Pre-Med Internships You Can Apply To and How to Choose One

Yes, college students can apply to many pre-med internships, and they fall into five groups. There are national research programs such as the NIH Summer Internship Program, hospital clinical internships such as Northwestern Medicine’s paid program and Project Healthcare at Bellevue, medical school summer programs such as UCLA PREP, paid summer research at Mayo Clinic, St. Jude or CHOP and programs abroad such as IMA’s own. The directory below lists 22 of them with who can apply, what you do, pay or cost and the next application window.

Those distinctions matter because eligibility can depend on your year in college, citizenship or immigration status and GPA. Programs may pay you, cost nothing or charge a fee, and a summer spent observing patient care serves a different purpose from one spent conducting laboratory research. Most posted summer 2027 application windows run from October or November 2026 to early February 2027, so you may need to prepare while classes are underway. An internship is one part of what the pre-med track involves, alongside coursework, the MCAT and experiences that help you test your interest in medicine.

Pre-Med Internship Options in Brief

• The directory covers 22 programs in five groups: national and federal opportunities, hospital clinical programs, medical school summer programs, research internships and an international option.
• Most listed research programs pay approximately $5,000 to $7,200 for about 10 weeks, and several also provide housing or travel support.
• Most summer 2027 applications open in October or November 2026 and close by early February 2027, although some programs have not posted their next dates.
• SHPEP held its final cohort in summer 2026 after 38 years and is no longer an option for future applicants.

National and Federal Internship Programs

National programs are useful when you want a structured research experience without limiting your search to one medical school. The NIH Summer Internship Program places eligible students in full-time basic, translational or clinical research groups, while the NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program combines financial support with summer research and a service obligation. NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates operate at host institutions around the country, with each site setting its own subject focus and eligibility rules.

Every program in this directory is described from its own official page, using details posted for the 2026 or 2027 cycle as of September 2026. Dates can change, so check the program page before applying. Each program name in the tables links to that page.

The NIH SIP is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents enrolled at least half-time, while each REU site establishes its own requirements. The NIH scholarship has narrower financial eligibility and requires paid service at NIH, so compare the commitment rather than treating it as an ordinary summer award. The NIH also maintains a directory of additional summer programs.

One familiar name is missing for a reason. The Summer Health Professions Education Program, often included in older pre-med lists, held its final cohort in summer 2026 after 38 years. It is no longer accepting students. For a broader search, the AAMC maintains a list of summer undergraduate research programs at medical schools and research institutions.

Hospital Clinical Internships

Hospital programs are the strongest match when your main question is whether you understand clinical work and the pace of patient care. They are not interchangeable, however. Northwestern Medicine combines clinical observation with a department project, Project Healthcare is an unpaid emergency department volunteer program and the Vanderbilt and Minneapolis programs combine research with physician contact. Massachusetts General Hospital’s orthopaedic trauma internship includes clinical research and observation across the operating room, emergency room, clinic and inpatient units.

Pay varies: Northwestern Medicine, Vanderbilt and the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation pay interns, while Mass General’s internship is unpaid and Project Healthcare is a free volunteer program.

The table above shows why you should read “clinical” carefully. Project Healthcare provides emergency department rotations and accepts undergraduates, recent graduates, post-baccalaureate students and master’s students from any college without requiring prior clinical experience. Vanderbilt includes weekly rounds but centers on a research project. Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation is cardiovascular clinical research with a physician mentor. These differences affect what you can honestly say you learned.

Before choosing, decide whether you need observation, patient-facing service or research connected to patient care. Also check how an opportunity fits into your broader plan for the clinical hours medical schools expect. An internship can contribute meaningful exposure, but it is not required by every medical school and does not guarantee admission. The companion guide to internships that make a real difference on applications looks at how admissions committees view them.

Medical School Summer Programs for Pre-Meds

Medical school summer programs may combine research with application preparation, mentoring or case-based learning. UCLA PREP is a free enrichment program for eligible students from disadvantaged backgrounds and pays a $1,000 completion stipend. Weill Cornell’s fellowship combines faculty-mentored laboratory or clinical research with admissions sessions and an opportunity to shadow. UChicago PSOMER is intended for students who live or attend college in the Chicago area and includes basic science or clinical research.

These programs are built for students who have already decided on medicine, and each sets specific eligibility rules: year in school, background, GPA and, at UChicago, where you live or study.

All three listed 2026 deadlines have passed. Their dates can help you estimate when the next cycle may appear, but they are not 2027 deadlines. Check the official pages for new dates rather than assuming the schedule will repeat.

Your college year may determine which option is realistic. UCLA PREP focuses on third- and fourth-year students, community college students and certain recent graduates. Weill Cornell primarily targets juniors while also allowing eligible seniors applying to medical school and post-baccalaureate students. UChicago accepts rising sophomores through seniors who meet its coursework and local-area requirements. A first-year student should therefore broaden the search instead of relying only on programs hosted by medical schools.

Paid Summer Research at Medical Centers

Paid research internships are a practical choice if you want sustained experience developing a question, working with data or conducting laboratory or clinical research. Most of the research programs below pay approximately $5,000 to $7,200 for around 10 weeks, and several add housing. The research itself varies substantially: Penn UCSP concentrates on clinical and epidemiologic research, MD Anderson offers cancer research tracks and UT Southwestern SURF is specifically designed for students preparing for PhD or MD-PhD careers. Some add structured professional development too: Baylor SMART pairs its research projects with research and professional development seminars.

Where these summer internship programs have posted 2027 dates, applications open in October or November 2026 and close between February 1 and February 3, 2027.

The table above also shows that paid does not always mean your living costs are covered. CHOP, NYU, St. Jude, UT Southwestern and Memorial Sloan Kettering provide housing or cover it under stated conditions. Mayo pays a $6,000 stipend, and Magee-Womens pays hourly but does not cover housing. Compare the value left after rent, travel and local transportation, not just the headline stipend.

Research may suit you if you enjoy investigating uncertain questions, working through unsuccessful results and explaining evidence. It does not need to be wet-lab work. The AAMC guide to getting research experience says research can occur in scientific, clinical, humanities and social science settings. The AAMC also says most accepted applicants have some academic or clinical research when they apply, which gives context for planning your own research experience for medical school. It does not mean every student needs the same amount or type.

Eligibility deserves close attention if you are early in college or studying in the United States on a visa. Mayo requires completion of sophomore year, and CHOP does not accept first-year students. UT Southwestern accepts science majors who have completed freshman year and permits F-1 visa holders. Memorial Sloan Kettering permits F-1 and J-1 students who meet its academic and prior-research expectations. Many other programs restrict eligibility to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Pre-Med Internships Abroad

International Medical Aid, the publisher of this page, offers its own fee-based pre-med internships abroad in Kenya and Peru. The program includes physician shadowing and clinical rotations under supervision as well as community outreach. Kenya placements run year-round for two to 12 weeks. Fees start at $3,995 and cover housing, meals and in-country transportation, while airfare and visas are extra.

Compare it with the other programs as an option you pay for, not as paid work: the fee buys supervised clinical exposure abroad, housing and meals.

Clear boundaries matter in any international clinical setting. AAMC shadowing guidelines say a student observer should never diagnose disease, administer medication, suture, perform surgery or give medical advice. In a 2016 AAMC survey of medical school admissions officers, 45% to 50% of responding schools regarded applicant participation in invasive procedures abroad as harmful or of no value, and 35% to 40% held that concern even when a health professional supervised. Your role should be to observe and learn, not perform procedures reserved for trained professionals.

Choosing the Right Pre-Med Internship

Compare Paid, Free and Fee-Based Options

A paid program can make a full-time summer possible if you cannot afford to volunteer, but the stipend only tells part of the story. Check whether housing is included, whether you must relocate and whether travel will consume a large share of your pay. A free volunteer program such as Project Healthcare charges no participation fee but is unpaid. A fee-based international program requires a different budget because you pay to participate and may also need airfare and visas.

Choose Clinical Exposure or Research for a Reason

Choose clinical exposure if you need to understand how physicians communicate, make decisions and work within a care team. Shadowing remains observational, while volunteering or employment may involve other responsibilities within the boundaries of your training. If you are planning physician observation, compare the role with guidance on shadowing hours for medical school.

Choose research if you enjoy scientific questions or are considering academic medicine, a PhD or an MD-PhD. Clinical research can connect your work to patient outcomes, while laboratory research may give you more experience with experimental methods. CHOP is unusual among the listed research programs because every research track offers clinical shadowing, but you should not assume other research internships include patient observation.

Focus on Depth Rather Than Collecting Programs

In the same 2016 AAMC survey, 73% of responding medical schools highly recommended or required an experience in which applicants could observe and learn about clinical practice. The same survey found that schools valued what applicants gained more than the raw number of hours. Current AAMC Aspiring Docs guidance similarly emphasizes quality, sustained commitment and the ability to explain how an experience shaped your motivation for medicine.

The 2025 AAMC Matriculating Student Questionnaire provides context rather than a formula. Among respondents entering U.S. MD-granting schools, 54.5% reported a college laboratory research apprenticeship, 95.5% had shadowed and 90.1% had volunteered in health care. The survey represented 64.8% of 2025 matriculants, and these group results do not predict any individual applicant’s admission.

Your internship should fit into a coherent set of extracurricular activities for medical school. Ask what you will learn, whether you can commit reliably and whether the role fills a genuine gap in your understanding. An impressive program name cannot replace thoughtful engagement or a clear account of what the experience meant.

Application Timeline for Summer 2027

Most summer 2027 windows open in the fall, so plan from the dates each program has posted. One pre-health advising director quoted by the AAMC identifies December through February as the best period to apply for summer research, and the listed 2027 windows support beginning even earlier for several programs.

October 2026

UT Southwestern SURF opens October 1, NIH SIP opens October 13 and Baylor SMART opens October 15. Use early October to finalize a resume, identify recommenders and review each program’s eligibility before you invest time in essays.

November 2026

Mayo SURF and St. Jude POE open November 1, Memorial Sloan Kettering opens November 2 and Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation opens November 6. MD Anderson plans to open its 2027 applications in mid-November, while Magee-Womens says its application will open in late fall.

December 2026

Continue submitting research applications and monitor programs that have not announced 2027 dates. Northwestern Medicine’s previous cycle ran from December 5 to December 26, 2025 for summer 2026, which indicates when its next announcement may be worth watching without establishing a 2027 deadline.

January 2027

Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation closes January 3 and NIH SIP closes January 26. NSF REU deadlines commonly fall between January and March, but each site sets its own date. UChicago PSOMER’s 2026 deadline was January 30, so watch its page for a new cycle rather than reusing that past date.

February 2027

St. Jude, UT Southwestern, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Vanderbilt list February 1 deadlines. Mayo closes February 3. Weill Cornell’s previous deadline was February 2, 2026; its 2027 date has not been posted yet.

Do not wait for every program to open before asking for recommendations. Create a calendar that separates confirmed 2027 dates from older reference dates, then check the official page before each submission.

Applying and Making Your Interest Clear

Five Steps for a Named Program

1. Confirm eligibility: college year, citizenship or visa status, GPA, prerequisite courses and whether you can commit to the full program. A strong essay cannot overcome a rule that excludes first-year students.

2. Put each opening and closing date from the timeline above on your calendar.

3. Ask for recommendation letters early. Vanderbilt and UT Southwestern each ask for two, and NIH reference letters are due February 2, 2027, a week after its application closes.

4. Write a personal statement that says what you want to learn and why the program fits; Vanderbilt, for example, asks how the program will help your professional goals.

5. Send transcripts (Vanderbilt and UT Southwestern accept unofficial copies) and recheck the program page before you submit.

Finding Research Outside a Named Program

For research roles outside structured programs, the same AAMC guide recommends emailing faculty with a formal introduction, evidence that you understand their research and a specific request. A brief follow-up or a conversation during office hours can help when an initial email is overlooked. Ask what the lab expects from undergraduates, including weekly hours, full-time summer work, work-study status or research-credit enrollment.

Use your college’s undergraduate research pages, faculty biographies and laboratory websites to identify possibilities. Tell science professors, your academic advisor and your prehealth advisor that you want to assist with a project. Career centers and student employment offices may know about paid and unpaid positions that are not part of a named summer program.

Keeping Records and Letters

Once you begin an experience, record dates, hours and your supervisor’s contact information; the guide to volunteer hours for medical school shows how AMCAS asks for them. AMCAS permits up to 15 Work/Activities entries and advises applicants to include significant experiences because quality matters more than quantity. Keep a journal about specific observations, questions and moments of growth so you can later explain the experience accurately rather than relying on vague memories.

After a positive shadowing experience, send the physician a thank-you note. AAMC guidance also recommends asking promptly for a recommendation letter if the experience went well and writing down what you learned. The point is not to collect a letter from every supervisor. It is to maintain professional relationships with people who have actually seen your reliability and engagement.

What to Do Without an Internship

Not receiving an internship does not mean the summer is lost. The same AAMC Aspiring Docs page identifies hospice volunteering, CNA work, volunteer EMT service, hospital scribing and caring for an ill family member as other ways to gain clinical exposure. A 2016 survey also found that 87% of responding medical schools accepted alternatives to shadowing such as clinical volunteering, EMT work, scribing, clinical research, CNA work or medical assistant work.

Choose an option you can sustain. AAMC volunteering guidance recommends finding at least one health care role, but it also advises choosing work that genuinely interests you rather than doing something only because it might look good.

Paid work may be more realistic than a full-time unpaid program. According to the AAMC, a hospital scribe is usually a paid emergency department role that helps a physician gather information and document care. If that fits your schedule, review what is involved in becoming a medical scribe. CNA training is another possible route and generally runs from four to sixteen weeks through community colleges, vocational schools and the Red Cross.

Research does not need to come through a national summer competition. The faculty outreach described above works during the school year as well as the summer, and the AAMC notes that research positions can be part-time or full-time, on or off campus.

Recent graduates can also use time before medical school for clinical work, service or research. Among 2025 AAMC questionnaire respondents who had at least one year between college and medical school, 49.5% reported working or volunteering in research during that period. If you are considering that route, compare gap year options based on what you need to learn or strengthen, not simply whether an activity carries the word “internship.”

Your Next Step Toward a Strong Summer

Choose a small group of programs that match your eligibility, budget and learning goal, then separate confirmed deadlines from dates that have not yet been announced. Apply broadly enough to protect your summer plans, but keep volunteering, local research and paid clinical work as meaningful alternatives. The right next step is the one you can pursue responsibly, discuss honestly and connect to your growing understanding of medicine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are There Internships for Pre-Med Students?

Yes. College students can apply to named programs in hospital observation, clinical volunteering, laboratory or clinical research, medical school enrichment and supervised international shadowing. Eligibility varies by college year, citizenship or visa status, GPA and prior experience, so no single program fits every pre-med student.

Are Internships Good for Pre-Med Students?

They can be, when the work helps you understand medicine, research or patient care and you can explain what you learned. AAMC guidance emphasizes depth, sustained commitment and quality over simply accumulating hours. An internship is not required for every medical school and does not guarantee admission.

Do Pre-Med Internships Pay?

Some pay, some are unpaid and some charge a fee. Listed research stipends range from approximately $5,000 to $7,200 for many programs lasting about 10 weeks, while several include housing. Project Healthcare is a free but unpaid volunteer program, and IMA’s international program is fee-based.

What Should Pre-Med Students Do Over the Summer?

Choose an experience that addresses a real learning goal. Options include clinical observation, health care volunteering, paid clinical employment, faculty research or a structured summer program. If an internship does not work out, a sustained local role can still provide meaningful experience.

What Jobs Can a Pre-Med Student Do?

Pre-med students can consider paid scribe, CNA or research roles when they meet the employer’s requirements. The AAMC describes hospital scribing as usually paid emergency department work, while CNA training commonly lasts four to sixteen weeks. Research jobs may be on or off campus and full-time or part-time.

Where Can I Find Pre-Med Internships Near Me?

Start with your prehealth advisor, undergraduate research office, science department, career center and hospital volunteer offices. Review faculty biographies and laboratory pages, tell professors you want to help with research and contact hospitals or clinics directly a few weeks before you hope to begin. The AAMC list of summer research programs and the tables above also sort programs by city.

Are There Pre-Med Internships in New York, Chicago or Dallas?

Yes. New York options in this directory include Project Healthcare, Weill Cornell, NYU SURP and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Chicago options include Northwestern Medicine and UChicago PSOMER. UT Southwestern SURF is in Dallas and is intended for students preparing for PhD or MD-PhD research careers.

When Should I Apply for Summer 2027 Pre-Med Internships?

Begin monitoring applications in October 2026. UT Southwestern, NIH SIP and Baylor open that month, followed by several major research programs in November. Many confirmed deadlines fall between January 3 and February 3, 2027, while NSF REU deadlines commonly extend from January through March.