High school is one of the few periods in your life when learning is your primary job. But classrooms can only take you so far. Internships in California for high school students can give you opportunities to apply what you’re learning, explore potential careers, and see how work happens outside an academic setting while building a clearer sense of what you might want to study in college.

Unlike academic programs that focus mainly on coursework, internships place you in professional environments where you’re expected to engage with real projects and real problems. You might assist researchers with ongoing studies, support engineers working on technical challenges, contribute to nonprofit initiatives, or help teams analyze data and develop solutions. Along the way, you’ll gain exposure to tools, workflows, and workplace expectations that most students don’t encounter until much later.

Just as importantly, internships give you experiences you can actually talk about. Instead of simply listing an activity on a college application, you’ll have concrete examples of projects you worked on, challenges you faced, and skills you developed. Those stories often say far more about your interests and initiative than any résumé line ever could.

What kinds of internships can high school students do in California?

Few places offer the range of opportunities that California does. The state is home to some of the country’s leading universities, including Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, and Caltech, all of which sit within larger ecosystems of research, innovation, and industry. 

Beyond higher education, California’s strengths span a remarkable variety of fields. From Silicon Valley’s technology sector and the Bay Area’s biotech industry to Los Angeles’ entertainment economy and the state’s growing environmental and climate research initiatives, you can find opportunities across disciplines that are difficult to match elsewhere. 

To help you find the right opportunity, we’ve put together a list of 15 internships in California for high school students!

For related options, consider summer programs and internships in New York.

15 Internships in California for High School Students

1. Science Internship Program (SIP)

Location: UC Santa Cruz, California
Cost: Program fee applies; need-based scholarships available covering 25%-100% of costs
Program Dates: June 15th – August 8th
Application Deadline: February 27th
Eligibility: High school students worldwide aged 14-17 for the duration of the program; some projects require participants to be at least 16; students graduating high school this summer are not eligible

At UC Santa Cruz, the Science Internship Program drops you into a research group that is already trying to answer a question. Depending on your placement, you might spend the summer studying marine ecosystems, analysing social science data, exploring machine learning models, or contributing to an engineering project.

Most of your time is spent meeting with mentors, reading background material, troubleshooting problems, and figuring out what the data is actually saying. Because every project comes from a researcher’s ongoing work, the answer is usually unknown when you begin. The summer ends with a formal presentation where students share what they discovered with mentors, researchers, and peers.

Why it stands out: Your project is built around your mentor’s actual research questions, the results are unknown, and the contribution you make is real.

2. Immerse Education’s Career Insights Summer School

Location: University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco, California
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programme
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts with rolling admissions
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: High school students aged 15-18; open to international students

The Career Insights Program lets high school students explore careers in major global industry hubs. The Internships track is designed to give students direct exposure to real-world industry workflows and professional environments. You engage in project-based learning with established companies, attend interactive workshops, and visit offices, factories, and headquarters.

The program also includes weekly 1:1 career coaching sessions and personalized feedback on your resume and overall profile. You’ll present your findings to industry experts at the end of the program. You can find more details about the application here.

Why it stands out: You’ll gain direct industry exposure, build a professional network, and receive a certificate you can include in your college applications and work profile.

3. Ladder Internship Program

Location: Remote, with opportunities to work with Silicon Valley-based startups
Cost: Varies
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year (8-12 weeks)
Application Deadline: Rolling, varies by cohort
Eligibility: Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap-year students able to commit 10-20 hours/week; open to international students

The Ladder Internship Program adds a flexible startup route to the various internships in California for high school students, connecting ambitious students with paid, project-based roles at fast-growing companies, including several headquartered in Silicon Valley. You’ll work with founders and managers on real-world business challenges in fields such as finance, marketing, consulting, and technology.

Throughout the internship, you’ll receive one-on-one mentorship from a Ladder Coach, attend cohort-wide workshops, and develop transferable skills in communication, leadership, and strategic thinking. Ladder alumni and entrepreneurs lead many participating startups from major firms like Google, Meta, and Microsoft.

Why it stands out: It’s an entirely remote opportunity where you can work with startup founders who’ve worked in major firms.

4. Experiences in Research

Location: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California
Stipend: $500 per week
Program Dates: June 15th – July 24th
Application Deadline: March 22nd
Eligibility: Current 10th-12th graders enrolled in Northern California; must be at least 16 by June 16th

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Experiences in Research programme gives high school students a paid seat inside one of America’s leading research institutions. You will be matched with mentors working across scientific research, coding, data science, science communication, and technical projects. The work varies significantly depending on placement, which means one student could be analysing data while another helps communicate research findings to broader audiences.

Throughout the six weeks, you learn how research teams collaborate, manage projects, and solve problems when things don’t go according to plan. The programme also places strong emphasis on professional skills, helping students learn how researchers communicate findings and work together across disciplines.

Why it stands out: It’s a paid internship at one of the country’s top national labs, and the range of project types makes it genuinely accessible to students across different interest areas.

5. Lawrence Hall of Science Teen Research Internship

Location: The Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley, California
Cost: Free, pays a stipend
Program Dates: June 1st – August 7th
Application Deadline: January 15th
Eligibility: Local teens currently entering 11th or 12th grade

Most science programmes teach science. This one asks you to help others learn it. At the Lawrence Hall of Science, interns spend the summer leading activities, running demonstrations, and guiding younger students through science and engineering challenges.

A typical day might include facilitating hands-on experiments, supervising outdoor investigations, helping with science games, and preparing materials for upcoming sessions. The role carries real responsibility and requires far more than simply observing from the sidelines. By the end of the summer, many interns become comfortable leading groups and managing activities independently.

Why it stands out: You’re doing real facilitation work at a UC Berkeley science institution every day, and the hands-on teaching experience you build over the summer is the kind that shows up clearly in a college application.

6. iCLEM’s Joint BioEnergy Institute

Location: Emeryville, California
Cost: Free. $3,000 stipend provided
Program Dates: June 8th – August 1st
Application Deadline: March 20th
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores or juniors; must be 16 by June 15th; resident of Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco County; annual household income within HUD low-income thresholds; GPA of 2.5+; Algebra 1 and Biology completed; U.S. citizen or permanent resident

The Introductory College Level Experience in Microbiology (iCLEM) summer research program at the Joint BioEnergy Institute is designed specifically for Bay Area high school students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. You’ll spend six weeks working in a real laboratory in Emeryville alongside JBEI researchers and UC undergraduates, on a hands-on project in microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, biofuels, or synthetic biology areas.

Beyond the bench work, you’ll visit local biotech and pharmaceutical companies, have career conversations with working STEM professionals, and receive direct support for the college application process, including help writing and refining your personal statement and guidance on financial aid.

Why it stands out: The income-based eligibility and $3,000 stipend make this one of the most accessible high-quality research internships in Northern California.

7. UCSF High School Intern Program (HIP)

Location: UC San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Cost: $4,500 stipend
Program Dates: June 8th – July 31st
Application Deadline: February 8th
Eligibility: Current high school juniors (rising seniors) enrolled in an SFUSD school or a San Francisco charter school

Among internships in California for high school students focused on biomedical research, UCSF’s High School Intern Program gives San Francisco students eight weeks inside active research labs. You work closely with a scientist and contribute to a project that could involve neuroscience, cancer biology, immunology, infectious diseases, or stem cell research, alongside college advising, financial aid workshops, and personal statement support.

You also get the chance to meet researchers and learn about different paths into medicine and science. By the end of the summer, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of what research careers actually look like.

Why it stands out: This is one of the few paid biomedical research internships in the country that explicitly does not use GPA as a selection criterion; what matters is where you want to go, not just where you’ve already been.

8. Careers in Science (CiS)

Location: California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California
Cost: None
Program Dates: Year-round
Application Deadline: Typically in mid-to-late April
Eligibility: Currently enrolled full-time as a 9th or 10th grader in an SFUSD school; GPA of 2.5+; C or higher in science and math; eligible to obtain a work permit; must be able to commit through high school graduation

The Careers in Science at the California Academy of Sciences is a long-term programme that stays with students throughout high school. What starts with science activities and field experiences gradually grows into leadership opportunities, research mentorship, and public engagement work. You might help visitors explore exhibits, participate in outdoor science projects, attend conferences, or work alongside Academy researchers.

As students progress through the programme, they take on more responsibility and gain access to increasingly advanced opportunities. The structure allows you to build relationships with mentors over several years instead of a single summer. Many students leave with extensive experience communicating science to different audiences.

Why it stands out: The multi-year structure means that by the time you graduate, you’ve built a documented professional track record, science communication skills, a professional network, and real experience in a research and public education setting.

9. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Location: Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Cost: Free
Program Dates: June 8th – July 30th
Application Deadline: February 21st
Eligibility: Current juniors or seniors; must be 16+ by program start in June; U.S. citizens or permanent residents currently attending a U.S. high school

Stanford’s SIMR programme gives high school students a chance to spend part of the summer inside Stanford Medicine research labs. You might be placed into fields such as genetics, neurobiology, immunology, bioengineering, cancer biology, or stem cell research, depending on your interests and mentor availability. Throughout the programme, you work with researchers, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars while learning how scientific studies are designed and carried out.

Daily activities vary by lab but often include analysing data, reading scientific papers, attending meetings, and contributing to ongoing projects. The experience provides a realistic look at biomedical research and the pace of work inside a major research university.

Why it stands out: Two full months in a Stanford Medicine research lab gives you a depth of exposure that most students don’t experience until they’re in college, and there’s no cost to attend.

10. UCLA BrainSPORT Internship

Location: UCLA Health, Los Angeles, California
Cost: None
Program Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: April 1st
Eligibility: High school students; international student eligibility not specified

UCLA BrainSPORT Internship introduces students to clinical research through UCLA’s concussion research programme. You work alongside researchers and healthcare professionals studying adolescents with persistent concussion symptoms. Depending on the project, you may help organise data, assist with research activities, and learn how clinical studies are conducted.

Weekly lab meetings expose students to discussions about evidence, study design, and research findings. Throughout the summer, you see how doctors and researchers collaborate when investigating complex health questions. The programme concludes with a research presentation where students explore a topic connected to brain injury or neuroscience.

Why it stands out: You’re contributing to a large-scale active clinical study with real patients and real data, at one of the country’s leading academic medical centers.

11. Caltech Summer Research Connection (SRC)

Location: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
Cost: Tuition-free for PUSD students
Program Dates: Approximately 6 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: No formal deadline, spots typically fill by early spring; contact the program coordinator directly
Eligibility: Currently enrolled in a Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) high school; rising 10th-12th graders

Caltech’s Summer Research Connection places Pasadena-area students inside working Caltech laboratories for roughly six weeks. You join a research team and contribute to projects already underway in faculty labs. The exact work depends on your placement, but students often assist with experiments, data analysis, and research tasks connected to ongoing studies.

Mentors guide students through the process while explaining how research questions are developed and investigated. Throughout the programme, you gain exposure to the daily routines of scientists and engineers working at one of the world’s leading research institutions. The summer concludes with presentations showcasing student projects.

Why it stands out: Access to a working Caltech research lab as a high school student is genuinely uncommon, and if you’re a PUSD student, this program offers exactly that, at no geographic or institutional barrier.

12. Scripps Research REACH Summer Internship

Location: Scripps Research, La Jolla, California
Cost: None. A stipend of $5,040
Program Dates: Boot camp: June 16-18; Internship: June 22nd – August 7th
Application Deadline: March 22nd
Eligibility: Must be currently enrolled at one of nine REACH partner schools in San Diego County; 16+ by June 16th; minimum 3.0 GPA; at least one year each of high school chemistry and biology; must be legally eligible to work in the U.S.

Scripps Research REACH brings a structured biomedical pathway to internships in California for high school students, beginning with a short training boot camp before students move into full-time research placements. Over seven weeks, you work in an active biomedical laboratory alongside scientists and research staff, learn lab techniques, contribute to ongoing projects, and attend seminars on current scientific research.

The programme also includes workshops focused on careers, college pathways, and professional development. As the summer progresses, interns become more comfortable working in laboratory settings and discussing scientific ideas. The experience ends with a symposium where students present their work to the wider Scripps community.

Why it stands out: A pre-internship boot camp, a full-time paid lab placement, weekly seminars, and a formal research presentation at the end, the structure here is more comprehensive than most high school research programs.

13. Salk Institute Heithoff-Brody High School Summer Scholars Program

Location: Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California
Cost: Paid
Program Dates: June 15th – August 7th
Application Deadline: March 1st
Eligibility: San Diego County residents who attend a public or private high school within San Diego County; 16+ by June 15th; at least one year each of high school chemistry and biology; minimum GPA of 2.75

The Salk Institute’s Heithoff-Brody Summer Scholars Program pairs students directly with scientists working on active biological research projects. During the summer, you learn laboratory methods, analyse data, and participate in research discussions within your assigned lab. You will also attend seminars, career workshops, and visits to biotechnology companies around San Diego.

Because the programme centres on one-on-one mentorship, interns spend much of their time working closely with experienced researchers. The goal is not simply to observe science but to understand how scientists approach questions, interpret results, and communicate findings. At the end of the programme, students present their work to researchers, mentors, and family members.

Why it stands out: One-on-one mentorship with a Salk Institute scientist on a real, ongoing research project is a level of access that most students don’t get until graduate school.

14. SPARK: CIRM High School Stem Cell Research Internship

Location: 11 sites across California, including Oakland, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Duarte, San Diego, and Riverside
Cost: Paid; stipend amount and structure vary by site
Program Dates: Approximately 6 weeks during summer; dates vary by site
Application Deadline: Varies by site, ranging from late January to May
Eligibility: California high school students; 16+ years of age by program start date; U.S. citizens or permanent residents; specific grade level and county residency requirements vary by site

SPARK is a statewide stem cell research internship programme offered through multiple research institutions across California. The focus remains on spending six weeks working in a laboratory that studies stem cells and regenerative medicine. You will learn research techniques while contributing to projects under the supervision of scientists and research mentors.

Because the programme operates across several institutions, research topics vary widely depending on placement. At the end of the summer, interns from across California come together to present their findings and learn about one another’s work. The programme provides a broad introduction to one of the fastest-moving areas of biomedical science.

Why it stands out: With 11 sites spread across California, SPARK is one of the broadest-reaching paid stem cell research internship networks available to California high school students.

15. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)

Location: Department of the Navy laboratories across California (
Stipend: $4,000 (new participants) | $4,500 (returning participants)
Program Dates: 8 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: November 1st
Eligibility: Completed at least Grade 9; 16+ years of age by internship start date; U.S. citizens; currently enrolled in high school

The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) is a Department of the Navy initiative that places high school students in working federal research laboratories for eight full weeks during the summer. The program gives you the chance to work on real Naval science and engineering research under the mentorship of professional scientists and engineers. 

Fields vary broadly depending on the lab, from cybersecurity and computer science to materials research, environmental science, and data analytics, and you’ll research the available labs and apply to those that best match your interests.

Why it stands out: Working in an actual federal research laboratory is genuinely uncommon for a high school student, and SEAP is one of the few programs that makes that possible with a real stipend attached.

Turn Internship Experience Into Career Direction

Early workplace experience can show which problems hold your attention, which skills feel natural, and which professional settings make you want to learn more next.

Use these internships in California for high school students as a practical map of research, medicine, technology, education, public service, and creative industries across the state.

Instead of chasing the most impressive title, focus on projects that change how you think, communicate, solve problems, or imagine your future degree choices next.

For your next move, explore our Career Exploration blogs to compare roles, understand skills, discover industries, and turn early experience into clearer career plans ahead.