College Programs

Summer Internships for College Students

Canary CREST Program

The Canary Center at Stanford is dedicated to early cancer detection research. As part of its efforts to train the next generation of scientists, the Canary CREST Program offers paid and unpaid 10-week summer internships for undergraduate students.

Developmental Biology Community College Outreach Program (CCOP) 

The Community College Outreach Program (CCOP) aims to advance diversity in STEM and reach out to the local communities by providing hands-on research opportunities and career mentoring to students at community colleges. In the research track, we place students into Stanford Biosciences labs and pair them with experienced mentors for a paid ten-week research program. Our goal is to provide students with a direct and holistic exposure to laboratory life as well as an impetus to apply to graduate school. In the mentorship track, community college students are paired with one-on-one mentors, graduate students or postdocs at Stanford, to guide the students through their career planning. In parallel, students participate in an eight-week long bootcamp with weekly workshops and allocated writing sessions. The bootcamp provides students with essential resources for college transfer, internship, and scholarship applications, and hands-on mentoring focused on crafting application documents.

Stanford Data Science Mentoring

The Data Science Mentoring program pairs undergraduate students of varied backgrounds with Stanford graduate students for online, one-on-one mentorship in data science. Participants receive coaching in planning their course of studies, advice on navigating internship opportunities, and preparing applications, as well as tutoring in some aspects of data science. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in mini-research projects, depending on their interests and experience level. Participation is open to any and all undergraduate students from institutions participating in Carnegie Math Pathways programs, or other undergraduates from non-R1 institutions.

Leadership Education for Aspiring Physicians (LEAP)

Leadership Education for Aspiring Physicians (LEAP) is a project-based seminar series designed for Bay Area premedical students seeking structured leadership development while improving community health and wellness.  Successful participants will develop, implement, and evaluate community-directed projects aimed at improving health outcomes for a community of their choosing. Participants attend monthly seminars and working sessions between October and June, concluding with a capstone project that emphasizes health leadership and activism in the domains of service, advocacy, and/or research.

nano@Stanford Community College Internships

nano@stanford offers paid internships for local community college students in the Bay area. Learn how small things are made and seen at the nanoscale and microscale! The nano facilities are used for cutting edge research in areas including electronics, MEMS, optics, physics, biology/biotechnology, medicine, and chemistry. Students will work in a cleanroom or mass spectrometry lab to collect and report data, while working with staff to troubleshoot and maintain our facilities. All training will be provided; no prior background or experience is required.

Science, Technology, and Reconstructive Surgery (STaRS) Summer Internship Program

Each year, the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery hosts 15-30 talented high school and undergraduate students in our research laboratories.  The program is free to participants. STARS interns spend 7 weeks mastering basic lab techniques, participating in research projects, and presenting their work all under the mentorship of experienced researchers. Typically the internship begins in late June and extends to the first week in August, exact dates to be determined. 

Stanford Cancer Research and Careers Undergraduate Program

The Stanford Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society (ACS) are partnering to provide a cancer research internship program. This internship offers a holistic curriculum designed to provide undergraduate students from San Francisco Bay Area schools with the tools and experiences necessary to pursue careers in cancer research. 

SLAC Community College Internship (CCI) Program

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is a world-renowned laboratory with research opportunities in physics, chemistry, materials and environmental sciences, astrophysics, scientific computing, and many engineering fields. SLAC’s summer internship program offers exciting opportunities for community college students seeking to enter technical careers.

The CCI Program is sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science's Office of Workplace Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS). Students selected for internships receive a weekly stipend and housing allowance.

 During the internship, each student works with a mentor on technologies or instrumentation projects, or on research projects supporting SLAC's mission. At the conclusion of the internship, the student writes a research paper and makes a brief presentation on his or her project. Students also participate in a series of lectures focused on professional development, science, and tours. Learn more about the research conducted at SLAC

Stanford Storytelling & Medicine Summer Scholar Program

The Stanford Storytelling & Medicine Summer Scholar Program is an intensive two- or eight-week training experience for students preparing for careers in medicine, medical humanities, and the health professions who want to communicate complex scientific and clinical ideas with clarity, ethical care, and human impact. Scholars participate in workshops and seminars in science communication, narrative medicine, and public-facing storytelling; learn directly from physicians and clinician-scholars who integrate creative practice into clinical and research work; and complete a mentored final project in forms such as nonfiction, podcasting, poetry, visual narrative, or performance. Designed for students who see communication as foundational to good medicine—supporting patient care, collaboration, public trust, and leadership. The program equips future clinicians and scholars with rigorous, creative tools to translate medical knowledge across audiences and contexts.

Stanford Summer Community College Premedical Program (SSCCPP)

SSCCPP is a six-week residential experience for current community college students considered low-income and/or underrepresented in medicine. The program provides exposure to medicine through topics in health disparities, leadership challenges in health provision and administration, science courses, professional development, clinical exposure, the medical school application process, and postsecondary and graduate/professional school financing. There is no fee to participate.

STEM Core Community College Internship Program (Developed by Growth Sector)

Growth Sector is a nonprofit workforce intermediary that has recognized a national need to do more to prepare disadvantaged community college students for economic success in a changing economy. Growth Sector has developed the STEM Core Curriculum in partnership with federally funded labs, community colleges and other national workforce intermediaries and nonprofits to focus on expanding the pipeline of students for engineering and computer science careers. During the internship, each student works with an engineer or scientist on a project related to the Laboratory’s mission. Interns will obtain real-life experience in the laboratory’s machine shops, vacuum shop, light fabrication shops, mechanical and electrical departments, magnet shops, cryogenic facilities, IT and in other areas supporting the research at the lab.  Salaries will be paid either by your Community College or facilitated through Growth Sector.

Summer Research in Geosciences and Engineering (SURGE)

SURGE provides undergraduates (from Stanford and other U.S. institutions) with a mentored research experience in a geoscience or engineering laboratory. This fully funded, eight-week, summer residential program combines a rigorous research assignment with comprehensive training and mentoring. SURGE targets rising undergraduate juniors and seniors.

Unpaid Internships for Non-Stanford Undergraduates

In addition to many formal REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) Programs, it’s possible to find a Stanford lab willing to host an undergraduate from another institution on an informal basis, usually in an unpaid internship. Here are some Tips for Finding an Unpaid Internship.