15 Social Science Internships for High School Students
Internships are a great way for high school students to gain early exposure to professional settings. They help you build practical skills, strengthen your resume, and explore potential majors before college. Completing an internship boosts your resume, setting you apart in the competitive college admissions process as you demonstrate commitment to a specialized area. Internships also develop crucial skills for college, like communication, teamwork, and time management.
For students interested in social sciences like political science, psychology, anthropology, or history, internships can help you see how theory connects to impact, from policy development to community engagement. You can develop skills in quantitative and qualitative research, learning how to analyze data on human behavior and societal trends, policy debates, or community challenges. Many of these opportunities involve research, writing, and collaboration with professionals, which gives you experience rarely offered at the high school level.
In this blog, we’ve narrowed down the 15 best social science internships for high school students. These programs stand out for their rigor, selectivity, or affiliation with respected universities and organizations.
1. UChicago’s DSI Summer Lab: Social Science Track
Location: John Crerar Library at the University of Chicago, Hyde Park campus, IL
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $5,600 stipend
Dates: June 15 – August 7
Application Deadline: January 12
Eligibility: High school students (freshmen through seniors) who live/attend school in the Chicago area
The University of Chicago’s DSI Summer Lab is an eight-week paid research experience where high school students collaborate with mentors on interdisciplinary data-driven projects. As part of the social science track, students apply data science to real-world policy and social issues like climate change, public policy, and human behavior. You will get research experience, practice scientific communication, and present your work at an end-of-summer symposium modeled after a professional conference. Along with research training, you attend speaker sessions and community events, encouraging collaboration and exposure to leading data science experts.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid available / No stipend
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: high school, undergraduates, and gap year students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average, raising over a million dollars. You work closely with your manager at the startup on real-world projects and present their work to the company. The virtual internship is usually eight weeks long and culminates in a final presentation of the work product, and often provides exposure to startup operations, professional mentoring, and company founders.
3. New York Historical Society: Student Historian Internship Program
Location: New York Historical Society, New York, NY
Stipend: $700
Dates: October 29 – June 24, early July through mid-August in the summer
Application Deadline: August 24; summer applications open in February
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10-12 who live in and attend school in the NYC metro area
The Student Historian Internship at The New York Historical Society is an academically rigorous internship offering for high school students to engage in original research, public history, and understand how social change is documented and shared with the public. You'll use The New York Historical Society’s ‘Composite Nation’ exhibition and related works from its permanent collections to investigate how historical ideas continue to shape civic life. You’ll tour exhibitions and meet professionals from fields like history, digital humanities, and museum studies. The program culminates in the creation of digital projects, such as blog posts and online exhibits, which are published on The New York Historical Society’s Teen Blog.
4. The Met High School Internship Program
Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
Stipend: $1,100
Dates: 10 weeks in the summer between July and August
Application Deadline: Typically, early March
Eligibility: High school students who are in grade 10 or 11 and reside in and attend a high school or home school in either New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut | Have not completed another internship at The Met
The Met High School Internship Program offers high school sophomores and juniors from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut the opportunity to explore the professional world of a renowned museum and cultural institution. As an intern, you’ll work alongside museum staff in departments like education, social media, design, imaging, and curation. The program emphasizes professional skill-building and networking through Career Labs. You’ll participate in guided projects under the mentorship of Met professionals, and explore how art connects with history, culture, and social issues. This internship is ideal for students interested in the social dimensions of art and public engagement, along with museum education.
5. Stanford Young Investigators
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Limited honorarium for eligible scholars
Dates: Third Tuesday in June - first Thursday in August
Application Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Students who have completed at least one year of high school | Live and attend school in the San Francisco Bay Area, not further than 25 driving miles from campus
Stanford Young Investigators is an internship opportunity for high school students to work alongside researchers at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Over the summer, you’ll join a Stanford research lab and contribute to ongoing projects in areas like sustainability, energy, environmental science, and the social dimensions of climate change. You work one-on-one with graduate scholars, postdocs, and lab managers, and participate in weekly lab tours, field trips, and guest talks. Social science interns, in particular, explore how human behavior and decision-making affect environmental outcomes. You will help analyze data, support experiments, and contribute to real scientific work instead of participating in a predesigned student project.
6. The Borgen Project: Political Affairs Internship
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None; college credit may be available
Dates: 12 weeks, new programs begin every month; you choose the month you wish to start
Application Deadline: Rolling acceptance
Eligibility: All high school students
The Borgen Project’s Political Affairs Internship offers high school students a 12-week opportunity to explore the intersection of politics, advocacy, and global development. As an intern, you’ll engage policymakers and communities to make poverty reduction a central focus of U.S. and international foreign policy. You will take part in outreach, fundraising, and communication initiatives, including writing to political leaders, organizing local support, and participating in virtual meetings to promote key legislation. The internship emphasizes leadership, civic engagement, and communication skills, making it a good fit for students interested in social science and international relations.
7. NASA GISS Climate Change Research Initiative
Location: Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York City, NY, or Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, or CUNY City College of Technology, New York City, NY
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Stipend paid, exact amount not specified
Dates: Six to eight weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Typically, fall
Eligibility: U.S. high school students aged 16+
NASA’s Climate Change Research Initiative allows high school students to work at the intersection of environmental science and social science, focusing on how climate change research informs policy and human systems. If selected, you and other selected high school and undergraduate interns will join research teams based at the site. Here, you’ll collaborate in a team of graduate students, educators, and NASA researchers to investigate topics such as the urban heat island effect, volcanic emissions, and sea level rise. Throughout the internship, you’ll analyze data, contribute to ongoing research, and help prepare professional presentations and scientific posters. The program concludes with a symposium where interns present their findings, and some projects may even be submitted for publication.
8. The Borgen Project: Nonprofit Leadership Internship
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None; college credit may be available
Dates: 12 weeks, new programs begin every month; you choose the month you wish to start
Application deadline: Rolling acceptance
Eligibility: All high school students
The Borgen Project Nonprofit Leadership Internship is a 12-week, part-time remote internship ideal for high school students interested in leadership, politics, or social impact. Here, you’ll build practical skills in advocacy, fundraising, and nonprofit management. You’ll represent The Borgen Project by meeting with local government officials, community groups, and the media to support poverty-reduction legislation. You’ll run a personal fundraising campaign, contribute to recruitment efforts, and help shape digital outreach strategies. The role offers real-time experience in how nonprofits drive policy change at the grassroots level.
9. Smithsonian Institution - Internships at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Location: Can be done virtually, on-site at Washington, DC, or hybrid
Stipend: $700/week
Dates: Six weeks in the summer to one year
Application Deadline: March 1 for summer; for Fall, Winter, and Spring, completed applications must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the internship's start date
Eligibility: All high school students
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage at the Smithsonian Institution offers internships for students interested in culture, anthropology, and the social sciences. Project areas include folklore, ethnomusicology, linguistics, museum studies, arts administration, and related fields. As an intern, you may assist in research and production for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, or the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives. Other placements involve educational outreach, cultural documentation, or sustainability research. The key learning through this program is how social science is applied in preserving and presenting living traditions.
10. Stanford Science, Humanities, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SHTEM) Internship for High School Students
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Cost/Stipend: No cost, but a $50 application fee is required; need-based fee waivers are available / No stipend
Dates: June 22 – August 14 (dates subject to change)
Application Deadline: Typically, in March
Eligibility: High school juniors or seniors who will be at least 14 years old by June 1
The Stanford SHTEM Internship connects high school students with faculty and staff of the Stanford Compression Forum and its affiliated organizations to explore projects at the intersection of science, technology, and the humanities. You’ll work in small teams of 2–5 students on interdisciplinary research. Projects have spanned fields such as linguistics, psychology, computer science, and design, with recent collaborations introducing students to generative AI and data visualization through Amazon QuickSight. You will spend about 20 – 30 hours a week conducting research and meeting with mentors.
11. Pasquines Internship
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None
Dates: Year–round for indefinite terms
Application Deadline: Rolling acceptance
Eligibility: All high school students
Pasquines offers high school students an opportunity to explore the intersection of politics, communication, and social science through a remote internship. As an intern with this nonprofit news organization, you will research and write about political and public affairs in U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The program helps you to strengthen your analytical and writing skills while learning the connection between journalism and civic engagement. You’ll collaborate with a global team through Slack and Trello, producing articles and digital content that highlight underreported issues in governance and policy. The internship is flexible, with a minimum commitment of two hours per week, and you can apply for college credit.
12. Smithsonian Institution - Spark!Lab Teen Innovators Program
Location: National Museum of American History, Washington, DC
Cost/Stipend: No cost / $2,300 stipend
Dates: July 1 – August 16
Application Deadline: May 9
Eligibility: Current high school student aged 15-17 in the DMV area
The Spark!Lab Teen Innovators Program, hosted by the Lemelson Center at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, invites high school students to explore inventions through the intersection of social science and education. As a Teen Innovator, you’ll work with museum visitors, learning how people engage with ideas and exhibits. You’ll also collaborate with peers on an invention project in one of two areas: historical research and exhibit design, or music history and beat production. You’ll also design solutions to make the museum space more engaging for teens and present your final invention. Alongside these activities, you’ll attend enrichment sessions with guest speakers and museum professionals.
13. The Borgen Project: Social Media/Digital Marketing Internship
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None; college credit may be available
Dates: 12 weeks, new programs begin every month; you choose the month you wish to start
Application Deadline: Rolling acceptance
Eligibility: All high school students
The Borgen Project Social Media/Digital Marketing Internship is a 12-week, part-time remote internship that combines advocacy, communication, and global development. As an intern, you’ll contribute to The Borgen Project’s mission of fighting extreme poverty by creating digital campaigns, conducting market research, pitching stories to media outlets, and developing strategies for online outreach. You will also create and implement a personal fundraising strategy to meet a target goal and to plan, market, and present at an informational meeting to engage the public in the cause.
14. USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future and Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability: High School Summer Internship Program
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None
Dates: June 1 – August 1
Application Deadline: May 19
Eligibility: High school students with a minimum GPA of 3.5; graduating seniors are not eligible
The USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future High School Summer Internship Program is a highly competitive research and policy internship for high school students. Over the summer, you’ll choose a bill related to either environmental policy or sustainability: whether it has passed, stalled, or is still in process. You will then work on two projects: a legislative policy memo and a legislative process analysis. Through this, you’ll learn how real-world political systems shape environmental action and policymaking. If you complete the program successfully, you might have one assignment published online and receive public recognition as an official ‘Summer Research Intern.’
15. American Anthropological Association: Virtual High School Internship
Location: Virtual
Stipend: None
Dates: Multiple 12-week cohorts, including summer, fall, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies as per cohort; Summer: March/April; Fall: July/August; Spring: November/December
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
The American Anthropological Association (AAA) Virtual Internship is a four-week remote program for high school students interested in social science and research. You’ll work about 10 hours a week with the AAA staff to adapt anthropological scholarship for younger audiences. Most interns translate topics like migration and displacement and make them accessible through research summaries, infographics, and short videos. Past projects have explored themes like return migration in Ghana and cultural impacts on health in the Marshall Islands. Alongside your main research project, you’ll also complete a secondary one on accessibility or public education.
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