The Environmental Internship Program based in the High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) offers Princeton undergraduate students the opportunity to complement their academic course of study with hands-on research and project experiences during the summer months. Students who wish to expand their knowledge of global environmental problems are encouraged to apply.
Visit our Past Interns page to read about students’ experiences in their own words.
For more information, students are encouraged to meet with Internship Program Manager Emily Ahmetaj, or to attend an information session during the academic year.
HMEI internships are available with faculty-led research groups and with local and international NGOs, non-profit, government, industry, and community enterprises. All positions are mentored by Princeton faculty members, or by the faculty or professional staff at the host organization(s). Assignments include placements on campus and around the world. Participating students have the opportunity to delve deeper into their field of interest(s) and to gain hands-on experience in real-world settings. Internship experiences often inform students’ selection of junior or senior independent research projects and inspire future academic study and/or career goals.
HMEI provides support for two types of internships: established and student-initiated opportunities. Established positions are open to all first-year students, sophomores, and juniors with an interest in environmental topics, regardless of academic major. Princeton sophomores and juniors may apply for funding to support a student-initiated internship (positions that have been identified by the applicant and are otherwise ‘unfunded’).
To be eligible, applicants must be currently enrolled as a degree candidate at Princeton and be in good academic and judicial standing with the University. Students must maintain active enrollment at Princeton from the time of application through the following fall.
Program topics include alternative energy, climate science, biodiversity and conservation, urban adaptation and resilience, environmental policy, and water and agriculture. HMEI Internships are fully funded opportunities; students may not seek funding from other sources for the summer months, should they accept an HMEI internship. Selected students will receive a weekly stipend to defray the cost of living for the duration of their internship, along with an international travel award to defray the cost of airfare (if applicable). The position is a full-time (35 hours/week minimum) commitment and requires a minimum of eight (8) contiguous weeks.
Students participating in the program must comply with the University’s standards of conduct and requirements for undergraduate travel.
Students currently on a leave of absence for the 2023-24 academic year are ineligible to apply for HMEI summer 2024 internships.
The Environmental Scholars Program provides students with up to $16,000 over a two-year period to pursue an independent research project supervised and mentored by a member of the Princeton faculty in the summer following their sophomore year and on a continuous basis, culminating field study as an integral component of their junior and senior independent work.
