12+ Aerospace Engineering Internships for High School Students

If you’re interested in aerospace engineering, you won’t want to miss out on the opportunities listed below! These internships are perfect to enhance your physics, computer science, and engineering skills, while gaining hands-on experience.

Aerospace engineering covers a wide range of disciplines, such as aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, materials science, avionics, and control systems — so getting early practical experience would be super valuable!

From designing cutting-edge aircraft to studying space exploration technologies, these internships enable students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world projects, collaborate with industry professionals, and work in research and development. An internship is an excellent opportunity to gain both academic and practical experience, which can bolster your college applications and demonstrate your commitment to learning.

As you go about trying to find an internship is a good fit for you, keep in mind that they can vary in terms of difficulty and accessibility. To make things easier, we’ve curated this list of 12 internships in the field!

1. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program

Location: AFRL Scholar internship opportunities are offered at several locations across the United States depending on the program.
Eligibility: Applicants:
- Must be a US Citizen.
- Must be enrolled or accepted at an educational institution taking at least a half-time academic course load leading to a degree or certificate for the semester immediately preceding the internship session. 
- Must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Must be at least 16 years of age (by session application deadline) and have a valid Government ID.
- Must be available full-time (40 hours a week) and work in their physical offices over the summer.
Application Deadline: The applications typically close in January.
Dates: The dates vary for different programs.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; weekly stipends are provided based on the education level of the students and the GS pay scale.

The AFRL Scholars Program is a paid internship opportunity for academically motivated high school students who are interested in aerospace engineering. Post-selection, you will receive guidance from full-time AFRL scientists and engineers, tour AFRL laboratories and work on cutting-edge research and technology. Each mentor in the program is highly knowledgeable and you can find a list of mentors here.

The AFRL Scholars Program offers summer internships, with a very limited number of positions also available during the fall and spring semesters. The internship dates and number of weeks are based on scholar availability and funding available from year to year. You can apply to up to 3 topics per AFRL site. These topics may be within any technical area provided on the topic list. 

2. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internship Programs

Location: These internships are offered across NASA facilities. Depending on the project, interns will work either remotely or on-site at any of NASA’s field centers across the country.
Eligibility: Applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Have a cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
- Be a full-time student (high school through graduate level) or a part-time college-level student enrolled in a minimum of 6 semester hours.
- Be a minimum of 16 years of age at the time of application (no exceptions).
Application Deadline: July (Fall session) | November (Spring session) | April (Summer session)
Dates: These internships are offered in 3 sessions. Fall (16-week program, from late August or early September to mid-December) | Spring (16-week program, from mid-January to early May) | Summer (10-week program, from late May or early June to August).
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Interns may receive a stipend based on academic level and session duration.

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) offers paid internships to high school and college-level students based in its various sites across the country. 

These internships provide training, mentorship, and career development to over 2000+ students annually alongside exposure to leading experts in science, engineering, finance, IT, and business. The internships are offered in a range of subjects and disciplines, including space science, engineering, aeronautics, technology, space microbiology, ecology, and even outreach and communications. You will get to design experiments, analyze mission data, and develop innovative technologies. 

You can explore the varied internship opportunities here by using the ‘Filter’ option to view the options open to high school students.

3. MIT Lincoln Laboratory High School Internship Program

Location: Lexington, MA
Eligibility: Applicants must:
- Have U.S. citizenship.
- Be local high school rising seniors.
- Be sixteen (16) years of age before the start date.
Application Deadline: March 22, 2024
Dates: July 10, 2024 - August 15, 2024
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Stipend is provided.

The Summer High School Internship Program at MIT Lincoln Laboratory provides a great opportunity for rising seniors who live and attend high school in the New England area to experience and explore STEM careers before committing to an area of study in college.  

During the summer, you will be paired with laboratory staff mentors to complete projects, solve problems, and learn and apply technical and interpersonal skills in a hands-on, professional environment. If you’re interested in aerospace engineering, you can choose to work on projects related to developing radar, electronic warfare, and technologies for future integrated air and missile defense systems. You can also work on projects that improve air transportation by developing sensors, weather tracking, and forecasting systems, and decision support automation, or you could opt to work on developing technology for advanced satellite systems that are used to monitor the activity of objects in space and to perform remote sensing of Earth.

4. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) at the Department of Navy (DoN)

Location: There are several lab locations to choose from across the country.
Eligibility: Applicants must be:
- High school students who have completed at least Grade 9
- Currently enrolled in high school (but maybe taking college-level classes for college credit)
- Graduating seniors are eligible to apply
- Must be 16 years of age or older by the internship start date to participate
- Solely U.S. Citizens
(Students are recommended to check whether their preferred lab choice has any other particular requirements or exceptions).
Application Deadline: Summer internship applications open on August 1st and close on November 1st every year. 
Dates: The internship lasts eight weeks during the summer (with the possibility of extending up to two additional weeks).
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Stipend is provided (New participant: $4,000 | Returning participant: $4,500).

The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) places high school students in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories where they take part in real Naval research for eight weeks during the summer.

SEAP is prestigious and competitive, with around 300 placements in more than 38 laboratories around the country. Interns will be selected based on academic achievement, personal statements, recommendations, and career and research interests. Your lab choice is based on your subject of interest. You can select a maximum of three labs.

If you’re interested in aerospace engineering, you can choose to work at a lab where the research opportunities align with your interest. For instance, the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at Patuxent River, MD offers a chance to work on research, development, test, evaluation, and sustainment for all Navy and Marine Corps aircraft and systems. You’ll also get to operate test ranges, test facilities, laboratories, and aircraft in support of military operations worldwide.

5. Lockheed Martin Space High School Internship Program

Location: Multiple in-person locations available. Virtual options are available as well.
Eligibility: Applicants must:
- Be 16 years of age.
- Live within a commutable distance of a participating Lockheed Martin Facility.
- Be currently enrolled in high school.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in January.
Dates: 9-10 weeks from June to August.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; An hourly wage is paid to the interns (the exact amount is not specified).

The Lockheed Martin Space High School Internship program is designed to allow students to work with aerospace scientists and engineers. Interns will get to work on actual Lockheed Martin Space projects while receiving an hourly wage. 

These projects will allow you to work on solving and deploying processes, procedures, and systems that support Lockheed Martin’s mission statement in seven different states across the nation. Additionally, you’ll get to work in different technical and non-technical career fields at Lockheed Martin Space to fortify or develop an interest in the aerospace industry. You’ll also participate in summer programming activities such as networking, career development, and executive engagements.

6. The SEES High School Summer Intern Program

Location: Austin, TX (Virtual options are available).
Eligibility: Applicants must:
- Be current high school Sophomores or Juniors ONLY (will be rising Juniors and Seniors) who have not worked as a SEES intern previously.
- Must be 16 years old by July 1, 2024.
- Must be US citizens.
Application Deadline: February 24, 2024
Dates: July 27 - August 4, 2024 (10th graders) | July 7 - July 20, 2024 (11th graders)
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Unpaid (Upon completion of the internship, both virtual and on-site interns will receive a NASA certificate of completion).

During the STEM Enhancement in Earth Sciences (SEES) High School Summer Intern Program, each selected intern will receive links to virtual SEES distance learning activities on or around May 1. The required activities must be completed by July 1 or students will not be eligible to participate in the internship. Both on-site and virtual interns will work with NASA subject matter experts in July.

The 11th-grade residential internship is 2 weeks long at the University of Texas Center for Space Research and the 10th-grade residential internship is 1 week long. The 11th-grade interns can choose from different project themes like Astronaut Photography, aerospace engineering, Mars Rover resource utilization, and more.

Over a week, the 10th-grade interns will collaborate with ZERO-G flight mentors to engineer and develop a compact, one-of-a-kind research payload to be tested in microgravity on board the ZERO-G parabolic aircraft. Each virtual project has a different timeline and theme. All 11th-grade interns will participate in a virtual SEES Science Symposium July 22-24, 2024 where teams will present their research to NASA, scientists, family members, and guests.

7. Textron Aviation High School Internships

Location: Varies depending on the internship opportunity. Check the website for recent postings.
Eligibility: High school students between the ages of 16-19 who are U.S. citizens.
Application Deadline: Internships are available year-round with applications accessible at various points throughout the year. Applications open in January (Summer) | July (Fall) | October (Spring).
Dates: Internships are available during the Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and a six-week duration in the Summer.
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Paid (amount not specified).

Textron Aviation is an aviation company catering to the aviation needs of government, military, and commercial clientele. While the company's core expertise lies in engineering and manufacturing, it offers a diverse set of internships for high school students. 

Apart from engineering and manufacturing internships, other openings include internships in fields like finance, sales, marketing, IT, flight operations, communications, military, and human resources. The aim behind these internships is to offer young individuals a chance to explore potential careers within the aviation sector, exposing them to substantial, business-oriented tasks that bridge their foundational knowledge with their future career aspirations. 

8. Spirit AeroSystems High School Internship Program

Location: Wichita, KS
Eligibility: Junior or Senior students who are 16 years old before their start date and are U.S. citizens.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in April.
Dates: 5-6 weeks in June-July (2024 dates TBA)
Cost/Stipend: No cost; $14 per hour

Spirit AeroSystems offers high school students the opportunity to learn about modern aerospace manufacturing. High School internships offer students the chance to learn about Spirit’s wide-ranging capabilities and innovative engineering, finance, manufacturing, and supply chain processes.

This is a paid program where you’ll receive practical and applicable insight into sheet metal and composites manufacturing, machining, tools and processes, or engineering, finance, and supply chain careers. Upon completion of the program, qualified high-performing students may be invited to participate in the program again or start a full-time position with Spirit upon graduating high school. If selected for the Fabrication Learning track, students are required to be 18 before the start date.

9. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) Internship Program

Location: Princeton, NJ
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors who are at least 16 years old and are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in early March every year.
Dates: 8-10 weeks (Monday-Friday, 40 hours/week) in the summer, with the exact dates and duration depending on the student’s school schedule
Stipend: Paid (the exact amount is not specified)

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) offers internship opportunities to high school seniors to undertake during the summer after graduation. This prestigious internship allows select students to work on projects in plasma physics and fusion energy with experienced researchers and engineers in the lab. If you’re interested in aerospace engineering, then this internship will help you understand the application of plasma physics and fusion energy in aircraft and spacecraft manufacturing.

Applicants should have prior experience in a computational or experimental project in plasma physics, academic coursework in engineering, physics, advanced math, and chemistry, and some experience in computer and coding languages and computer-aided design (CAD).

Note: The High School Summer Internship is a commuter program but remote projects are available.

10. Texas High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS)

Location: Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX and Online Experience
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school juniors who are U.S. citizens residing in Texas.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in October. (Applications for the 2024 session are closed and will re-open in August 2024 for the 2025 session).
Dates: This is a year-long program. November-February (Online course) | Late July: 4-Day Onsite Residential Experience. For other important dates, check here. 
Cost/Stipend: No cost; Unpaid. (Upon successful completion of the online portion of the course, students will be awarded a 0.5 Science elective credit).

Texas High School Aerospace Scholars is a solid STEM learning experience for Texas high school juniors to engage with NASA’s missions. HAS is a year-long commitment for Texas high school juniors which starts in the fall with a four-month online learning experience related to space exploration, Earth science, technology, and aeronautics. Highest achieving students receive an invitation to a five-day gamified virtual summer experience (Moonshot) mentored by NASA scientists and engineers.

Online activities during the school year include interactive lessons on NASA activities related to space exploration, Earth science, technology, mathematics, and aeronautics. You’ll get to participate in design challenges including 3D drawings, science and math quizzes, discussion posts, and technology writings. You’ll also get to chat virtually with NASA engineers and scientists. If selected for the five-day gamified summer experience, you’ll get to participate in team projects and briefings directed by NASA engineers and scientists, hands-on design challenges, and engineering activities to plan a mission to the Moon and Mars.

11. Ladder Internships - Engineering Track

Location: Virtual! You can work from anywhere in the world. 
Eligibility: Open to all high school students, who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. These internships are also open to undergraduates and gap-year students.
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year. Summer cohort (Priority Admission): March 17, 2024 | Summer cohort: April 14, 2024 (Regular Admission 1) | May 12, 2024 (Regular Admission 2)
Dates: 8-week programs with multiple cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter. The next cohort starts on June 3, 2024.
Cost: Starting at $1,990. Financial assistance is available.

Ladder Internships, a fairly selective program founded by Harvard alumni, pairs high school students with startups and nonprofits around the world for virtual internships. You can choose the field you wish to work in, from a wide range of industries, including engineering, technology, machine learning, AI, computer science, health tech, and more. This internship program includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, among other skills, and group training sessions with fellow interns. You will be paired with a manager at the startup and with a Ladder coach, who serves as a second mentor.

Interns usually require 5-10 hours a week to work on assigned tasks and to meet the company management. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long. The internship opportunities in this program span the globe, with a concentration in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the UK. You can explore all the options here on their application form.

12. Northrop Grumman’s HIP – High School Involvement Partnership Mentoring Program

Location: HIP is offered at Northrop Grumman facilities at multiple locations.
Eligibility: Applicants must:
- Attend a public high school in a Northrop Grumman community.
- Have a 3.0 or greater unweighted cumulative GPA.
- Be U.S. citizens.
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the location. (The HIP mentoring program operates in select communities with designated partner schools). 
Dates: HIP is comprised of two separate years of programming: Junior Year (November-May) | Senior Year (November-April). The exact dates vary depending on the location.
Cost/Stipend: None.

The High School Involvement Partnership (HIP) mentoring program was created to inspire and prepare high school students for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pathways. During the program, you’ll get to observe Northrop Grumman’s core capabilities, technology, missions, and business priorities including providing innovative systems, products, and solutions that range from undersea to outer space and into cyberspace like unmanned vehicles, cyber solutions, satellites, rockets, agile software-defined systems, and radar systems.

During the junior year of programming, you will spend an exploratory year focused on products, technologies, and workforce skills including 10-12 one-hour virtual sessions, and site-specific activities at your local Northrop Grumman facility 2-3 times per year. During the senior year of programming, you will receive individual or group mentoring and be part of the development of a hands-on project (the exact schedule will depend on the project).

13. NSLC - High School Summer Aerospace Program

Location: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD and Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Eligibility: Students must be between the ages of 14-18 and have completed at least one year of high school (students may attend NSLC through the summer following high school graduation).
Application Deadline: NSLC will continue to accept applications if space is available in a program or on a program’s waitlist. The online enrollment application will display all current availability.
Dates: Multiple sessions are offered in Baltimore, MD, and Blacksburg, VA. You can check the exact dates here.
Cost: $3,895 (Residential Program)

Although this is not a traditional internship, during the Aerospace Program at the NSLC, you’ll get to design and build an unmanned aerial vehicle with your team and go behind the scenes to discover how state-of-the-art aircraft and spacecraft are being constructed.

During the program, you will construct a rocket with your team; construct a glider and build a launch system; build a light and secure payload delivery system; build a wind turbine; and gain knowledge essential for a career in aerospace, including soldering, CAD, types of propulsion, and the various forces present during flight.

If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs!

This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper in a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from.

You can find the application link here!

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, with a large number of them in tech. 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!

Stephen is one of the founders of Ladder Internships and a Harvard College graduate.