Top 10 STEM Internships for High School Seniors in 2025

Do you think internships are just for college students? Nope. In 2025, high school seniors can get real technical roles in places such as federal labs or major research centers. If you're pursuing engineering, computer science, biotech, environmental science, or any area in STEM, then these opportunities can transform your college application. And with Kollegio, you can track experiences, refine your essay, and enhance your Activities section, making sure your college application is in the best shape. Ready to see how deep your passion can go before you're even in college?

Here are top 10 Internships for high school seniors in 2025:

1. NASA OSTEM Internships

NASA OSTEM internship is for 8–10 weeks at NASA centers all across the US.
Interns working on real projects in aerospace, robotics, environmental science, or mission communications with the guidance of professional mentors.
This is open to U.S. students aged 16+ that have a 3.0+ GPA.
The deadline for Summer 2025 deadline is February 28.

2. Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP)

SEAP is a paid 8 week program in Navy R&D labs focusing on cybersecurity, robotics, materials science, and more.
Open to U.S. students that are aged 16+.
First year interns earn $4,000 and returning interns earn $4,500.
Applications open November 1st.

3. Idaho National Laboratory High School Internship

Idaho National Laboratory High School Internship is a paid summer program that is 6–8 weeks at DOE’s nuclear energy and cybersecurity research hub.
Interns work on real world projects under INL scientists.
This is open to U.S. citizens/permanent residents, 16+ with a 3.0+ GPA.
The application deadline is February 28.

4. NSA High School Work Study Program

NSA High School Work Study Program is a part-time or summer internship in technical fields at NSA in different areas such as computer science, engineering, and graphics.
Open to U.S. juniors and seniors age 16+.
This covers pay and security clearance.

5. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab High School Summer Internship

Princeton Plasma Physics Lab High School Summer Internship is from June 30 to August 1, 2025 involving work on plasma physics, fusion energy, or computational modeling in the U.S. DOE national lab.
Interns are high school seniors, 16+, U.S. citizens or residents, and work full time under staff scientists.

6. Johns Hopkins APL ASPIRE Internship

ASPIRE is an unpaid 10 week internship at the Applied Physics Laboratory working with cybersecurity, systems engineering, and defense tech.
This is open to high school juniors and seniors that are at least 15 years old by June 1st and have a minimum 2.8 GPA.

7. MITRE High School R&D Internship

There are paid internships with projects in AI, cybersecurity, biotech, and systems analysis under professional mentorship.
These are open to motivated high school seniors.

8. NASA GISS Climate Research Internship

In this internship, interns work on Earth science, climate modeling, and data analysis at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
This opportunity is open to U.S. juniors and seniors with a 3.0+ GPA.

9. AFRL High School Internship

AFRL is a paid eight week summer internship at the Air Force Research Laboratory that includes aerospace, avionics, or materials research under scientist mentorship.
Open to U.S. juniors and seniors.

10. Fred Hutch SHIP High School Internship

An eight week paid internship that is designed for students that are underrepresented in biomedical sciences.
This internship focused on cancer biology, immunotherapy, and data science.
Open to rising seniors.
It includes lab training, seminars, presentations, and more.

Why These Internships Matter

Real Projects are Real Skills

These roles involve actual engineering, research, and development, not shadowing or fluff. You're doing work that contributes to real teams.

Extended Engagement Shows Commitment

Internships range from six weeks to a full summer, showing colleges your ability to stay deep and stick with challenges.

Mentorship Builds Strong Recommendations

A recommendation from a NASA engineer, NSA analyst, or DOE scientist carries more weight than a regular school reference.

Story Worthy Experiences

These roles create amazing stories that are perfect for your essays, interviews, and resume.

Make it a College App Move

Here's how to use these experiences to turn your college application into gold with Kollegio:

Activities Section: Be specific, “NASA OSTEM intern; designed Mars rover algorithm using Python; presented findings to center researchers.”
Essays: Pick a moment of failure or challenge from your internship and show how you tackled it, like debugging a robotic script or analyzing data.
Recommendations: Ask your mentor for a letter that highlights your drive and how you contributed.
School Match: Kollegio can suggest colleges strong in your internship field such as aerospace or cybersecurity.
Stay Organized: Track deadlines, drafts, and submissions for college applications in one place.

Conclusion

These 10 internships aren’t just filler for your resume, they're your ticket to valued STEM work before college. You'll gain skills, connections, and stories that show you’re not just interested in STEM. Pair these with a thoughtful college application with help from Kollegio, written in essays, and backed up by strong recommendations, and you’ve got a standout application. 2025 could be the time you change your future, everything is in your hands.

By Uzair Nasir