14 Physics Internships for High School Students
Physics is pretty vast as a subject area, covering everything from astrophysics to plasma and quantum physics. If you are in high school and keen on exploring more about what physics has to offer in terms of academic and career opportunities, you should consider an internship. Internship experiences can also help narrow down your interests and give you a glimpse into the inner workings of empirical projects.
Learning from experienced physicists and peers will further establish a solid network in the field while contributing to your skill set that you can then highlight in your college applications and CVs. Hands-on work in labs is also bound to give you a boost in the field. To help you get started, here’s a list of 14 physics internships for high school students to which you can consider applying.
1. Ladder Internships - STEM Tracks
Location: Remote
Eligibility: High school students who can contribute 5-15 work hours per week for 8-16 weeks
Application Deadline: Spring cohort: February 18, 2024 | Summer cohort (early admission): February 18, 2024 | Summer cohort (regular admission): April 14, 2024. Fall and winter cohorts are also available.
Dates: Variable. Summer cohorts run June-August.
Cost: $1,990 for startup internships | $5,400 for research internships. Financial aid is offered.
Ladder Internships, a program founded by Harvard alumni, is a selective program that pairs students with startups and nonprofits across the globe for virtual internships. The startups range across a variety of industries, with a number of STEM-focused, and you can select the field you wish to dive into.
Interns will work on a project that is of genuine need to the startup, and present their work at the end of the internship. You will work with your manager from the startup, with a Ladder Coach who will serve as a second mentor. Interns will also receive 1-1 training in communication, time management and other skills, and will attend group training sessions with other interns.
2. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) Internship
Location: Princeton, NJ
Eligibility: Students who are aged at least 16 and are graduating high school seniors at the start of the internship can apply. Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Application Deadline: March 1, 2024
Dates: 8-10 weeks (40 hours/week) in the summer, with the exact dates and duration depending on the student’s school schedule
Cost/Stipend: No cost. Students will be paid (exact amount is not specified)
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory offers internships during semester and summer periods for high school seniors – the summer after you graduate and before college begins. Internships in the fall or spring can count for academic credit. These internships are highly prestigious and selective.
Selected interns will work on a project with an established researcher or engineer, specifically a computational or experimental project in plasma physics and fusion energy using the laboratory’s equipment and facilities. You will engage in a range of activities, from experimental work to computational simulations, gaining practical skills and insights into scientific research. Through this program, you will have the chance to delve into various aspects of plasma physics, fusion energy, and related fields, broadening your understanding of these complex subjects. The program encourages the scientist in you to ask questions and do the work to find your answers, preparing you for your future pursuits.
3. QuarkNet Summer Research Program at Fermilab
Location: Fermilab, Batavia, IL. Note that transportation, housing, or meals will not be provided. Fermilab can help you with discounted rates for local hotels near the internship site.
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (enrolled in Illinois high schools) who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Application Deadline: January 31, 2024
Program Dates: June 17, 2024 - August 2, 2024
Cost/Stipend: No cost. Students will be paid $17.20 per hour
Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) operates under the U.S Department of Energy’s Office of Science and is America’s premier lab for particle physics research. The lab’s prestigious Quarknet program allows students to contribute to Fermilab research.
Interns will be engaged in conducting key research in particle accelerators, detectors, computing and quantum science, and neutrino science. Each research area further includes multiple project subsets.
Interns will work with scientists on a research area of their choice and will be required to conduct entrance and exit surveys, write a team research abstract, and give an oral presentation.
4. ASPIRE Internship Program at John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
Location: This program offers both in-person (John Hopkins University, Laurel, MD) and virtual options
Eligibility: Students who are high school juniors or seniors in the Washington-Baltimore area, at least 15 years old by June 1, and U.S. citizens can apply. Students should also have a minimum 2.8 GPA.
Application Deadline: February 15, 2024
Dates: June-August (summer session) | September-May (academic year session)
Stipend: This is an unpaid internship.
ASPIRE is a competitive program that selects up to 200 interns every summer, who display evidence of enthusiasm, curiosity, and skills instead of merely prioritizing the strongest GPA, experience, and resume. Interns are paired with mentors at APL with whom they work on and complete projects, solve problems, and learn collaborative and professional skills. Students are not allowed to select their mentor or the project they want to work on, but will be asked to choose areas of interest while applying. If you’re on the lookout for a physics-focused internship, you may select ‘Physics’ from the available areas of interest.
As an intern, you will have to work independently, communicate with APL staff members and mentors, persist when faced with challenges, and continually think outside the box. The program specifies that its primary goal is not to test and evaluate students, but to offer a supportive environment to learn more about STEM skills and careers.
5. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) at the Department of Navy (DoN)
Location: Any lab location in the country
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old, have completed Grade 9, and are U.S. citizens
Application Deadline: Applications are closed for 2024 and will open on August 1, 2024 for 2025.
Dates: June-August (8 weeks)
Stipend: $4,000 (new participants) | $4,500 (returning participants)
SEAP is a prestigious, immersive 8-week summer program that places high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors in Department of Navy (DoN) laboratories across the country. Students get the chance to work with leading researchers and engineers at Navy laboratories and facilities across the country, on real Naval research. As part of the program, you will receive mentoring from expert scientists and engineers at the Navy labs. Your lab choice is based on your subject of interest, and nearly every lab option, however, does engage in research in the field of physics.
With approximately 300 placements across over 38 laboratories nationwide, SEAP is highly competitive, and because of its association with the US government, it’s regarded as highly prestigious too.
6. NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internships
Location: Any NASA facility in the country. Some virtual options are also offered.
Eligibility: High school students (at least 16 years old) with a 3.0 GPA and a U.S. citizenship
Application Deadline: February 2, 2024 (for summer internships). Spring and fall internships are also available.
Dates: May-August (10 weeks)
Stipend: Interns may receive a stipend based on academic level and session length.
NASA’s OSTEM offers qualified high school students internship opportunities to work on ongoing NASA projects under the guidance of renowned scientists and researchers at the agency. Multiple options are available for physics, such as projects in astrophysics, engineering and tech, including research labs, polarimeter analyses, sustainability and energy, AI, embedded systems, launch range operations, and more. The program provides training, mentoring, and career development opportunities alongside the chance to work with the best science, engineering, financial, information technology and business minds in the world.
You can check out a complete list of positions here - you may have to use the “Filter” option to see opportunities only open to high school students.
7. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) at George Mason University
Location: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA / Virtual / Hybrid
Eligibility: Students who are at least 15 years old by June 18, 2024 can apply. Interns for “wet lab” internships should be at least 16 years old by June 18, 2024.
Application Deadline: February 11, 2024
Dates: June-August (8 weeks)
Stipend: This is an unpaid internship.
ASSIP is a well-established research internship program that provides interns with the opportunity to work one-on-one with faculty scientists and researchers at the university and its affiliated institutions. Interns will use advanced technologies and equipment, develop scientific writing and communication skills, and learn about career opportunities in physics (and STEM in general). Scientific areas of focus include spatial sciences, mathematical modeling, physics, renewable energy, micro-/nano-manufacturing, robotics, and more.
Interns can pick their mentors, and will also have the opportunity to publish your work in scientific journals and present at conferences.
The number of interns selected varies, with 2023 having the largest cohort of 300 students.
8. Internships at Sandia National Laboratories
Location: Livermore, CA / Albuquerque, NM / other Sandia sites
Eligibility: High school students who are at least 16 years old, have U.S. citizenship, and maintain a 3.0 (out of 4.0) GPA
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: Summer Internship: May-August (10-12 weeks) | Co-op Internship: 3-8 months during the academic year | Year-Round Internship (up to 25 hours a week throughout the year)
Stipend: $17.20 per hour (NM) / $19 per hour (CA)
Sandia is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), operating under the U.S. Department of Energy, making these internships highly regarded. Interns will get to work on actual ongoing research at the lab under the mentorship of scientists and engineers, who will help define your work assignment, schedule, and the duration of your internship. You will participate in real-world research and development activities, collaborate with professionals, and gain insights into the scientific process.
Sandia conducts research in a wide range of subject areas, and the work you do during your internship will contribute to the institution’s larger mission. Various disciplines and research projects are available for interns to apply to, such as energy surety, radiation, high-energy physics, materials physics, plasma physics, and quantum information science.
9. Harvard-MIT’s Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP)
Location: Harvard or MIT
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (both international and US citizens) can apply.
Application deadline: May 2024 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program dates: September 2024 - May 2025 (tentative)
Stipend: Students will be paid a stipend by the City of Cambridge, but information on the exact amount is not available.
This program is best suited for students interested in research in the fields of astrophysics and climate science. SRMP offers the best of Harvard and MIT mentorship and research opportunities, and is open to all high-schoolers with a passion for research to conduct independent research in the fields of astrophysics and climate science.
SRMP runs through the school year, offering all the resources students may need to conduct research, including a laptop, under the guidance of Harvard and MIT scholars. Students are divided into 5-6 research groups, and will be required to attend weekly discussion sessions, meetings, and guest lectures. At the end of the program, students will present a report of their research efforts at the annual Harvard symposium.
Note, the selection for this program is highly competitive with only 10-15 students forming the final cohort - an acceptance rate of less than 5%.
Location: Fermilab site, Winfield Township, IL
Eligibility: High school sophomores or juniors (in Illinois high schools) at the time of application with a minimum 3.0 GPA (out of 4.0) and a U.S. work eligibility
Application Deadline: February 5, 2024
Dates: June 17, 2024 - July 26, 2024
Stipend: $17.20 per hour
This 6-week internship is highly competitive, accepting small cohorts of only 15-25 students annually. This opportunity is ideal for students interested in physics, mathematics, computer science, and engineering. The program integrates both work and experiential learning. Students will work on nationally relevant projects with reputable scientists and researchers, contributing to Fermilab research. Fermilab is one of the country’s top particle physics labs.
The internship will cover concepts like quantum mechanics, particle physics, computing, and accelerators. Fermilab uses a range of techniques, asks different questions and uses different tools – all aimed at the same scientific goal: a complete understanding of the laws of nature and the cosmos.
Location: NIST campuses, Boulder, CO and Gaithersburg, MD
Eligibility: High school students (with U.S. citizenship) in their junior or senior year and students who have graduated high school but have not yet started college
Application Deadline: February 9, 2024
Dates: June 17, 2024 - August 9, 2024
Stipend: This is an unpaid internship.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and is one of the oldest physical science laboratories. Its Summer High School Intern Program (SHIP) is an 8-week unpaid internship for students interested in scientific research. Interns get the opportunity to work alongside scientists and engineers on a research problem and get to witness cutting-edge NIST research.
NIST is divided into six organizational laboratories: Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL), Engineering Laboratory (EL), Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), and Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML). You can look through the different websites, choose any one laboratory (based on your interest). If you want to check out the kind of research problems you will be working on, take a look at the past SHIP projects here.
Some of the physics-focused subject areas include cyber-physical systems, net-zero-energy buildings, semiconductors, nanomaterials, superconductors and neutrons, photovoltaics, atomic, molecular and optical physics, nanotechnology, quantum options, among others.
12. Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) High School Internships
Location: One of the U.S. Army Research Laboratories and Centers in the country
Eligibility: Current high school students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: May-August (6-10 weeks)
Stipend: Students receive a stipend based on a centralized stipend policy. The exact rates are not available. Note that AEOP doesn’t provide food, transportation, and housing.
This program is a chance to work one-on-one with a university researcher or Department of Defense (DoD) scientist mentor on research projects. As an intern, you will work with high-tech equipment and cutting-edge techniques in state-of-the-art laboratories, on Army-sponsored research. You will also have access to professional scientists and engineers and learn from other STEM practitioners during the internship. The program aims to hone critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills to prepare you for a career in STEM. Further, through expert mentorship and collaboration with professionals, you can contribute to meaningful discovery and innovation that will benefit the country.
Subject areas vary according to locations, but some options include material science, AIN films, embedded processing and contextual analytics, xylan degradation, DEM simulations, quantum simulators, and more. You can check the program’s Summer 2024 opportunities here.
13. SPARK Summer Internship Program
Location: Greater Seattle Area (with some virtual options)
Eligibility: High school students who can work for 40 hours/week for 8-12 weeks
Application deadline: May (based on past year's dates)
Program dates: June-August (6-8 weeks)
Stipend: Up to $500 for some. Some internships might be unpaid.
The SPARK Summer Internship Program connects students with industry professionals and experts and allows them to work on a hands-on project together. After getting matched, students and mentors will identify, define, develop, and complete a project. Interns will experience professional settings while also building their network and gaining skills.
The program has an acceptance rate of less than 5%, and is a highly prestigious internship opportunity.
Students must select 5-6 projects that they’d like to work on. For the 2023 cohort, the research project list included the following topics:
2D Materials - A new class of conductors and semiconductors for future
Understanding spike-timing and spike-rate impact on Spiking Neural Network (SNN)
The program not only allows you to work on real-world applications of concepts in machine learning, computer programming, computer vision, and neural networks, but also lets you interact and learn from industry leaders, university professors and mentors.
14. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program
Location: Multiple locations across the country.
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale are highly encouraged to apply, but a GPA of less than 3.0 will not disqualify applicants. Students applying must be at least 16 years old (by the application deadline). It’s recommended you read through all the eligibility requirements before applying.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in January.
Program Dates: Varies from project to project, but you can expect it to be during the summer months for 9 weeks.
Stipend: $468.80 per week
AFRL scholars will have the opportunity to receive guidance from full-time AFRL scientists and engineers while touring AFRL laboratories and working on cutting-edge research and technology. You can expect to work on areas such as aerospace / mechanical design for morphing aircraft technology, complex electromagnetic structures, and metalens design and modeling, among others.
These opportunities are also open to undergraduate and graduate-level students so be sure to filter for specific opportunities open to high school students. A few research areas open to high schoolers are Clean-up of PFAS contamination, Data Structures for Advanced Satellite Navigation Signals, and Experimental Navigation Satellite Signals Simulation and Testing, to name a few.
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.