STEM Internships for College Students
NREIP
The Office of Naval Research's Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate university students to participate in research at a Department of Navy (DoN) laboratory during the summer.
The goals of the NREIP are to encourage participating students to pursue science and engineering careers, to further education via mentoring by laboratory personnel and their participation in research, and to make them aware of DoN research and technology efforts, which can lead to employment within the DoN.
NREIP provides competitive research internships to approximately 275 college students (200 undergraduate students and 75 graduate students) each year. Participating students spend ten weeks during the summer conducting research at approximately 21 DoN laboratories.
All NPS internships, including NREIP, are 100% in person, on site at the Monterey campus.
The deadline for NREIP applications is November 1 for the following summer.
For 2026, the standard NREIP internship dates are June 1 - August 7.
For more information, including all application details, please visit the NREIP website.
Community College Catalyst (3C) at Hartnell College
Working with the award winning Hartnell NASA-CIPA and NSF-sponsored programs at Hartnell Community College, the Naval Postgraduate School matches undergraduate students who excel in science, technology, engineering and (STEM) disciplines with NPS research faculty for part-time school-year and full-time summer internships.
Hartnell Community College, a Hispanic serving institution, is among the top community colleges in the country in promoting and achieving success for its underrepresented students in the STEM disciplines.
The Naval Postgraduate School provides graduate research assistant opportunities for these community college students, providing a “kick-start” when the students transfer to a 4-year university.
There have been over 200 interns, 95% of whom have gone on to 4-year universities to study and earn a STEM degree.
Monterey Peninsula College STEM internships
NPS hosts STEM students from MPC for term-long internships in the spring, summer, and fall. Both paid and volunteer internships are available. All MPC students who intern at NPS must be enrolled in a Work Experience Course at MPC. The course provides structure, accountability, and insurance to the student interns. The course is offered in both for- and non-credit formats.
MPC manages the intern selection process. To learn more about upcoming application deadlines and requirements, please contact Carla Becerra (cbecerra@mpc.edu) or Herbert Cortez (hcortez@mpc.edu). If you are part of the MESA community, contact Christian Smith (cmsmith@mpc.edu). To learn more about the Work Experience Course, contact Dr. Lindsay Peelman (lpeelman@mpc.edu).
California State University, Monterey Bay opportunities
NPS works with various departments at CSUMB to provide term-long internships for their students in the spring, summer, and fall. Two programs are active now:
CSUMB's College of Science coordinates summer internships in Ocean Science as part of the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. NPS is one of the host sites for these internships. CSUMB manages the application and selection process.
NPS hosts students from CSUMB's Mechatronics Engineering program for term-long internships in the spring, summer, and fall. The Mechatronics department manages the intern selection process. To learn more about upcoming application deadlines and requirements, please contact Vanessa Lopez (vanlopez@csumb.edu).
Student Volunteer Program
The purpose of the Student Volunteer Program (SVP) is to provide educational experiences for selected students and to provide NPS with student interns who contribute to the mission of NPS.
Eligibility in the NPS SVP requires the following:
-
The Student Volunteer must be at least 16 years of age at the time of appointment.
-
The Student Volunteer must be enrolled and attending, at least half-time, a high school, trade school, technical or vocational institute, junior college, college, university or other accredited educational institution.
-
The Student Volunteer’s school/college/institution must provide permission for the Student Volunteer's participation in the NPS Student Volunteer program.
-
The Student Volunteer must be a U.S. citizen and must be able to successfully complete a security investigation conducted by the NPS Security Office.
Please note that, under 5 U.S.C. Sec. 3111 and 5 C.F.R. Part 308, a student volunteer is not a Federal employee for any purposes other than injury compensation and law related to the Tort Claims Act. Student participation in the program is on a voluntary basis, and there is no remuneration, housing assistance or support, or other employee benefits provided. Volunteer service is not creditable for leave or any other employee benefits or monetary compensation and does not entitle a participant to noncompetitive permanent employment with NPS or with any other Federal entity.
Student Volunteers agree to work a minimum of 50 hours over an academic term (fall, spring, or summer). All NPS internships, including the SVP, are 100% in person, on site at the Monterey campus.
We collected applications for summer 2026 internships through April 1, 2026. We will solicit applications for fall internships starting in late summer. Please check back then for a list of project descriptions and the application form. To get a sense of the kinds of projects we have available, please peruse the list of summer 2026 project descriptions.
ORISE
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) supports the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies' mission to strengthen the nation's science education and research initiatives.
This program is open year-round and provides opportunities to engage in ongoing research across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. For more information, please visit the ORISE website.
Apply here for the NPS Research Participation Program through ORISE.
NRC Post-Docs
The National Research Council's Research Associateship Program is a prestigious program is designed primarily for postdoctoral researchers and operates on a quarterly application cycle, with openings on December 1, March 1, June 1, and September 1. For more information, please visit the program website.
