11 Highest Paying Summer Internships for High Schoolers

If you would like to become an intern this summer, but you would also like to earn additional money, you will see how to combine these two things with our list of 11 highest paying summer internships for high schoolers.

Summer internships are probably the best way to spend a summer, though at times it looks like it is not that way. If you add the fact that there are possibilities for those internships to be paid, the thing becomes even better. In general, we think that every high school student should be an intern at least once during high school, since the experience is very precious and often unforgettable. During these internships, you don’t simply practice the task you are in charge of; you learn millions of other things, such as how to function in a group and be a part of the team, how to handle obligations and how to deal with unexpected things. Those are the issues that will be quite often once you graduate and get a job, so this experience will be very much useful and helpful. Besides that, being an intern in a specific organization may help you enroll your desired university, so you will immediately be privileged, unlike those students who have never been a part of such programs. You will also increase your knowledge of the specific field, and maybe if you haven’t decided what to study yet, the internship may help you in that choice. On the other side, if you are a college student, you may always find an idea for a part-time job with our list of 12 Highest Paying Part-Time Jobs for College Students.

In order to get the list of highest paying summer internships, we have to admit that we really needed to search a lot. The Internet is full of various possibilities, and we were very much surprised by the number, but we needed to reduce the list eventually, and we did it according to stipends received during internships. To be honest, though there are many internship positions, very few of them are actually paid decently. In order to find out more about the options, we were very much helped by the websites such as Internships, Mommy Poppins, and The Collegiate Blog and we tried to find some Reddit discussions on the topic, though unsuccessfully.

In general, paid or not, the internship is definitely something that you should think of as a high school student, especially during the summer holiday. Of course, it is much better when you receive money for that, so we made sure to provide the list of 11 highest paying summer internships for high schoolers.

11. Project TRUE — Citywide

$600

If you are a high school junior who is interested in science, and you want to participate in various scientific projects, this is probably the best choice for the summer. You will get to work with some of the very successful university scientists, and your place of the internship will probably be one of the NYC Zoos, including Central Park, Prospect Park, and Bronx Zoo. You will be required to attend all 150 hours of sessions, and to be ready to work during weekends at certain points. Besides the stipend, you will also get a free MetroCard.

10. National Institutes of Health Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research

$1,300

This internship that ranks 10th in our list of highest paying summer internships for high schoolers is also suitable for young scientists and high school students who are interested and have a very good performance at natural science subjects. In order to be eligible to apply for this internship, you need to be a US citizen or to have a permanent residence and be at least 16 years old. You will be privileged to meet and work with some of the very influential and successful scientists during this 8-week paid internship. You need to take into consideration that housing and travel are not provided.

9. Summer Cancer Research Internship for High School Students and Undergraduates

$1,500

This is a very sensitive topic, but on the other side very useful and very educational. It will open some new horizons, and you will be able to work in an amazing environment, in a cancer researcher’s laboratory, with some of the prominent graduate or post-doctoral students. Besides being an intern, you will also be able to attend the lectures and expand your knowledge. In order to be eligible to apply for this 4 weeks intensive program of 160 hours, you need to be in a junior year of high school.

8. George Washington Carver Internship Program

$1,750

This 6 week long internship is conducted by College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) of Iowa State University, and in order to be eligible to apply for it, you need to be a US citizen and to be at least 16 years old. As the intern, you will be required to conduct a research project with a faculty mentor that will be in charge to follow your work, and eventually to provide a written report and presentation of your conclusions at the Research Symposium at the end of the program.

7. West Side YMCA Teen Career Connection — Upper West Side

$1,800

This is a very useful internship program, since it deals with some issues that are necessary to all of the students of various interests, since it includes 2 weeks of the program devoted to lectures on how to deal with conflict, success, public speaking, and other very important issues. After that, there is a 6 week long internship where high school students work at multiple locations with their mentors and have presentations about it each night. To be eligible to apply, you need to be at least 16 years old, but it is definitely worth since it pays well, being the reason we put it on our list of 11 highest paying summer internships for high schoolers.

6. Raising Interest in Science and Engineering Summer Internship

$2,500

If you are a science lover and if you come from a low-income family, adding the fact you reside within 25 miles of Stanford University, you are more than welcome to apply for this internship. You need to be 16 or older, and if you come from an underrepresented minority, it is very likely that you will get the chance for this. It is an intensive 7 week summer program designed especially for those students interested in engineering, math, computer science or science in general, and psychology.We’re halfway through our list of highest paying summer internships for high schoolers and now, let’s see the other half.

5. Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)

$3, 300

This is a very interesting 8-week internship program at a Department of Navy lab, and as an intern, you will be required to participate in lab experiments all over the country. You must be a 16-year-old US resident, and if you plan to enroll at a university that deals with science and engineering, this is more than suitable for you. Every year, this program gathers around 300 high school students, so this is an excellent chance to meet a lot of people and learn some new things.

4. Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program

$3,400

This is the internship program that ranks 4th in our list of highest paying summer internships for high schoolers. It is conducted at the National Cancer Institute at Frederick, and its main purpose is to make an environment and expose students to administrative management in health care. In order to be eligible to apply, students must be at least 16 years old, and to have a 3.0 GPA. The interns will conduct biomedical research with the guidance of their mentors within the labs, and they will also have certain budgets if they have projects proposals or ideas.

3. NASA Internships for HS Students

$3,750

If you are a US citizen who is at least 16 years old, with a minimum of 3.5 GPA, you are eligible to apply for NASA Internship for High School Students that ranks 3rd in our list of highest paying summer internships for high schoolers. Believe us, this is as cool as it sounds, since being an intern at NASA is a very big deal. Internships include positions in a variety of disciplines, including engineering, science, technology, business, finance and more, so think about the field that suits you best and start making your application.

2. Bank of America Student Leaders Program

$3,800

If you see yourself working in a bank or any other finance related field one day, this is something that you should definitely think about. In order to be eligible to apply, you need to be at least 16 years old and a resident of one of these countries, but also ready to devote yourself to 8-week intensive program. You also need to be a US citizen, or to have a permanent residence. This is a Student Leaders program that gathers 225 high school juniors and seniors every year, and during the internship, they practice and develop their skills related to employment and service.

1. City of Hope Internship

$4,000

This 10 week long internship conducted in Duarte, California is probably the right choice for students who are into science, and who would like to learn more about it by practically spending their time within labs with their mentors. To be eligible to apply for Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy as an intern, you need to be at least 16 years old and a US resident. Think about this, since this is the highest paid internship, and it definitely deserves the first place on our list of 11 highest paying summer internships for high schoolers.