It’s that time of year again: internship application season. As summer approaches, it’s time to start applying for summer 2026 internships. If you haven’t already looked into it, here is a list of internships you should watch out for.
Before we begin, it’s important to note that internships will vary depending on the line of work you’re looking to go into. For better organization, we’ve broken down these internships into 3 categories: finance/economics, healthcare, and humanities.
What is an internship?
An internship is temporary work typically designed for recent graduates or students to give them hands-on experience in a specific field of work. It allows most students a better look at the field they want to get into, fosters the skills necessary to grow in that field, and builds professional connections.
Internships can help you grow professionally.
Internships are not only amazing for the resume, but they are designed to help you grow professionally, too. It is able to bridge the gap between the theoretical that you are often taught in a classroom and the actual. You’re pushed to apply what you’ve learned and foster specific hard and soft skills for that field.
Internships are also a time for you to explore a career. Is this something you’re interested in? Now that you’ve actually seen the industry in action, is your passion invigorated or lost?
Internships are also a place for you to begin networking. You’re going to naturally build personal connections with colleagues and coworkers. They are valuable, experienced professionals who you can talk to for advice or help down the line.
Top 3 Finance/Economic Internships
Below are the top 3 finance internships for summer 2026.
The Chicago Summer Institute provides high school students with paid internships in local businesses and connects them to financial leaders.
The requirements are as follows:
- Official High School transcript (with a grade of at least a “B” or 3.0)
- Resume
- Essay
- Certificate of Income Verification (family household income below $80k/year)
- 2 Letters of Recommendation
- High school sophomore or junior
- Resident of Chicago
JPMorgan Chase is an excellent company that offers a variety of programs for students looking for experience in finance, from internships to apprenticeships. These internships often last from 10 to 12 weeks. Internships for both high school and college undergraduates are available.
JPMorgan Chase is a global financial company and is known to be the largest bank in the United States. They offer a variety of financial services such as consumer banking, commercial banking, and investment banking.
PwC corporate finance internships provide similar networking opportunities and hands-on experience as the rest of the internships. Their website describes a slew of internships that offer leadership development experience, direct client assignments, and shadow experience.
PwC stands for PricewaterhouseCoopers and is considered one of the “big four” accounting firms in the United States. They offer financial services to businesses, such as tax and advisory services.
Top 3 Healthcare Internships
HCC’s healthcare internship allows students the opportunity of mentorship within the company, as well as gaining real-world experience. The settings for this internship will be anywhere from health centers to hospitals to local government agencies and health departments.
The application deadline is on the 9th of December, and an informational webinar will be held on the 18th of November at 8 PM EST. This internship is specifically catered towards undergraduate students, and those accepted will receive a stipend of $5k to $6k.
The NIH Summer Internship program is one of the most competitive internship programs in the United States. Offered by the National Institute of Health, this program allows high school or college students the opportunity to perform a summer research internship in different departments at one of their various campuses. For more information on the specifics of each internship, visit their website.
This internship allows you to work in research groups directly with a Principal Investigator to research a field in the sciences.
NYU Langone Health allows students interested in a career in healthcare to work alongside current healthcare specialists in anesthesiology, the intensive care unit, emergency medicine, neurology, and the like.
Each of these departments offers hands-on experience for students and the opportunity to make meaningful professional connections, and shadowing experience.
Top 3 Humanities Internships
This summer program offers high school students the chance to work at the world’s largest library and assist in different research projects. This internship is geared towards the history field. The internship is typically held over June and July, and the application closes in April.
The Smithsonian Institution offers a variety of internships from art history to Latino studies and cultural heritage. Each of these internships has different deadlines and offers different experiences, so it is imperative that you look at the website itself.
Some of these are paid and offer stipends. Overall, you will gain fruitful mentorship and great hands-on experience in each of these fields.
Penguin Random House offers a variety of paid and remote internship opportunities for those interested in book publishing. You can join a variety of fields, from editorial to graphic design and marketing.
Through these remote internships, you’ll see the commercial side of publishing and help handle contracts for magazines and book clubs. Should you become an intern, you’ll need to participate in panels and networking events as well as work under a mentor.
The Takeaway
Though it feels like the next year hasn’t even begun and summer is far from here, the key to success when applying to these internships is readiness and applying early. You must do your research early and apply early, so that you craft the most compelling application at the right time. Good luck!
Author: Moira Du, Media Department Member
