11 NYC Internships for High School Students

Why Pursue a High School Internship in NYC?

Being in high school can sometimes feel like being inside of a bubble. In addition to the hours spent in class, students frequently spend late afternoons and evenings inside their school environment for sports, clubs, theater productions, music concerts, and other extracurriculars.

Internships offer exciting opportunities for students to get out of the high school “bubble” while gaining real-world experience in a variety of professional settings. While there are great internships available to high schoolers throughout the country (we’ve written about internships for high school students in San Francisco and the Bay Area, as well as medical internships for high school students in San Diego), there’s a vast array of exciting opportunities in New York City that are specifically geared towards local students. Many NYC businesses and organizations have internship programs for high schoolers who live in the city, and many of them are paid opportunities. That means that you don’t need to choose between a job that earns you money and an experience in a field that you’re genuinely excited about exploring, like STEM, law, or public policy!

In addition to building professional skills and connections, successfully completing internships demonstrates to colleges and universities that you are passionate about and committed to personal growth, learning from mentors, and making a real-world impact. Internships also play a critical role for college students, enhancing their career readiness and job prospects.

If you’re interested in more exciting opportunities for NYC high school students, check out our recent article on 12 Research and Summer Programs in New York!

Benefits of Internships for NYC High School Students

Internships offer numerous benefits for NYC high school students, providing a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience, develop career skills, and build professional networks. By stepping out of the classroom and into a professional setting, students can explore various career paths, determine their interests, and make informed decisions about their future.

Participating in internships allows students to develop essential skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, which are valuable in any profession. These experiences can also give students a competitive edge in college admissions and future job applications. Many colleges and universities view internships as a testament to a student’s commitment to their field of interest and their ability to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings.

Moreover, internships can lead to job offers, mentorship opportunities, and lifelong connections with professionals in their desired field. For NYC high school students, these experiences are invaluable, providing a foundation for future success and personal growth.

Top 12 High School Internships in NYC

Overview of diverse internship opportunities available to high school students

1. Manhattan District Attorney Internship Program

Eligibility: Current high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors living and/or attending school in Manhattan

Dates: Five weeks from early July to early August, Monday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Location: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, three possible locations:

• One Hogan Place, New York, NY 10013

• 163 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027

• 530 West 166th Street, Suite 600A, New York, NY 10032

Paid? Yes, New York City minimum wage

How to apply: Send a one-page resume and a 300-word essay explaining your interest in criminal justice. Online applications are accepted from early January to early March 2025 (check the program website for exact dates)

Each summer, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office welcomes high school students who are interested in criminal justice to participate in their rigorous, full-time internship program. The program lasts for five weeks: it typically starts in the second week of July and ends following the first week of August. During the program, interns get an inside look at the criminal justice system, with opportunities to attend workshops and discussions and to participate in a mock trial.

2. NYC Office of the Mayor Internship

Eligibility: Students who reside in New York City and who are currently enrolled in high school, undergraduate, or graduate programs

Dates: Nine weeks from early June to early August

Location: New York Office of the Mayor: City Hall, New York, NY 10007

Paid? Yes, $16/hour (more for college and graduate students)

How to apply: Online applications close in late March 2025 (exact date TBA)

High school students who are interested in public service careers should seriously consider applying for a summer internship with New York City’s Office of the Mayor. All interns are paid and get the opportunity to experience working in one of several different departments, including:

• Event Planning

• Communications

• Special Projects

• Operations

• Human Resources

In addition to contributing to departmental research, meetings, and data analysis, interns get to attend bi-weekly talks and presentations organized by the office. The goal of these events is to offer interns a broader perspective on the structure of the New York City government and to inspire them to build cross-departmental service projects with fellow interns.

3. Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship

Eligibility: Current students at New York City public high schools

Dates: Vary by internship (summer only)

Location: New York City (exact location depends on the employer you are matched with)

Paid? Yes

How to apply: Send an email to the program coordinator, Mary Ellen LaRosa

Have you ever considered becoming a lawyer? The Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship is an excellent opportunity for NYC public high school students to explore careers in law. The program matches students with legal employers — usually (although not exclusively) law firms — for summer internships. Participants gain experience in law office settings and are paid hourly in accordance with New York City’s minimum wage. Additionally, the program helps students develop leadership skills through practical experience and community service.

4. NASA GISS Climate Research Internship

Eligibility: High school (16 years and older), college, and graduate-level students

Dates: June 30, 2025 – August 8, 2025

Location: Three internship locations:

• NASA Goddard Institute for Space Study (GISS): Armstrong, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

• Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO): 61 Rte 9W, Palisades, NY 10964

• CUNY City College of Technology (CUNY): 300 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Paid? Yes

How to apply: Review the in-depth project descriptions here and complete the application form. The deadline to submit all materials through the STEM Gateway portal is February 28 for Summer 2025 internships.

About twenty lucky students will have the opportunity to intern this summer with NASA’s Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI). That roster of interns will include a handful of emerging high school researchers selected to join NASA scientists and leading research teams. The four planned research topics that 2025 interns can apply to work on (excluding the two that take place in Maryland) are:

• Deciphering Changing Probabilities of Extreme Climate Events in Climate Models and Measurements (GISS)

• Climate Change in the Hudson Estuary — Past, Present, and Future (GISS/LDEO)

• Monitoring and Studying Lakes from Space in a Changing Climate (GISS/CUNY)

• Characterizing the Urban Land Surface Temperature via an Innovative, Multi-Platformed Suite of Satellite and Ground-Based Remote Sensing Technologies (GISS/CUNY)

Students learn through hands-on research and mentorship, gaining valuable experience and skills in their chosen fields.

Selected high school interns will be matched with an individual science mentor within their research unit who will accompany them throughout the summer. Along with the rest of the team, interns will collaborate on a full-time basis to complete the research, analyze results, and then produce a symposium presentation, conference poster, and scientific paper. Additional details are available on the program website. If you’re a high schooler in the New York City area with an interest in climate change research, we highly recommend applying for this opportunity to work on a NASA research team!

5. Simons Summer Research Program

Eligibility: Current high school juniors in the United States who will be 16 years or older by the start of the program

Dates: June 30, 2025 - August 8, 2025

Location: Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY 11794

Paid? Stipends awarded at the end of the program

How to apply: 

1. Interested students should seek nomination from their high school science teacher or counselor. The deadline for nomination is January 31, 2025. 

2. Once the nomination has been received, students can fill out and submit the online application form indicating their top three mentor choices (from this list for 2025). The deadline to submit the online application is February 7, 2025.

3. In addition to the nomination, two letters of recommendation are required. The deadline for recommenders to submit their letters is February 14, 2025.

4. Applicants will be notified of their admissions decision via email in early April 2025.

The Simons Summer Research Program is an exceptional opportunity for high schoolers to participate in university-level STEM research under the guidance of world-class faculty at Stony Brook University. Each summer, between 25 and 30 program mentors and their research teams incorporate Simons Fellows into their ongoing projects. Here’s a small selection of the 2025 projects:

• A civil engineering design project in the lab of Dr. Wei Li, in which the Simons Fellow will collaborate on a prototype for a robotic finger that can sense and interact with surfaces

• A neurobiology and behavior project with Dr. Howard Sirotkin, whose research studies the consequences of “forever chemicals” and other environmental factors on the development of neurological disorders

• A statistics research project alongside Dr. Yuefan Deng, who is developing high-performance algorithms for machine learning simulations in medical and biological contexts
  
  These are just a few of the many amazing research projects that Simons Fellows participate in. Throughout the apprenticeship, fellows take responsibility for an aspect of the team’s research. At the end of the program, they produce an abstract and a presentation poster on their work. This is a paid opportunity to work alongside STEM leaders to produce cutting-edge findings!

6. American Museum of Natural History Internship

Eligibility: Current 10th and 11th graders can apply to join the program. Applicants must also

• Have previously completed or be currently enrolled in one of the museum’s other science programs, or:

• Be enrolled in one of the museum’s partner high schools or programs

Dates: Summer institute in August, followed by academic internship from September to June

Location: American Museum of Natural History: 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024

Paid? Yes, a $2500 stipend will be awarded after the successful completion of the program

How to apply: Online applications typically close in early March. At the time of publication, the exact deadline for 2025 has not yet been announced.

SRMP (Science Research Mentoring Program) is an internship for high school scientists at the American Museum of Natural History. The program begins in August with a four-week introductory course on the museum’s research methods, including one week of field research in Black Rock Forest.

The program also emphasizes museum education, where students engage in hands-on learning about art, history, and the educational aspects of museums. They develop their own lessons, assist curators, and run tours, highlighting the importance of museum education in fostering skills and knowledge.

The internship really gets rolling in the academic year, when interns work with their mentors for about four hours a week to design their project, learn the necessary research skills, and complete their investigation. Interns have a huge amount of access to the museum’s resources, labs, and teams of scientists, allowing them to learn how to do just about anything related to science! Want to learn how to analyze satellite telescope data or to work with DNA? Past projects have included astronomy, genetics, and much more.

7. NYU ARISE Program

Eligibility: 

• Current 10th and 11th grade students 

• Must reside in New York City

Location: New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering: 6 MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Dates: June 2 to August 8, 2025

Paid? Yes, $750 stipends awarded after successful completion of the program

How to Apply: Online applications are open from December 23, 2024, to February 21, 2025. You must specify an area of interest when submitting the application. After review, candidates may be invited for two interviews in March.

NYU’s ARISE (Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering) program is a free research training module for high school students who reside in one of New York City’s five boroughs. When applying, you will be asked to choose a STEM field of interest from the following options:

• Anthropology

• Biology

• Biomedical engineering

• Chemical and biomolecular engineering

• Civil and urban engineering

• Computer science and engineering

• Electrical and computer engineering

• Mechanical and aerospace engineering

You can explore the various participating labs within each department to get a sense of what kind of research you could work on at ARISE. For example, you can click on mechanical and aerospace engineering. (Check out more aerospace engineering research opportunities here.) Under that heading, you can read about the dynamical systems lab led by Dr. Maurizio Porfiri. ARISE students who work with Dr. Porfiri can participate in a variety of multidisciplinary projects involving complex interactions within groups and people and/or within mechanical networks.

8. Wave Hill Youth Internships

Eligibility: High school students who are 16 years of age or older by the start of the internship period

Location: Wave Hill Public Garden and Cultural Center, 4900 Independence Ave

Bronx, NY

Dates: 

• June 2025 - June 2026 (ACES)

• Summer 2025 (Forest Project)

• July 2025 - August 2026 (WERM)

Paid? Yes.

• $16.50/hour (ACES)

• $2,275 total stipend (Forest Project)

• $3,500 total stipend (WERM)

How to Apply: Online applications are open from December 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025

Wave Hill is a public garden and estate in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson River. In conjunction with their extensive educational and cultural programming, Wave Hill offers three distinct paid internship experiences for NYC high school students who are passionate about forest restoration, community engagement, or ecology research:

• The Forest Project is a weekday summer internship focused on horticulture and forest restoration. Similar to the Forest Project, the garden apprentice program at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers teens hands-on experience in urban agriculture and environmental stewardship over a nine-month period.

• Their Art, Community, Education and Science (ACES) Internship is a year-long, weekends-only opportunity for high school students to develop and implement STEAM educational programs for kids. 

• WERM stands for Woodland Ecology and Research Mentorship. The longest of the three internships, WERM includes two summers and the academic year in between. In this track, interns work with researchers to implement GIS (Geographic Information System) methods into an original scientific research project.

All three Wave Hill High School internships are excellent opportunities worth exploring!

9. Zuckerman Institute’s Brain Research Internship (BRAINYAC)

Eligibility: Current 10th and 11th-grade students interested in brain research enrolled in partner programs and schools in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx: S-PREP, Lang Youth Medical, Double Discovery Center, Columbia Secondary School, and BioBus.

Dates: Training workshops in winter and spring and full-time internship during the summer

Location: Jerome L. Greene Science Center, 3227 Broadway, New York, NY 10027

Paid? Yes

How to apply: Applicants must be nominated through a partner program or school.

Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC) connects high school students with neuroscientist mentors for paid, research-oriented internships. Interns begin with preparatory coursework on weekends from January to June. During the summer, they work full-time with researchers in neuroscience labs throughout Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute. Applications are only accepted from students at one of the partner programs listed above.

10. DOROT Summer Teen Internship Program

Eligibility: All teenagers

Dates: 

• Jewish Summer Teen Internship: June 23 - July 17, 2025, Monday - Thursday 

• Summer Teen Internship: July 22 - August 14, 2025, Monday - Thursday

Location: DOROT, 171 W 85th Street, New York City, NY 10024

Paid? No

How to apply: Online applications are accepted on a rolling basis

DOROT is a social services and community center located in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The nonprofit organization’s goal is to alleviate social isolation among aging adults. Their teen internship programs are intended to build cross-generational connections through a hybrid of in-person and remote volunteering. For example, interns can participate in an online intergenerational knitting circle!

Students can also earn community service hours through these programs, gaining practical experience that benefits their communities and enhances their college applications.

11. Apollo Theatre Academy Internship Program

Eligibility: Current 11th-grade students (who will be rising seniors following the internship) who live in New York City

Dates: Five weeks from July to August (2025 dates TBD)

Location: The Apollo Theater: ​​253 W 125th St, New York, NY

Paid? Yes

How to Apply: Online applications open soon (the 2025 deadline had not been announced at the time of writing)

Harlem’s Apollo Theater is a legendary music hall and entertainment venue that hosts iconic acts from around the world. In addition to their lineup of touring musicians, comedians, and other performers, their famous “Amateur Night” shows are where emerging artists have made their starts for decades. The 17-year-old Ella Fitzgerald won the first Apollo Amateur Night on November 21, 1934, for example.

If you’re interested in working in the arts industry and prefer to contribute your talents from behind the scenes, the Apollo offers two high school internships that may interest you. Their technical stage production internship teaches students how to run a show from the technical side, including lighting design, audio engineering, and stage management. Alternatively, their administrative offices also welcome high school interns interested in arts administration (development, event planning, communications, marketing, etc.).

These internships are part of a structured summer program designed to enhance practical skills, provide networking opportunities, and facilitate career readiness through various activities during the summer months.

How Does a High School Student Ask for an Internship?

Reaching out to adults and asking them to help you (including in the form of an internship) can feel intimidating. Don’t let that hold you back! Most people who are passionate about their work are actually really excited to learn that someone, especially a young person, is interested in what they do. Sending a polite, concise, and curious note via email is a great way to start a conversation with a potential professional connection.

Tips on Networking, E-Mail Etiquette, and Cover Letters

Each of the internship opportunities listed above has its own separate application process. However, if there is someone at the organization whose work is particularly interesting to you, and their email address is publicly available, it can’t hurt to send them a note. You could introduce yourself and then simply confirm whether their office is participating in the internship program this year. There’s no guarantee they’ll respond, but keeping things short and simple makes it more likely that they’ll take a minute to send you a reply. 

When it comes to writing formal cover letters, quality is more important than quantity. That goes for the number of words and the number of applications. Keep your cover letters to between 300 and 400 words, and don’t bite off more than you can chew with how many applications you send. There are a lot of exciting internships for high schoolers in New York City; sending strong cover letters to three or four of those opportunities will yield better results than sending average applications to ten or eleven. Strong cover letters from high schoolers demonstrate enthusiasm, curiosity, preparedness, and commitment.

Finding and Applying for Internships

Finding and applying for internships can be a daunting task, but with the right strategies, NYC high school students can increase their chances of success. Here are some tips for finding and applying for internships:

• Start early: Begin searching for internships at least 2-3 months in advance to ensure that you can apply for every position you want.

• Network: Talk to teachers, counselors, and professionals in your desired field to learn about internship opportunities and get recommendations.

• Utilize online resources: Websites such as Idealist, Internships.com, and LinkedIn can help you search for internships and connect with organizations.

• Tailor your application materials: Customize your resume and cover letter for each internship application, highlighting relevant skills and experiences.

• Practice your interview skills: Prepare for interviews by researching the organization, practicing common interview questions, and preparing thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer.

By following these tips and being persistent, NYC high school students can find and secure internships that align with their interests and career goals. Taking the time to prepare and apply thoughtfully can make all the difference in landing a valuable internship experience.

What Do I Need to Get an Internship in High School?

If you’re a high school student applying for an internship at a New York City law firm, you don’t need to have previous experience as a lawyer. Employers are looking to hire high school interns who are prepared to learn (i.e., who have taken several relevant classes in school and who have good GPAs) and who will come to the internship every day, reliably on time, with consistent energy and curiosity. In short, they are looking for high school students who will be nice to work with (e.g., who communicate clearly and concisely) and who will benefit the most from the experience. To explore some of the best opportunities, check out this guide on high school summer internships. If you're specifically interested in law, here’s a resource on law career path internships for high school students to help you get started.

One of the ways that you can demonstrate your curiosity and commitment when applying for an internship is by highlighting your extracurricular activities. If possible, mention any projects or activities in which you successfully navigated working with a team or with a mentor. If you are working on or have completed independent projects outside of school, such as a Polygence project, be sure to mention those as well. 

Leveraging Internships with Polygence

Working on and completing a project through the Polygence Core Program is a great way to stand out when applying to internships in New York City. Several of the internships mentioned above are also research programs. While previous research experience is not required, it can help you stand out when applying. The depth of a research project, combined with the first-hand experience you gain from an internship, can also prepare you for success in college and beyond.

If you’re interested in exploring a hands-on research project that is flexible and personal, think about Polygence. With our roster of mentors posted at top research universities and institutes throughout the country, we can connect you with a 1 on 1 research mentor. Your mentor will guide you (via online video sessions) through the process of conducting original, meaningful research on the specific topic that you are passionate about. Learn more about our Research Mentorship Program!