Undergraduate Student Opportunities

Feature photo by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

ORNL undergraduate research opportunities address ORNL’s scientific mission: materials, neutron sciences, energy, high-performance computing, systems biology, and national security. All internships come with a stipend. Explore the opportunities and apply today for a high-impact internship experience!

Application deadlines vary by program. Click on the program name to learn more about each opportunity.

Considerations:

  • Most of ORNL’s programs are pool-based applications-it is recommended that you connect with a mentor!
  • Unless indicated all Internships have a requirements of:
    • U.S. Citizenship or LPR status
    • 3.0+ GPA

Summer, Spring and Fall Programs

Program
Eligibility
Commitment & Duration
DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)

Summer 2024 Closed

Fall 2024 applications open March 15th, 2024

  • Undergraduate students or recent Associate and Bachelor graduates (within 2 years of graduation).
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
  • Fall/spring: full-time 16 weeks

DOE Community College Internships (CCI)

Summer 2024 Closed

Fall 2024 applications open March 15th, 2024

  • Community college students
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks 
  • Fall/spring: part-time 16 weeks 
ORNL Research Student Internships (RSI)

Summer 2024 applications due February 22, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET

  • Undergraduate  and graduate students 
  •  Recent Associate, Bachelor. and Masters graduates (within 2 years of graduation).
  • Recently separated veterans
  • Summer: full-time 10-12 weeks
  • Fall/spring: full-time or part-time 16-20 weeks
ORNL Technical and Professional Internships (TPI)

Summer 2024 applications due February 22, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET

  • Undergraduate  and graduate students 
  • Recent Associate, Bachelor. and Masters graduates (within 2 years of graduation).
  • Recently separated veterans
  • Summer: full-time 10-12 weeks
  • Fall/spring: full-time or part-time 16-20 weeks
  •  high school or higher graduates who have experienced barriers to employment. 
  • No minimum GPA requirement

  • 3 times annually 
  • 3-5 days a week, 16-weeks 

Summer Only Programs

Program
Eligibility
Commitment & Duration
US Quantum Information Science Summer School
Summer 2024 applications now open!
Application deadline: March 15, 2024
  • Minimum 18 years of age
  • Full-time undergraduate enrolled at a US college or university, post-sophomore (second) year
  • OR full-time graduate enrolled at a US college or university
  • OR an employee of a national lab, university, national quantum information science research center or industry (engineer, scientist, technician)
  • Full-time, on-site only
  • All  admissions contingent upon DOE site-access approval to ORNL
  • Acceptance date: April 14, 2024
  • Check into University of Tennessee, Knoxville dorm for badging: July 14, 2024
  • Program dates: July 15 – 26, 2024 
  • Summer: full-time 12 weeks
  • Possibility to extend to 12 months.
  •  In the field of cybersecurity, or other IT-related fields and is either:
    • A fulltime undergraduate of graduate student OR
    • A recent graduate (AS/BS) in last 2 years 
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks

 Minority Educational Institution Student Partnership

Summer 2024 applications now open!

Applications close February 15, 2024.

 
  • Earned more than 24 undergraduate semester hours
  • Undergraduate or graduate student enrolled full-time at an accredited Minority Serving Institution
  • Recent graduate up to 2 years after graduation
  •  
  • Summer only
  • 12-week experience
  • On-site or virtual
Pathways to Computing Internship Program (PCIP)
Summer 2024 applications now closed
  • Undergraduate student
  •  No citizenship requirement
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
High Performance Computing Internships through DOE EERE AMMTO (HPCI)
2024 EERE AMMTO Summer Internships are postponed until further notice.
  • In fields related to high performance computing, and are:
    • enrolled undergraduate student at the junior/ senior level. OR
    • Enrolled as a full-time graduate student. OR
    • Recent graduate in the last 2 years
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
Robotics Internships through DOE EERE AMMTO (RI)
2024 EERE AMMTO Summer Internships are postponed until further notice.
  • In fields related to energy storage;
  • and are:
    • enrolled undergraduate student at the junior/ senior level. OR
    • Enrolled as a full-time graduate student. OR
    • Recent graduate in the last 2 years
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
Energy Storage Internships through DOE EERE AMMTO (ESI)
2024 EERE AMMTO Summer Internships are postponed until further notice.
  • In fields related to robotics, manufacturing, or engineering;
  • and are:
    • enrolled undergraduate student at the junior/ senior level. OR
    • Enrolled as a full-time graduate student. OR
    • Recent graduate in the last 2 years
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
The University of Maine and ORNL SM²ART REU Program
Summer 2024 application closing 11:59 PM EST March 1st  or when positions are filled. 
  • Current undergraduates completing their freshman, sophomore, or junior year
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
UT-ORII SMaRT Internships Program (SMaRT) 
Now accepting student applications for Summer 2024!
  • Undergraduate student 
  • Summer: full-time 9-10 weeks
JUMP into STEM

Finalists announced December 4th

  • Undergraduate or graduate student
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks

JUMP into STEM

JUMP (Join the discussion, Unveil innovation, Make connections, Promote tech-to-market) into STEM is an online, nationwide, building science competition for undergraduate and graduate students at US colleges and universities, supported by the DOE Building Technologies Office and co-managed by ORNL and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with internship support from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). JUMP into STEM aims to attract bright students from a variety of majors (computer science, mathematics, economics, policy, engineering, engineering education, architecture) to building science. The initiative seeks to inspire the next generation of building scientists, focusing on creative ideation and diversity in the building science field. Through the embedded diversity objective, JUMP into STEM focuses on the inclusion of an interdisciplinary mix of majors and students underrepresented in the building science field.

For more information about undergraduate opportunities, please email [email protected].