12 Web Design Internships for High School Students
If you’re a high school student aspiring to pursue a career in web design or other tech-related fields, you should consider applying to internships in those fields! Internships offer real-world work experience, along with the opportunity to build your knowledge and enhance your college applications.
Internships also provide a platform for you to explore your interests, develop essential skills, and create a professional network. In this blog, we’ve listed 12 web design internships for high school students that you can consider!
Location: Virtual.
Application Deadline: The Summer II Cohort deadline is June 26, 2024.
Program Dates: 8-week program with multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring. The summer cohort starts on June 3, 2024.
Eligibility: Open to all high school students who can work for 5-10 hours per week for 8 weeks.
Cost/Stipend: Starting at $1,990. Financial aid is available!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students. Interns will work with a high-growth start-up in a field of their choice, from a wide variety of industries including tech/deep tech, and 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.
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.
2. Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI)
Location: Typically in-person, with some virtual options. Locations can be assessed here.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Dates: Between June and August.
Eligibility: High school seniors planning to attend college in the US or Canada and pursue a degree related to computer science.
Stipend: None.
Google's Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) is a prestigious program for graduating high school seniors who are keen on pursuing computer science, especially students from communities underrepresented in the field. The three-week program is immersive, intensive, and interactive, where you will directly interact and learn programming fundamentals from Google engineers.
CSSI is a great opportunity to build a solid foundation in coding, complex problem-solving, and critical thinking. Beyond this, you can forge new connections with fellow students, interns, and engineers. There will also be daily development sessions to aid your future employment prospects in tech.
3. Microsoft Discovery Program
Location: Redmond, WA | Atlanta, GA.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: July 8, 2024 - August 2, 2024.
Eligibility:
- High school graduating seniors who live and attend high school within 50 miles of Redmond, Washington, or live and attend high school around Atlanta, Georgia.
- Completed pre-calculus or an equivalent course by the start of the program.
- You must be a member or participant of Microsoft-sponsored organizations for the Redmond, Washington, office location.
Stipend: $20 per hour.
The Microsoft Discovery Program is a four-week intensive program that will allow you to immerse yourself in the realm of tech and computer science. Although not a traditional internship program, the discovery program provides a unique opportunity to work under industry professionals at Microsoft and develop technical and professional skills.
You will be introduced to the core fundamentals of computer science while experiencing the design phase of the product development cycle and gaining insight into software engineering. You will work on a project during the program that will help you to understand the pain point and unarticulated customer needs and then from there build out the what and why for the topic. You also get to learn about UX design principles and product design while working on projects. This program combines hands-on learning with career exploration and is a prestigious addition to your resume if you aim to enter the ever-evolving landscape of technology.
Location: Menlo Park, CA.
Application deadline: Applications typically open in December and close in March.
Program dates: 6 weeks from June to July.
Eligibility: High school sophomores who are residents of East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, North Fair Oaks, or Redwood City and have a minimum 2.0 GPA can apply.
Stipend: It is a paid internship, but information on the exact amount is unavailable.
If you're passionate about tech, Meta Summer Academy (formerly known as Facebook Summer Academy) is a great opportunity to learn about the daily dealings of one of the world’s largest social media networks.
This six-week-long intensive internship will acquaint you with all things tech. You will work on projects in areas including software engineering, data science, social technologies, and more. You will get the chance to network and learn from industry professionals at Meta headquarters in person. As an intern, you will engage in developing soft skills for working in tech, exploring careers in the field, and learning coding.
Location: Virtual.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: The internship usually runs for 3 months from June to August, but can be extended.
Eligibility: All high school students are eligible.
Stipend: None.
Building-U is an organization focused on creating a database for students with free resources in the form of opportunities, internships, scholarships, competitions, and education programs. There are over 10 roles to choose from according to your interests and academic trajectory. If you are interested in the field of web design and graphic design, you can opt for the coding or animation team.
By joining the coding team, you will gain exposure to web and database development in a programming language of choice. If you decide to try out animation, you’ll be involved in content creation in the form of storytelling for a brand at Building-U. Additionally, you will get to work with other students and develop teamwork and communication skills. This is a flexible skill-developing opportunity for high school students.
Location: Boston, MA.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: 6-7 weeks between May to August
Eligibility: High school students in Boston Public Schools aged 16 or older.
Cost: Interns are paid a minimum of $15 per hour.
The Boston Tech Apprenticeship Program is a paid internship for students in Boston who aim to pursue a degree or career in tech. As a selected intern, you will be matched with companies based in Boston according to the employer's needs and your skills and interests. There are multiple projects and internship types ranging from web design, software programming and coding, digital and social media, data analysis, and more!
Your responsibilities will range from assisting and planning new sites, executing test scripts, designing web pages and graphics, and more, which will enable you to acquire a range of technical and professional skills. You will learn skills such as JavaScript, C++, website design, Photoshop, and more relevant skills that will aid your journey into the tech landscape.
7. The Intern Project Summer Program
Location: Los Angeles, CA | Virtual.
Application deadline: Applications typically close around March.
Dates: 8 weeks between June and August.
Eligibility: LA county students enrolled in grades 10-12. More details can be found here.
Stipend: A stipend will be offered, but information on the exact amount is not available.
The Intern Project offers valuable hands-on experience in dynamic career areas such as arts and media, engineering and tech, business, government, healthcare and medical technology, and more. The program places high school students in paid internships with organizations to grow professionally and personally while working and building connections. Specific to computer science, students can explore various aspects of the field, including software development, data analytics, web design, and more.
As an intern, you will work on a problem statement or specific topic that aligns with current industry trends. This can involve designing a website, engaging in the development of an app to address the issues, or small-scale machine learning. You’ll also engage in coding tasks that utilize programming languages such as Python or JavaScript to make use of frameworks for web development and tools for data visualization and analysis.
8. Smithsonian Science Education Center Internships
Location: Virtual and or hybrid at the center in Washington, DC
Application deadline: Applications typically open in March.
Dates: 10 weeks between May and August, dependent on the intern profile, with at least 25 to 40 hours of working hours.
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 and above.
Stipend: There will be a stipend; however, the amount is unspecified.
The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) offers a variety of internships in fields such as communication, marketing, digital media, and more for high school students and college students.
As an intern, you will research, assist, and create tasks such as content creation, brainstorming social media campaigns, graphic design, video creation, content strategy, and more. You will also work on developing content for social media and assisting with communication dissemination and asset management. The working hours, mode of internship (online or hybrid), requirements, and responsibilities will vary according to the internship profile you have applied for. All work descriptions and requirements can be viewed here.
Location: Virtual.
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dates: Runs throughout the year.
Eligibility: All high school students can apply.
Stipend: Unpaid.
Medicine Encompassed is a student-led nonprofit organization that aims to raise awareness and enhance access to information about medical careers. High school students can apply for internships with ME in multiple roles offered by the organization, focusing on committees that focus on various medical fields such as anatomy, surgery, neurology, and more.
As an intern, you will be expected to develop content for the Medicine Encompassed medical curriculum, covering different branches of medicine. For those interested, a graphic design role is available to contribute to the organization's mission. As a graphic design intern, you will create graphics and design media and artwork for the organization's website, blog posts, articles, and social media posts. You will have the chance to work closely to collaborate closely with the Executive Graphic Designer and the Executive Social Media & Marketing Director to produce suitable content. This is great exposure for those passionate about sciences to build their skills in their area of interest.
Location: Virtual.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in April.
Dates: January 22 - November 17, 2024. You can view the timeline here.
Eligibility: Candidates must:
- Be a student who is at least 18 years or older
- Not be a resident of a United States embargoed country.
- Be eligible to work in the country in which they reside for the duration of the program.
Stipend: Stipend is provided.
If you’re well-versed in coding and wish to put your skills into practice, the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is a great opportunity for you. Under the guidance of experienced mentors, you will have the opportunity to work on a coding project for 12 weeks or longer with any of the 150 open-source organizations and gain hands-on experience in coding.
The GSoC program aims to grow the amount of open-source code available to all users by encouraging developers to start contributing to open-source software development and supporting open-source projects in welcoming new developers into their community. This is an unconventional internship opportunity but provides exposure to real-world open-source software development scenarios (such as testing, version control, software licensing, etc.) as well as mentorship for budding coders!
11. Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program
Location: Virtual.
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in March.
Dates: 2 weeks in July.
Eligibility: All female and non-binary high school students enrolled in grades 9th-11th are eligible.
Stipend: No stipend is offered, but a need-based $300 stipend is available for those eligible.
Girls Who Code is an organization that aims to address the gender gap in technology and computer science-related fields. Their Summer Immersion Program opportunity offers a unique opportunity for female and non-binary students to gain hands-on experience and network with industry professionals while connecting with fellow-minded peers. The program requires no previous knowledge. The intensive two-week program will introduce you to intermediate topics in computer science, teach you tech and game design, teach you the basics of UI/UX design, and teach you the step-by-step process of web design.
Although not a traditional internship, the program provides you with a chance to gain mentorship from renowned industry professionals and promotes women's participation in STEM. The classes will be live and virtual, sponsored by companies such as Metlife, Logitech, and more. Open to all backgrounds, the program prioritizes a diverse cohort and aims to have a cohort from underrepresented groups in technology.
12. Kode with Klossy
Location: Virtual with in-person camps in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Richardson, Washington DC, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, and St. Louis.
Application Deadline: The applications are closed; you can join their waitlist here.
Dates: June 3 - 14, 2024 | June 17 - 28, 2024 | July 8 - 19, 2024 | July 22, 2024 - August 2, 2024 | August 5 - 16, 2024.
Eligibility: Women, non-binary and trans teens between the ages of 13-18
Stipend: None.
Kode with Klossy is a free-of-cost, intense two-week summer camp for traditionally underrepresented genders in STEM. The program requires no prior coding experience. They aim to educate passionate and curious students about STEM in fields such as web development, data science, machine learning, and mobile app development. The web development track will acquaint you with website-building basics.
In this program, you will learn how to build dynamic websites using languages such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. You’ll also learn how to improve the user interface and website experience. The program integrates learning with collaborative learning, where you’ll have a chance to bond with like-minded peers and alumni and attain hands-on coding experience. While this is a free-of-cost camp, it's a great opportunity to get acquainted with the field and attain some hands-on experience in coding for an app or website.
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!
Stephen is one of the founders of Ladder Internships and a Harvard College graduate.