High school internships can provide a huge benefit to college-bound students in NJ and across the country. According to the consultancy PRISM, 70% of students who attend a top 50 U.S. university (as ranked by U.S. News) have completed at least one internship during high school. Internships help applicants stand out in the admissions process, demonstrating that they’ve explored and validated areas of interest and built hands-on experience in those fields. High schoolers who’ve completed an internship also have a clearer understanding of professional environments and a more complete picture of the career paths available to them. Lastly, participating in a high school internship often makes it easier to secure an internship in college and gain entry into pre-professional organizations, such as finance or pre-law clubs.
How to Find Internships for High School Students in New Jersey
Online search tools and lists are a great place to start the search for a high school internship. For example, StandOutSearch’s database is an outstanding resource for high schoolers interested in engaging in an internship—it’s a comprehensive collection of almost every internship program for high-school-age students in the country and is searchable by a number of filters, including interest area, location, and season. Another great tool for finding an internship is this list of high school internships from MIT Admissions.
Official high school internships are typically extremely competitive and feature a large number of highly qualified applicants vying for just a few in-demand spots. Another option for students is to contact local businesses and organizations and inquire about potential internship opportunities. At the bottom of this article, we offer some valuable tips, best practices, and email templates for developing a cold outreach strategy to help make the prospect of finding an internship or research position less overwhelming.
20 Internships for High School Students in New Jersey
Ages: 15-19
Location: Virtual
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various
StandOut Connect is a program that helps match gifted high school students with top university alumni for internships in their industry of interest. Potential sectors include finance, STEM, medicine, law, arts, and more. Students interview with potential mentors who are leaders and innovators within their area of interest until they are hired for a two-month remote internship. Many students then receive optional return offers to continue with their internship for as long as they would like. StandOut Connect is funded by StandOutSearch, the largest free database for high school internships, which was created with the help of investment from UChicago's Polsky Center for Innovation.
Ages: 15-18
Location: Newark and Camden, NJ
Timeline: Summer, Spring, Fall, or Winter
Deadline: Various
Congressman Cory Booker provides internships to high schoolers in both his Newark and Camden offices. Internships are offered in three sessions: spring, summer, and fall. Interns gain firsthand experience working for one of the nation’s most influential members of Congress while assisting with general office work and constituent-focused tasks like attending local events, tracking opinions on issues, and conducting research.
Ages: Rising Juniors
Location: New Brunswick, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 12, 2024
The Governor’s School of New Jersey in Engineering & Technology is a free, residential, approximately four-week program held at Rutgers University School of Engineering. Participants take academic courses, engage in research and design projects, present a paper at a symposium, and visit local corporations. Students learn about potential career paths, connect with other talented and highly motivated high schoolers and mentors, and foster skills ranging from teamwork to entrepreneurship. This is an extremely competitive program, with only between 15% and 25% of applicants offered admission.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Toms River, NJ
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: Rolling
The Ocean County Historical Society High School Community Service Program is a great opportunity for New Jersey high schoolers interested in history and giving back to their communities. This volunteer position assists with a variety of tasks related to the museum’s day-to-day operation. Volunteers also engage in service projects like inventory and record keeping, assisting with programs, and exhibiting and displaying research. Volunteers build a number of valuable skills and gain a deeper understanding of the career paths available in the “study of history.”
Ages: 15-19
Location: Trenton, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
The Mercer County Student Internship Program is open to high schoolers who live or attend school in Mercer County, New Jersey. Interns take part in a variety of activities that teach new skills, develop existing knowledge and abilities, and explore potential career paths in the public sector. Interns leave the program having gained practical, hands-on, real-world experience, built career readiness, and earned some money—interns are paid.
Ages: Rising Freshmen
Location: Princeton, NJ
Timeline: Sophomore through Senior Year
Deadline: TBD
Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP) Scholars are nurtured throughout their high school career—scholars receive academic support, are challenged to work diligently and at an exemplary level, and are guided through the college admissions and financial aid process. Scholars participate in academic enrichment sessions and cultural excursions during the school year; over the summer, they complete intensive six-and-a-half-week summer institutes at Princeton University.
Ages: Rising Junior
Location: Princeton, NJ
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: TBD
The Princeton Summer Journalism Program is a free program for students from low-income backgrounds interested in pursuing a degree in journalism. Participants explore the connection between journalism and critical social and political events, receive college preparation, and help publish the program’s annual newspaper, The Princeton Summer Journal.
Ages: 16-19
Location: Newark, NJ
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: TBD
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School provides high schoolers the opportunity to intern for a faculty member. Students must arrange the position themselves, contact faculty members, propose a research project, and secure a commitment from a mentor.
Ages: 17-19
Location: Camden, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: May 15, 2025
Coriell Summer Experience for Students is a paid four-week program that allows students to participate in day-to-day research activities, receive support from mentors, and gain firsthand experience working with cutting-edge equipment and technology. Participants can follow one of two paths, pursuing either a Production Laboratory experience or a Research and Development experience. Both pathways culminate with students presenting what they learned to Coriell staff and their peers.
Ages: Rising Juniors and Seniors
Location: Various
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
Partners in Science pairs high schoolers with demonstrated potential in STEM with mentors in the science, health, and medical fields. Participants immerse themselves in research, gaining hands-on experience in a college or university lab, growing their network of professional skills, and developing their science and communication skills. Participants receive a stipend upon successfully completing the program.
Ages: Rising Juniors and Seniors
Location: New Brunswick, NJ
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: February 23, 2025
The Rutgers Youth Enjoy Science (RUYES) program introduces students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences to careers in cancer research and healthcare. This is a two-year program in which participants receive professional training during the school year and engage in cutting-edge cancer research in mentor-supervised labs over the summer. The program culminates with students presenting a poster and a 10-minute talk detailing their research experience. Students are paid for their time and may be compensated for other expenses.
Ages: Rising Juniors and Seniors
Location: Nutley, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: February 2025
M.I.N.D.S. (Medical Internship Navigating Diversity and Science) is a six-week-long paid internship for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds or backgrounds underrepresented in medicine. Participants explore a variety of medical professions, learn about social determinants of health, and create a research project about health disparities in New Jersey. Participants will also receive CPR/BLS certification and SAT preparation, and visit local healthcare organizations and hospitals.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Newark, NJ
Timeline: Winter and Summer
Deadline: TBD
The Newark Museum of Art’s Explorers Teen Program helps participants build college, career, and life readiness through the museum’s collections, resources, and staff. The program lasts three to four years, with participants committing to six hours a week after school during the academic year, five hours per week over the summer, and devoting 25 hours to community service annually. Participants in this NJ program reap a number of benefits, including attending workshops in fields ranging from STEM to financial literacy, receiving SAT prep, going on field trips and college tours, and attending a gala at the museum.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Newark, NJ
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: Rolling
The Science Medicine and Related Topics (SMART) program is aimed at increasing the interest of economically and educationally disadvantaged students in health-related professions. Students build the skills needed to advance their knowledge of science while being led by NJ-certified science teachers, New Jersey Medical School Faculty, and medical, dental, and graduate students. The SMART program follows a hybrid schedule with sessions held both on Zoom and in person.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Hackensack, NJ
Timeline: Year-round
Deadline: Rolling
The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Student Internship provides high schoolers with a chance to gain real work experience in law enforcement. Students work in a variety of settings, gaining broad exposure to the day-to-day workings of a law enforcement agency and building their skills. Students must be residents of Bergen County to participate in the program.
Ages: 15-19
Location: Ewing Township, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
The New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications and Integration Cell (NJCCIC) offers high schoolers the opportunity to participate in a summer internship. Two tiers of internships are available: a basic internship program for students with an interest in cybersecurity and an advanced program for students with prior cybersecurity experience and an interest in further exploring the field.
Ages: Rising Juniors
Location: Madison, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
The Governor’s School of New Jersey Program in the Sciences (GSNJS) is a prestigious three-week residential program for NJ students with an aptitude and interest in science. The program is held on the campus of Drew University, where participants engage in college-level research, broaden their scientific knowledge, and are exposed to potential career paths in the sciences.
Ages: Juniors and Seniors
Location: Various
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: January 15, 2025
The Bank of America Student Leaders program offers high schoolers the chance to participate in eight-week paid internships. Students are paired with nonprofits like Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Habitat for Humanity, where they gain hands-on experience and learn valuable civic, social, and business leadership skills. The program culminates with an all-expenses-paid trip to a one-week, in-person summit in Washington, D.C., where students gather to further develop their leadership abilities. The Bank of America Student Leaders program is offered in nearly 100 communities nationwide and includes a number of New Jersey communities.
Ages: 16-19
Location: Piscataway, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: TBD
The Waksman Institute Summer Experience (WISE) is a two-week, non-residential program that provides high school students the chance to engage in an authentic research program in molecular biology and bioinformatics. Under the guidance of Rutgers faculty, students participate in seminars, conduct lab work to purify and analyze DNA fragments, analyze gene sequences, and submit their vetted DNA sequence analysis for publication on GenBank—the international repository of DNA sequences.
Ages: Graduating Seniors
Location: Princeton, NJ
Timeline: Summer
Deadline: March 1, 2025
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) provides a limited number of summer internships to graduating high school seniors. Interns work on a project with research or engineering staff for 8-10 weeks. The program is aimed at highly motivated students and it’s recommended applicants have taken courses in physics, chemistry, advanced math, and engineering, along with having experience in computer languages such as Python and Java.
Cold Outreach Strategy for High School Internships
If none of the internships listed above catch your interest, the next step to finding a NJ high school internship is to develop a cold outreach strategy. Some students can find this intimidating; however, the guide below should make it considerably easier and less stressful. Keep in mind that students should exercise caution when reaching out to professionals they don’t know—it’s safest to interview and meet virtually.
How to Find Companies to Reach Out to for a High School Internship
Small companies are a great target for high schoolers interested in securing an internship. Smaller companies often don’t have the resources of their larger counterparts and are frequently shorthanded, making them willing to take on high-school-age interns. LinkedIn is an excellent resource for locating small NJ companies. Students can use LinkedIn to learn about the company and see if they share any connections, and the site provides an easy method to connect with decision-makers.
How to Find Professors to Reach Out to for a High School Research Position
Online university staff directories are an excellent asset to high school students looking for professors to contact for research opportunities. High schoolers assisting with in-person research often help with hands-on lab work, such as washing beakers or running equipment.
Remote research positions are challenging to secure, although some fields, like computational research, are well-suited to remote positions. Computational research commonly requires at least a basic knowledge of Python or R for handling large datasets. Fortunately, free resources like Coursera’s R Programming Course or Python for Everybody make it possible for students to learn Python or R on their own in just a few months.
Email Templates for Finding a High School Internship
If you’re unsure how to structure your outreach emails to potential internship providers, below are a few basic templates you can customize to your needs.
Template for Finding an Internship
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Mr./Ms.____,
I hope you’re having a wonderful day! My name is [Your Name], and I am a rising [grade/year] at [your school] in New Jersey. I came across your company on LinkedIn and found your work interesting, especially in [specific aspect of the company’s work that interests you]. I’m passionate about [your area of interest] and think I can be a valuable asset to your company. For example, [briefly explain how their work relates to your interests or experience].
I wanted to inquire if you are currently offering any internship opportunities. I know I could learn a great deal working with you, and I am eager to contribute in any way I can. I’ve attached my resume for your reference. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Template for Finding a Research Position
Subject: Student Reaching Out
Dear Professor/Dr. ____,
I hope you’re having a great day! My name is [Your Name], and I am a rising [grade/year] at [Your School] in New Jersey. I recently came across your paper on [restate the abstract] in [name of publication] and was particularly intrigued by [specific aspect of the paper].
I was wondering if you might have any summer internship opportunities. I’m passionate about [field/subject], have experience in [briefly mention skills, projects, or coursework], and am eager to learn more.
I have attached my resume here. Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Conclusion
Persistence is a valuable quality when trying to secure a high school internship or research opportunity, no matter if it’s an established position or pursuing a cold outreach strategy. While obtaining these positions is challenging, the rewards are substantial—most notably, they bolster college admissions odds and can kickstart a career.
If you found this article helpful, make sure to bookmark it for future reference or share it with a friend in New Jersey who might benefit from it as well. Best of luck in your internship search!