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
7. Berkeley Lab’s Experiences in Research (EinR) Internship
A paid internship spread over 6 weeks, Berkeley’s Experiences in Research (EinR) offers hands-on learning experiences in STEM fields. In this internship, you will get to explore research projects with subject matter experts and explore topics such as data science, coding, administration, communication, experimental research, data collection, and more.
This internship aims to help you gain the skills and confidence you need to build a solid career in STEM. Additionally, joining this program will also help you develop professional connections with lab mentors at Berkeley for future learning. Thanks to the coding-focused projects and options to explore aspects of data science through this opportunity, this is an ideal internship for someone interested in software engineering.
Check out the internship projects which were available to students for summer 2024!
Location: Berkeley, California
Program dates: June to July 26, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: Free. Students will receive a stipend of $500/week!
Eligibility: Open to rising 10th, 11th, or 12th-grade students who will be at least 16 years old by June 2025. Students should reside in Northern California and be able to commute to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Application deadline: April 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
8. SPARK Summer Internship Program – Software Engineering
The Spark Summer Internship Program (SPARK SIP) is an initiative that provides high school students with internship opportunities in STEM fields. As a participant, the program will connect you with a mentor from a specific field. The 2024 roster included a project in the field of software engineering, wherein students were expected to tackle the technical challenges of indoor and outdoor wayfinding in a real-time navigation platform. You will work in a group setting but will also have individual deliverables.
The work involved could include frontend web development, infrastructure management, native mobile development on Android and iOS, and more. The acceptance rate for the Spark SIP is less than 5%, so the application process is highly competitive. If you’re interested, you can look at our 7 Tips to help you land an internship in SPARK SIP!
Location: Bellevue, WA
Program dates: 8 weeks in the summer, depending on the project
Cost: A stipend is provided (amount not specified)
Application deadline: April 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 9-12 who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Students should also have a basic understanding of one programming language and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.8.
9. Yale ITS High School Internship Program
The Yale ITS High School Internship Program offers high school students the chance to pursue paid opportunities in the field of information technology (IT). Selected students will work in an office environment at Yale University and participate in the day-to-day workings of a technology career.
Interns will further work under the direct guidance of managers, working on real-world projects that actively contribute to the university and organization. In addition, interns will receive access to the university campus and its facilities and resources, professional development workshops, social events, activities, and lots more.
While there is no direct application process, high-achieving students from the New Haven, West Haven, or Orange, CT area can be nominated directly by their high schools.
Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT
Dates: Six weeks during the summer
Cost: Free. It is a paid opportunity, and the stipend will depend on the project.
Eligibility: Open to high school students from New Haven, West Haven, or Orange, Conn.
Application Deadline: No direct application process.
10. GRASP High School internship
UPenn's General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, & Perception Lab (GRASP) is a pioneer in robotics research and provides limited internship opportunities to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in the summer. With research in areas including Computer and Information Science, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, and Electrical and Systems Engineering, students will have a great hands-on experience.
While the research at this facility is mainly based around robotics, as a high school student, you will most likely spend your time assisting research and on the back-end software. Here is the faculty list for the 2024 program, and students were expected to connect with them directly to express their interest in the internship.
Location: GRASP Lab, UPenn, Philadelphia, PA
Program Dates: 6 weeks during the summer
Cost: Free, but students have to take care of their expenses, including housing, food, and travel.
Application Deadline: For 2024, there was no central application portal. Students were asked to connect with GRASP scholars directly and submit all required documents.
Eligibility: Open to rising high school seniors only
11. High School Tech Internship program by Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation Ohio
The High School Tech Internship program of the Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation program provides high school students in Ohio with valuable work experience at one of the many business enterprises in that state.
If selected, you are expected to perform the duties of an entry-level employee in technology roles. Software development, data, cloud and IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, broadband/5G, and advanced mobility are some of the areas in which opportunities are provided.
ESC of Central Ohio is one of 6 intermediaries helping to connect businesses with schools and districts. Internship opportunities are posted directly on the ESC website, and interested students are expected to send a mail directly to the organizing committee. This is one of the job descriptions that you can check out.
Location: Varies depending on the project. But will be in Ohio only
Program Dates: Internships are offered between January and September every year
Cost: Free. Selected students will be paid $12 per hour as a W2 employee
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Open to Ohio high school students, including recent graduates
12. High School Internship Program @ University of Nebraska
The University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Information Science & Technology's Summer High School Internship Program is a highly selective program, offering paid internship opportunities in IT research labs to only 10 students every year. This is a commuter program, and students with the ability to travel daily will be given preference.
If selected, you will be expected to devote at least 20 hours per week to the assigned project in areas such as software engineering cybersecurity, public health informatics, database-driven web development, iOS/Android app development, and more!
After completing the application form, selected students also need to complete an on-campus interview. Some of the internship projects in the previous projects include - Data Collection on social media pertaining to the metaverse, Cyber Warfare in the US, and Machine Learning/Robotics- Foreign Object Detection/ Thermal Imaging.
Location: Omaha College of Information Science & Technology, Omaha, NE
Program Dates: June to July 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost: Free. Paid internship
Application Deadline: March 28, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Eligibility: Open to high school students from 10 public school districts in Omaha who have completed and attained at least a "B" in Algebra I and are at least 16 years old.
Looking for an immersive internship experience?
Check out Ladder Internships!
Ladder Internships is a selective, virtual internship program where students work with startups and nonprofits from around the world! The startups range across a variety of industries. As part of their internship, each student will work on a real-world project that is of genuine need to the startup they are working with, and present their work at the end of their internship. In addition to working closely with their manager from the startup, each intern will also work with a Ladder Coach throughout their internship. Apply now!
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