Real physics research internships for high schoolers are rare. Most university labs only take undergraduates, and the few programs built for younger students are usually limited to one school district or one country. So before you spend hours on applications, it helps to know which programs you can actually get into. Here are five of the best-known physics and astronomy opportunities, with the real eligibility catch on each one.
1. Caltech Summer Research Connection (SRC)
- Location: Caltech, Pasadena, California
- Who can apply: Only students enrolled in a Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) high school. This is the catch. SRC is a local pipeline, not a national program. If you are not in PUSD, you cannot apply.
- Format: A six-week summer program that places high schoolers and their teachers in Caltech labs across physics, astronomy, chemistry, materials science, and planetary science.
- Deadline: Spots usually fill by early spring. PUSD students apply through Caltech’s CTLO outreach office.
- Cost: Free.
2. MIT Haystack Observatory REU
- Location: Westford, Massachusetts
- Who can apply: This is an undergraduate program (Research Experiences for Undergraduates). The one opening for younger students: if you have already graduated high school and been accepted to college but have not started yet, you can apply for the summer before your freshman year. Current high schoolers are not eligible.
- Format: A summer research internship in radio astronomy and atmospheric science, working with Haystack’s radio telescopes and real observational data.
- Dates: Roughly early June to early August 2026.
- Deadline: February 1, 2026.
- Cost: Paid.
Looking for options you can start on now? See our full list of the top physics summer research programs for high schoolers.
3. NASA OSTEM Internships
- Location: NASA centers across the United States, plus some remote roles
- Who can apply: U.S. citizens, at least 16 years old, full-time high school students with a minimum 3.0 GPA. This is the most genuinely open option on the list for American students.
- Format: Hands-on work on real NASA projects in space science, astronomy, and engineering, paired with a NASA mentor. Three sessions a year: Fall and Spring (16 weeks) and Summer (10 weeks).
- Deadline: Rolling. One application at intern.nasa.gov feeds every center, so apply early.
- Cost: Paid. Stipends depend on your level and session length (high school stipends have run around $2,400).
4. CERN High-School Students Internship Programme (HSSIP)
- Location: CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
- Who can apply: Students aged 16 to 19 who are nationals of a participating CERN Member State. The catch for most readers: the program runs country by country in national languages, and the United States is not a CERN Member State, so U.S. students are not eligible. Early participating countries included Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Norway, and Portugal, with more Member States added over time.
- Format: A two-week, fully funded stay (travel, housing, and meals covered) with workshops, technical demonstrations, and tours inside the lab that runs the Large Hadron Collider.
- Deadline: Set by each participating country. Check your national programme page.
- Cost: Free and fully funded.
5. CERN Beamline for Schools (BL4S)
- Location: A real particle-physics beamline at CERN (recent winners have also run experiments at DESY in Germany)
- Who can apply: Teams of high school students from anywhere in the world. This is the CERN option that is open to U.S. students. Teams need at least five students plus an adult coach, and each student must be 16 or older when the proposal is submitted.
- Format: A worldwide competition. Your team designs a particle-physics experiment, then submits a written proposal and a short video. Winning teams travel to CERN to actually run their experiment on a real beamline.
- Deadline: Annual, usually in the spring. The 2026 round has closed, so aim for the next edition and check the official site for dates.
- Cost: Free to enter. Travel and accommodation are covered for winning teams.
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The bottom line
Formal physics internships are hard to land in high school, and most of the big-name labs either want undergraduates or limit applicants by location. If you are a U.S. high schooler, NASA OSTEM is your most realistic lab internship, and Beamline for Schools is the best way to get hands-on at CERN. If neither fits, summer research programs are usually easier to get into than formal lab internships. We break down the strongest ones in our guide to the 50 best STEM summer programs.
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