Landing a Stellar Opportunity: Your Guide to Nailing a NASA Internship

NASA offers over 2,000 students annually the chance to contribute to its mission through hands-on internships with the Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). These internships are not just for STEM majors; NASA needs individuals with diverse skills and knowledge. This article provides valuable advice for students, including high school students, seeking to make their NASA internship applications stand out.

Why a NASA Internship?

A NASA internship is more than just a job; it’s a passion and a lifelong pursuit. It provides a stellar opportunity to launch your future as part of America’s aerospace workforce. Interns gain valuable on-the-job experience, build their resumes, and strengthen their career readiness. NASA interns take on meaningful work and contribute to exciting agency projects with the guidance of a supportive mentor.

Former NASA interns have gone on to achieve great things. Aaron Yazzie, a former intern at JPL, inspires a new generation of Diné scientists and engineers. Clare Luckey, another former intern, was selected as one of Forbes’ 30 under 30. Vivian Li remotely operates NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover. These examples demonstrate the potential impact of a NASA internship.

Dispelling Common Misconceptions

A common misconception is that NASA only offers engineering internships. NASA needs employees with a variety of knowledge and skills. Engineers, mathematicians, scientists, accountants, writers, IT specialists, project managers, program analysts, and many other professionals work together to break barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible. Approximately 25% of Pathways Interns are non-STEM majors. These interns may support a variety of business and program management work, including human resources, administration and program analysis, accounting and budget, communication and public relations, procurement and contracts, information technology, security, and education.

Eligibility and Requirements

To be eligible for a NASA internship, you must typically be a student at a Department of Education accredited college or university with a course of study aligned to NASA’s needs. Educators are also eligible to apply if enrolled as a student. Some high school internships require applicants to be current high school sophomores or juniors, at least 16 years old by the program start date, and U.S. citizens. A strong academic record, particularly in math and science, and a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in STEM are also important. Some programs may accept permanent residents, but opportunities for international students at the high school level are extremely limited. Most NASA internships require a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, though competitive applicants typically have higher GPAs, especially in STEM subjects.

Application Tips to Stand Out

NASA mentors create internship project descriptions, review applications, and take the lead in choosing candidates to work on their specific internship projects. Mentors pay close attention to personal statements to identify the best candidate for their project and team. Here's how to make your application shine:

Highlight Transferable Skills: Even if your prior employment doesn't seem directly relevant, emphasize the skills you learned and utilized that could be transferable to the internship. These skills could include collaboration, leadership, organization, initiative, and creativity.
Craft a Compelling Personal Statement: Mentors are looking for interns who will enjoy the work and fit in with the team culture. Share your curiosity, enthusiasm, passion, or resilience.
Showcase Your Expertise: Mentors love to see what academic expertise and hands-on experience you can bring to the internship project.
Demonstrate Well-Roundedness: Mentors like to see well-rounded candidates whose interests take them beyond their chosen academic and career path. Include any extracurricular activities you participate in, such as a club or team at school or an organization in your community. Whether you’re involved in a local rocketry club, a school athletic team, or a musical ensemble, these pursuits may demonstrate academic skills or soft skills such as collaboration.
Emphasize Valuable Skills: Share the valuable skills that you can bring to an internship project. These could be technical skills, such as experience with specific tools or computer programming languages, and non-technical skills, which may include communications skills or leadership experience.
Don't Self-Select Out: If you have a passion for spaceflight or aviation, it’s worth applying for a NASA internship - even if you’re not a math, science, engineering, or technology major. NASA achieves its exploration goals with the support of a nationwide team with a wide variety of skills: communicators, creatives, business specialists, legal experts, and so many more.
Be Clear and Concise: NASA wants to get to know you and see your story. Your resume is your best opportunity to demonstrate what sets you apart from other applicants.
Originality is Key: NASA prohibits candidates from plagiarizing any portion of their employment application to include responses to questions in which you must provide a narrative response. You must create your own responses originally and not copy or adapt them from other sources. While NASA encourages you to create your narratives with great care, including correct use of grammar and style, you are prohibited from using any artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tool, to include but not limited to ChatGPT. Any information you provide during the application process is subject to verification.
Highlight Diversity: For Pathways Intern positions, NASA is looking for students who are not only captivated with the NASA Vision & Mission, but who are also well-rounded with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. Our commonalities unite us as a team, and our differences strengthen our capabilities as an organization.

Practical Application Tips

Prepare a Draft: Start with a document saved for assistance with a spelling and grammar check. Skills, etc., can then be updated as you move through the application process.
Utilize Your Profile: Your profile can now be utilized in each opportunity so you only have to enter this information once.
List Skills and Experiences: List all computer, technical, soft skills and experiences applicable to the opportunity. List self-taught skills and hobbies. List any past participation in NASA of Space Grant funded programs.
Complete the "Why You Want to Be a NASA Intern" Section: Complete the “Why you want to be a NASA Intern” with a compelling argument. What can you bring to the table for NASA, What makes you unique?
Upload Supporting Documents: Upload section is available for documents such as: Most recent transcript (required), Resume, Letter/s of recommendation (not required but we recommend you submit LOR(s) if available)
Apply to Multiple Projects: There is no limit to the number of projects you can apply to per session.

High School Internship Programs

NASA offers several high school internships that offer students extraordinary opportunities to work alongside industry professionals, gain hands-on experience, and potentially launch a career in aerospace, STEM, or a related field. Here are a few examples:

STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Internship: A collaboration between NASA and the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Space Research. This program provides selected students with exposure to Earth and space research, helping them better understand climate sciences. The duration is approximately 2 weeks during the summer for the on-site portion of the internship. Online modules will be made available in advance of the in-person portion, and there’s approximately one month of project-specific online work with project mentors before the on-site portion. The location is University of Texas at Austin campus (although there are some virtual projects). Program participation is free. Housing, meals, and local transportation (to/from the airport) will be provided for those selected.
Goddard Institute for Space Studies' Climate Change Research Initiative: Students partner with interdisciplinary teams of NASA scientists and engineers on climate change-related projects.
High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) Program: A yearlong program that kicks off in the fall with a five-month online journey through space exploration, Earth science, technology, and aeronautics. Students who stand out will earn an invite to Moonshot-a five-day virtual summer experience where they’ll be mentored by actual NASA scientists and engineers.
NASA DEVELOP: A national program that brings together students to work on interdisciplinary research projects, applying NASA Earth observations to environmental and community concerns focused on nine thematic areas. The duration is 10 weeks. The spring term begins in late January, the summer term begins in early June, and the fall term begins in mid-September. Locations include NASA centers, regional locations, and virtual opportunities. The time commitment is 20-29 hours per week for high school students. Participants are responsible for their own housing, living expenses, and transportation to and from their DEVELOP office.
Aviation Concept Design Experience: Offers high school students the chance to work with NASA engineers on conceptual designs for future aircraft and aviation systems. The duration is an 8-week summer program.

Important Considerations

Housing: Interns are responsible for making their own housing arrangements, including locating and paying for their housing. Many centers will provide resources, such as online forums, where you can connect with other employees to find affordable housing options in the area. While NASA does not provide housing, they will provide you sufficient time and options to locate housing.
Transportation: Your center location and housing options will determine if you need a car. At most centers, unless you find housing within walking distance, you will most likely need a car.
Code of Conduct: As an intern, you agree to abide by NASA's Code of Conduct, based upon the ethical principles of respect, responsibility, honesty, integrity, professionalism, and trust. As an intern in this new professional setting, you should aspire to conduct yourself with respect for others, exhibit the highest ethical standards, and embrace personal integrity.

Pathways Internships

NASA offers Pathways Internships, providing opportunities for students and recent graduates. Application windows open two times per year-typically around February and September. The starting pay for Pathways interns varies depending on academic hours completed, position location and grade level(s) of the position being filled. Pathways interns are promoted on the basis of academic hours completed and performance ratings. In addition to pay and valuable work experience, you may receive the same benefits as a permanent employee. This includes health, life, dental and vision insurance, retirement plan, paid leave, holidays and more. A Pathways internship may be converted to a full-time permanent civil service position (or, in some circumstances, a full-time term position lasting 1-6 years) within 180 days of successful completion of degree requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are NASA high school internships paid? Some NASA high school internships offer stipends, while others are unpaid volunteer positions.
Can I receive academic credit for NASA internships? Some programs offer academic credit or can be coordinated with your high school for credit. Discuss this possibility with your school counselor before beginning the internship.
Are housing and transportation provided? Most NASA high school internships do not provide housing or transportation. Some programs may offer local transportation, housing stipends, or recommendations for accommodations, especially for residential programs.
How competitive are NASA high school internships? NASA internships are highly competitive, with acceptance rates often below 10%.

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