15 Unpaid Business Internships for High School Students
If you're open to gaining real experience without expecting a paycheck, an unpaid business internship is a very smart way to figure out whether a business career is actually for you!
What do unpaid business internships involve?
These internships give you real exposure to how a company operates, without needing to compete for one of the limited paid spots most students chase after. You'll work on real tasks, helping prepare a presentation, researching a market, or watching how decisions get made when actual money and actual customers are involved.
Why should I do an unpaid business internship in high school?
Being unpaid doesn't mean the experience is not so good. Many of these internships come from small businesses or nonprofits that want to mentor young students, even without the budget to pay them, which often means more personal attention than you'd get at a larger, more competitive program.
To help you get started, we've compiled a list of 15 unpaid business internships for high school students! For related opportunities, check out our guides on free business programs for high school students and business internships for high school students in California.
Quick Look
9 federal agency internships: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Department of Energy, GAO, Department of Education, FAA, NLRB, USPTO, CPSC, and CDC, most requiring US citizenship and half-time school enrollment.
1 fully virtual, entrepreneurship-focused alternative: Young Founders Lab, useful if you'd rather build your own venture than intern at an existing organization, with need-based financial aid available (program cost varies, not strictly unpaid/free).
3 unpaid roles with a strong marketing or communications focus: Building-U, the Seminole Cultural Arts Council internship, and elements of the Holly Springs Salamanders program.
1 sports-industry option: the Holly Springs Salamanders Sports Management Intern Program, requiring commitment to at least 15 home games.
Most federal agency internships run one semester (roughly 8-16 weeks) and are built around flexible schedules tied to your school calendar.
15 Unpaid Business Internships for High School Students
1. U.S. Department of the Treasury Headquarters Student Internship Program
Location: Washington, D.C.
Cost: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Semester-based internships during the Spring (Jan-May), Summer (May-Aug), and Fall (Sep-Dec) with flexible schedules based on school commitments
Application Deadline: Spring Internship: Apply in October | Summer Internship: Apply in December | Fall Internship: Apply in June
Eligibility: High school, undergraduate, and graduate students who are U.S. citizens; additional enrollment requirements apply
The U.S. Department of the Treasury Headquarters Student Internship Program puts you inside the federal department that handles some of the country's biggest financial operations. Depending on your placement, you could work around business management, finance, accounting, human resources, marketing, or communications. Your exact work depends on the Treasury office you join, but you'll get to see how these functions work inside a large government organisation and how different teams support its day-to-day operations. The flexible schedule is also built around your school commitments, with appointments lasting up to two years.
2. Young Founders Lab
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a complex problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideation, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. The program is an excellent opportunity to delve into the world of business in high school and have a space to explore multiple theoretical as well as practical frameworks that lead to a successful business. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. U.S. Department of Energy Student Experience Program
Location: Various U.S. Department of Energy offices
Cost: Free; a transportation stipend may be available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Fall: August–December | Spring: January–May | Summer: June–August
Application Deadline: Varies by opportunity listed on Handshake
Eligibility: You must be at least 18, enrolled at least half-time in an accredited high school or other qualifying educational institution, have a minimum 2.0 GPA, and be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national
The U.S. Department of Energy Student Experience Program lets you choose from student assignments across a department that handles everything from energy policy to national laboratories. For business-focused students, the relevant areas include communications, human resources management, policy, and public affairs, with each placement giving you a different set of responsibilities. Assignments run for 8–16 weeks, and your schedule is set through a Student Experience Agreement that keeps you enrolled in school while you work. You can also take part in networking and professional-development activities, and some placements may count toward academic credit through your school.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average, raising over a million dollars. Interns work closely with their manager at the startup on real-world projects and present their work to the company. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long. Apply now!
5. U.S. Government Accountability Office Student Volunteer Program
Location: Washington, D.C., and GAO offices across the U.S.
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Year-round; school year, summer, and school vacation placements are available
Application Deadline: Varies by vacancy
Eligibility: You must be at least 16, a U.S. citizen, enrolled at least half-time in an accredited high school or college, and in good academic standing
The U.S. Government Accountability Office Student Volunteer Program puts you inside the agency that provides Congress with audits, evaluations, and analysis of government programmes. Your placement can be with a mission team, operational unit, or one of GAO's offices, so the work depends on the team you join. You could help with ongoing office projects and see how researchers and government professionals organise information, examine evidence, and turn it into reports. Since placements are available during the school year as well as summer and school breaks, you can get a longer look at how a federal organisation works.
6. U.S. Department of Education Student Volunteer Unpaid Internship Program
Location: U.S. Department of Education offices
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Fall: September–December | Winter/Spring: January–May | Summer: May/June–July/August
Application Deadline: Fall: July 31 | Winter/Spring: November 30 | Summer: March 31
Eligibility: You must be at least 16, attend an accredited educational institution, have permission from your institution to participate, and be enrolled at least half-time in a course of study related to the work performed
The U.S. Department of Education Student Volunteer Unpaid Internship Program gives you an 8–10 week placement where your work is tied to what you're studying or the career you're considering. You'll agree on your schedule with the office during the interview process, with spring and fall interns generally working 20–40 hours a week and summer interns working full-time. The placement is built around actual work in a Department of Education office, so you can see how a federal organisation handles its programmes and daily operations while gaining experience connected to your academic interests.
7. FAA Student Volunteer Service Program
Location: Various Federal Aviation Administration offices across the U.S
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Not publicly specified
Eligibility: You must be at least 16, be a U.S. citizen, and be enrolled in at least half-time courses at a high school, college, technical school, or vocational institution
The FAA Student Volunteer Service Program gives you a chance to connect your schoolwork with an assignment inside the Federal Aviation Administration. Your placement depends on the opportunity available, but you'll work in an FAA office and see how people in different professional roles contribute to the agency's work. The programme runs across all four seasons, so the timing can fit around different school schedules. Your school or educational institution recommends you for the programme, after which the FAA places selected students under a Student Volunteer Agreement.
8. Holly Springs Salamanders Explorer Post 15 Sports Management Intern Program
Location: Holly Springs, North Carolina
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Limited to 20 interns
Dates: May–August
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: You must be 16–20 years old and able to commit to at least 15 home games
The Holly Springs Salamanders Sports Management Intern Program gets you into the business of baseball, with the stadium as your workplace. Across the summer season, you can work on marketing, social media, broadcast production, game operations, fan engagement, and the technology used during games. You might help create digital promotions, organise an on-field activity, manage game statistics, or work with the video board during a home game. There are 32 home games on the schedule, and interns have to commit to at least 15 of them, so you'll see what it takes to keep a sports organisation running when the stands are actually full.
9. Building-U High School Internship
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Year-round; minimum commitment of three months
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students in Grades 9–12
Building-U works a little like a student-run organisation, and your internship puts you inside one of the teams that keeps it moving. You can work in Marketing, Business and Development, Social Media Content and Analytics, Resource Research and Development, Coding, Data Privacy, and other areas. Marketing interns, for example, can build Google Ads campaigns and use Google Analytics to look at what happened after the ads ran. Business and Development interns work on partnerships, funding strategies, and organisational data. On the content side, you can create posts for Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok. There's also a research team that finds and publishes education opportunities. Because the teams overlap, you get to see how marketing, partnerships, content, and research fit together inside one organisation.
10. Seminole Cultural Arts Council Public Relations/Marketing Internship
Location: Sanford, Florida
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: May 29–August 7
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: High school and college students aged 15 and above; applicants under 18 require parental permission
At the Seminole Cultural Arts Council, you'll work on the stuff people actually see when an organisation is trying to get an event noticed. That can mean writing for the monthly newsletter, planning social media posts, updating the website, designing flyers, or creating graphics for special programmes. You'll spend at least five hours a week at the SCAC office and complete the rest remotely, working with staff on ongoing arts and community projects. It's a good business internship if you're interested in marketing because you get to see how one organisation turns an event or programme into something people hear about, click on, and eventually attend.
11. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) High School Intern Program
Location: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Washington (academic year and summer opportunities)
Cost: Paid or unpaid opportunities may vary by position
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Academic Year: August–May | Summer: June–August
Application Deadline: Academic year applications: February–June | Summer applications: February–March
Eligibility: High school students; applicants must meet the requirements listed for individual internship postings. Students must be at least 18 to work in laboratory spaces and certain field settings.
PNNL has openings on both the science side and the business side, which makes the programme interesting if you're still figuring out which direction you want to take. Business-focused interns can work alongside professional staff in a national laboratory environment, while other positions place students with scientists or engineers. Your actual project depends on the internship posting, but you'll have a mentor and take part in activities such as leadership development, lab tours, and career workshops. Some students may also be able to turn the internship into elective credit through their school's work-based learning programme.
12. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Student Volunteer Program
Location: Headquarters Office or Regional Offices
Cost: Free
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Flexible work schedules
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students 16 years of age and older who are enrolled in high school or an accredited academic institution
The NLRB Student Volunteer Program puts you inside the administrative side of a federal agency that handles labor relations. In an Administrative Professional placement, you could manage databases and files, research workplace and labor issues, analyse data, prepare reports and presentations, and help update internal policies and procedures. The work has a clear business-operations angle: you're dealing with records, information systems, reports, and the processes an organisation uses to keep its work moving. The flexible schedule is built around your classes, so you can take on office responsibilities without stepping away from school.
13. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Extern Program
Location: Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, with offices in California, Colorado, Michigan, and Texas, as well as teleworking options
Cost: Volunteer
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Varies by program; externships typically run 10–12 weeks, usually June–August
Application Deadline: Varies by vacancy
Eligibility: Talented high school and college students who are U.S. citizens
The USPTO Student Programs give you a chance to see the business side of the agency that handles America's patents and trademarks. You will work across business units including finance, communications, and international affairs. You can also work on real projects, learn how the agency operates, meet USPTO employees, and hear directly from agency leaders about their careers. The USPTO also runs paid internship programmes for eligible students, with assignments that can involve research, analysis, statistics, reports, and coordination.
14. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Student Volunteer Program
Location: Various CPSC offices
Cost: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not publicly available
Dates: Most volunteers work for three to four months; placements can occur during the school year, summer, or school vacation periods
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: You must be enrolled at least half-time in an accredited high school, trade school, college, or other accredited educational institution
Through the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Student Volunteer Program, you can explore career options and gain practical work experience related to your academic interests. Depending on the specific employing office you join, you may be involved in projects ranging from developing computer skills to supporting policy and research-oriented administrative activities. The experience provides early exposure to the federal work environment while helping you develop personal and professional skills that enhance your future employability. The program requires that you and your school collaborate with the CPSC to create a formal work agreement.
15. CDC Student Worksite Experience Program (SWEP)
Location: Various Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worksites
Cost: None
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Maximum of 180 days per calendar year; available during the academic school year or summer months
Application Deadline: Not publicly specified
Eligibility: Students must receive written permission from their school, provide proof of at least half-time enrollment in an accredited high school or other institution, maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA, and pass a background investigation
CDC's Student Worksite Experience Program puts you into the day-to-day operations of a federal public health agency. Your assignment can involve administrative work and projects connected to the CDC's programmes, giving you a look at how a large organisation handles information, people, and ongoing work. For students interested in business, the interesting part is the organisational side: you'll see how administrative teams support public-health programmes, coordinate work, and keep a federal agency running across different offices and functions. The placement can run during the school year or summer, for up to 180 days in a calendar year.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why would I want an unpaid internship instead of a paid one?
Unpaid internships, especially with federal agencies or small nonprofits, often offer more direct mentorship and real responsibility than competitive paid programs, since the organizations running them are motivated by mentoring students rather than budget constraints.
2. Is there an alternative where I build my own venture instead of interning somewhere unpaid?
Young Founders Lab lets you do exactly that, guiding you through building a real, revenue-generating startup with mentorship from professionals at Google, Microsoft, and X, with need-based financial aid available.
3. Which unpaid internships focus specifically on marketing or communications?
Building-U's Marketing team and the Seminole Cultural Arts Council's Public Relations/Marketing Internship both center on content creation, social media, and campaign work, giving you hands-on marketing experience without a paycheck.