Last updated: November 2026
Boston Dynamics has six student roles open right now, but they aren't the summer internships. On November 10, 2026 its Workday board listed five 6-month co-ops and one PhD-level research internship, all on site in Waltham, Massachusetts, with posted pay of $30 to $37 an hour (up to $70 for the research role). Summer internships run as a separate wave: Boston Dynamics' own FAQ says they're typically posted in February or March, so roles for summer 2027 are expected to post in February to March 2027. In plain words: you apply in early 2027, you intern in summer 2027, and if a 6-month co-op fits your school calendar, you can apply for one today.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Boston Dynamics Workday board, also listed on the careers page. Upload a resume to the Talent Hub to be considered for future roles |
| Application window (2027–28) | 6-month co-ops and research intern: open now, six roles posted October 26 to November 9, 2026, no closing date stated. Summer 2027 internships: expected to post February to March 2027 (Boston Dynamics' FAQ: typically February or March) |
| Rolling? | Not stated. None of the six current postings gives a closing date or rolling language, so apply the week a role you want appears |
| Eligibility | Full-time students pursuing a bachelor's, master's or PhD. Co-ops ask for an in-progress BS or MS; the research intern prefers a PhD or research-heavy MS. Three co-op postings say Boston Dynamics can't sponsor visas for that role |
| Duration | 10 to 12-week summer internship or 6-month co-op (careers page). The Manufacturing Test Engineer co-op states 6 months at 40 hours a week |
| Compensation | Paid. Posted ranges: $30 to $35/hr (Technical Program Manager, Mechanical Engineer Atlas Hardware, Electrical Engineer co-ops), $32 to $37/hr (Manufacturing Test Engineer co-op), $30 to $70/hr (Atlas VLA Research Intern). The Systems Test Engineer co-op lists no pay |
| Return offers | In summer 2022, 86% of eligible interns continued as full-time employees (Boston Dynamics blog, 2023). No newer figure or class size is published |
| Locations | Waltham, MA, on site, for all six current roles. No remote option is posted |
| # Programs | 2 formats (summer internship and 6-month co-op). Six live roles today across Atlas hardware, electrical, systems test, manufacturing test, program management and Atlas VLA research |
The row that matters most: the co-ops are open now, while summer 2027 internships are expected to post in February to March 2027.
Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, most often in 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week. The Wayfair n8n AI Agent Engineering Externship builds the Python and automation skills that most Boston Dynamics postings ask for, and the BeReal Product Management Externship practices the planning and cross-team tracking behind the Technical Program Manager co-op. Explore all Externships.
What Is a Boston Dynamics Internship?
A Boston Dynamics internship is a paid student role at the Waltham, Massachusetts robotics company behind Spot, Atlas and Stretch, offered as a 10 to 12-week summer internship or a 6-month co-op. Boston Dynamics was founded in 1992 as a spin-off from the MIT Leg Lab and is majority owned by Hyundai Motor Group (see our Hyundai internship guide), but it hires students under its own name on its own Workday board, so you don't apply through Hyundai. Its careers page says the program is open to full-time bachelor's, master's and PhD students in technical or nontechnical fields. Boston Dynamics ran its first comprehensive internship program in summer 2022 and has since added co-op and rotational programs.
When Do Boston Dynamics Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
Boston Dynamics runs two calendars. The 6-month co-ops post in late fall: the five co-ops and one research internship live today were posted between October 26 and November 9, 2026, and none states a start date. Summer internships post in the new year. The careers page says internship recruiting season kicks off in the new year, and the FAQ says internships are typically posted in February or March. Last cycle matched that: students on Reddit found nothing posted in early February 2026, one saw an AI intern role by February 24, and two summer 2026 intern roles were on the careers list by March 12, 2026 (both closed now). Applications for summer 2027 are expected to open February to March 2027, about 3 to 4 months before an expected May or June start. Boston Dynamics doesn't publish start dates, so the lead time is an estimate.
Six roles are open right now: five 6-month co-ops (Mechanical Engineer on Atlas Hardware, Electrical Engineer, Systems Test Engineer, Manufacturing Test Engineer, Technical Program Manager) and the Atlas VLA Research Intern for PhD-level students. If a co-op fits your school calendar, apply now. Summer 2027 internships aren't posted yet.
Prepare. Upload your resume to the Boston Dynamics Talent Hub, put a hardware or software build on one page with photos and results, and set a weekly reminder to check the Workday board from January.
Expected window for summer 2027 internships. Boston Dynamics' FAQ says internships are typically posted in February or March, and last cycle's roles appeared over several weeks in that span. Apply the week a role you fit appears.
Interviews and offers. Boston Dynamics doesn't publish its interview steps or timing for summer interns.
The 10 to 12-week internship itself, on site in Waltham. In summer 2022, 86% of eligible interns continued with Boston Dynamics as full-time employees; no newer rate is published.
How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.
Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open
This is a short window, not a hard deadline. None of the six current postings gives a closing date or says applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we can't promise how long a role stays up. What we can see is that Boston Dynamics posts a small number of intern roles at a time and each one is a single requisition. Two summer 2026 roles we checked, an IT Enterprise Data Operations Intern and an Electronics Manufacturing and Supply Chain Engineering Intern, have since been taken down. Students on Reddit spent weeks checking an empty board in early 2026 before roles appeared. Check the board weekly from February and apply in the first week a matching role is live.
Which Boston Dynamics Internship Programs Should You Target?
These are the six roles open on November 10, 2026, plus the summer internship format. Titles, pay and details come from Boston Dynamics' own Workday postings.
| Role | Focus | Duration | Pay and key skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineer, Atlas Hardware Co-Op | Design, build and test prototypes for the Atlas humanoid | Co-op (length not stated) | $30 to $35/hr; 3D CAD (CATIA, SolidWorks, Onshape), Python, MATLAB |
| Electrical Engineer Co-Op | Atlas electrical engineering | Co-op (length not stated) | $30 to $35/hr; schematic capture and PCB layout, Python or MATLAB |
| Systems Test Engineer Co-Op | Validate actuators, grippers and battery systems; reliability tests | Co-op (length not stated) | Pay not stated; Python, C++, Jira, data analysis |
| Manufacturing Test Engineer Co-Op | Test and troubleshoot hardware with a senior mentor | 6 months, 40 hrs/week | $32 to $37/hr; Python, C++, PCBAs, failure analysis |
| Technical Program Manager Co-Op | Track schedules across engineering, product, design and QA | Co-op (length not stated) | $30 to $35/hr; Jira, Google Workspace, written communication |
| Atlas VLA Research Intern | Vision-language-action and imitation learning research for Atlas | Full time (length not stated) | $30 to $70/hr; PhD preferred or research-heavy MS; Python, C++ |
| Summer internship (not posted yet) | Roles vary by team; summer 2026 included IT data operations and electronics manufacturing | 10 to 12 weeks | Expected to post February to March 2027 |
The co-op postings don't state a start month, so check the posting or ask the recruiter how it lines up with your school's co-op calendar. All roles are on the Boston Dynamics careers page.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
Boston Dynamics' careers page sets the base rule, and each posting adds its own. Read the posting for the role you want, because the rules differ.
• Enrollment: enrolled full-time and pursuing a bachelor's, master's or PhD, in technical or nontechnical fields.
• Degree level: the co-ops ask for an in-progress BS or MS in mechanical, electrical or robotics engineering or a related field; the Atlas VLA Research Intern prefers a PhD or a research-heavy MS in CS, robotics or machine learning.
• Work authorization: the Technical Program Manager, Mechanical Engineer and Electrical Engineer co-op postings say Boston Dynamics is "not able to sponsor visas for this position." The other three postings don't say.
• Location: on site in Waltham, MA for every current role.
• GPA: none of the six postings states a GPA requirement.
Do You Need to Be a Robotics Major?
No. The careers page invites students in technical and nontechnical fields, and the current roles span mechanical, electrical and test engineering, program management and machine learning research. What the postings share is hands-on work: the Atlas hardware co-op says its best co-ops want to build, assemble and troubleshoot things. A project you built and tested yourself counts for more than the name of your major.
What Skills Does Boston Dynamics Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
We read all six live postings in full. Python is the common thread, named in five of them. Four ask for troubleshooting or root-cause failure analysis, and three each ask for C++, MATLAB, PCB and schematic work, and strong writing. The Atlas hardware co-op is blunt about writing: a poorly written test plan or spec costs the team knowledge. Four of the six are hardware or test roles on Atlas, so the chart describes this co-op wave, not every summer internship.
What Boston Dynamics looks for in interns
Skills across 6 Boston Dynamics intern & analyst job descriptions · live US postings, November 2026
Method: full-text read of the six intern and co-op postings live on Boston Dynamics' Workday board on November 10, 2026. Four of the six are Atlas hardware or test roles, so hardware skills are overrepresented compared with a summer software internship.
How Is Demand for Robotics Interns Moving Right Now?
Robotics intern postings · Jul–Oct 2026
all internships 2.5×
For Boston Dynamics applicants: Boston Dynamics' own Workday board listed six intern and co-op roles on November 10, 2026, all in Waltham, MA, and its FAQ says summer internships are typically posted in February or March.
Daily US job-posting counts, Jul–Oct 2026; each bar is that month's daily average. Growth = October vs July; “all internships” = the 48 intern searches tracked across the whole period. Covers under half of US postings; shows direction, not market size.
Build These Skills Before You Apply
Each skill below comes from the current postings and maps to a remote Externship you can finish while you wait for the summer roles.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Python and automation | Named in 5 of 6 postings, from test scripts to Atlas research code | Wayfair n8n AI Agent Engineering |
| Data analysis and visualization | Systems test and manufacturing test co-ops analyze and chart test data | Health Research & Data Analytics with ARCeH |
| Program management and cross-team tracking | Technical Program Manager co-op tracks schedules across engineering, product, design and QA | BeReal Product Management |
| Working with AI models and data | Atlas VLA Research Intern works on vision-language-action and imitation learning | Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction |
No open Externship teaches mechanical or electrical hardware design. For those roles, a build project of your own (a robot, a test rig, a circuit board) is the proof to bring.
What Is the Boston Dynamics Application and Interview Process Like?
Boston Dynamics doesn't publish its interview process for interns or co-ops. This is what its own pages show, plus what students report.
1. Find the role on Workday. Each internship or co-op is its own requisition on the Boston Dynamics board, and the careers page links to the same list.
2. Apply per role. Read each posting's degree, location and sponsorship lines before you apply, since they differ by role.
3. Join the Talent Hub. The careers page invites students to upload a resume for future positions, which is useful before the summer wave posts.
4. Interview. A Northeastern student on Reddit reported interviewing for a co-op and receiving an offer, but no one has published the number of rounds or the format.
5. Offer. Pay is posted on most current roles, so you can see the range before you apply.
Boston Dynamics publishes no interview questions, acceptance rate or class size.
What Students on Reddit Say
Most Boston Dynamics threads are about timing. These are lightly paraphrased from threads we read in full.
In January 2026 a student saw the careers page say recruiting starts in the new year but found no roles. By early February others were still checking an empty board, and one spotted an AI intern role on February 24.
A student accepted a summer 2025 software engineering internship offer. Later in the thread, someone asking in September was told Boston Dynamics doesn't recruit for summer until the new year and tends to post late.
A Northeastern student said they interviewed with Boston Dynamics for a co-op and got the offer, then took a different one. Another asked whether to apply through the school portal or directly, and got no answer.
How Do You Stand Out for a Boston Dynamics Internship?
First, show something you built. The Atlas hardware co-op says its best co-ops want to build, assemble and troubleshoot, so a project with photos, test results and what broke tells a recruiter more than coursework. Second, pair Python with one hardware tool, such as MATLAB, a CAD package or PCB layout, since that combination covers most current postings. Third, write clearly: the postings ask for strong written communication, and a one-page project summary is a quick way to prove it. Boston Dynamics doesn't publish an applicant count or class size. The only conversion figure is from summer 2022, when 86% of eligible interns stayed on full time.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
If you're targeting robotics and hardware, these employers also hire interns:
- Figure AIhumanoid robotics startup, the closest match to Atlas workGuide →
- TeslaOptimus humanoid plus large hardware and manufacturing intern programsGuide →
- NVIDIArobotics AI and simulation alongside chip engineeringGuide →
- AmazonAmazon Robotics and warehouse automation, the field Stretch works inGuide →
- Agility Roboticshumanoid robots for logistics, a direct category peerCareers site
Our engineering internships guide compares more hardware and robotics employers.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Boston Dynamics internship?
No. The summer 2026 internship roles we checked have been taken down, and that class has finished. What's open today, November 10, 2026, is five 6-month co-ops and one PhD-level research internship in Waltham. Summer 2027 internships are expected to post in February to March 2027.
When do Boston Dynamics summer internships open?
Boston Dynamics' FAQ says internships are typically posted in February or March, and its careers page says recruiting season kicks off in the new year. Last cycle's summer roles appeared from late February to March 2026. Expect summer 2027 roles in February to March 2027 and check the board weekly.
Are Boston Dynamics internships paid?
Yes. Boston Dynamics calls them paid internships, and current postings list $30 to $35 an hour for most co-ops, $32 to $37 for the Manufacturing Test Engineer co-op, and $30 to $70 for the PhD-level Atlas VLA Research Intern. The Systems Test Engineer co-op posting lists no pay.
How long is a Boston Dynamics internship or co-op?
The careers page offers a 10 to 12-week summer internship or a 6-month co-op. The Manufacturing Test Engineer co-op posting states 6 months at 40 hours a week. None of the current co-op postings states a start month, so confirm how the dates fit your school's co-op calendar before applying.
Does Boston Dynamics sponsor visas for interns?
Not for some roles. The Technical Program Manager, Mechanical Engineer and Electrical Engineer co-op postings say Boston Dynamics isn't able to sponsor visas for that position. The other three current postings don't address sponsorship. Read the posting for each role you apply to, because the rule is set per role.
Where are Boston Dynamics internships located?
In Waltham, Massachusetts, on site. All six current intern and co-op roles are at the Waltham office, and no remote option is posted. One hardware co-op posting notes that public transportation is accessible from Boston and Alewife, which helps if you're living in the city for the summer.
Do Boston Dynamics interns get full-time offers?
Many have. After its first comprehensive internship program in summer 2022, Boston Dynamics reported that 86% of eligible interns continued with the company as full-time employees. That's the only published figure. Boston Dynamics hasn't released a newer rate or a class size, so treat 86% as a 2022 result.
Do I apply to Boston Dynamics through Hyundai?
No. Hyundai Motor Group is the majority owner, but Boston Dynamics posts its internships and co-ops under its own name on its own Workday board and careers page. Apply there directly. Hyundai's own internship programs are separate and don't cover Boston Dynamics roles.
Apply now if a 6-month co-op fits your calendar, and check the Boston Dynamics board weekly from February for summer 2027 roles. While you wait, a remote Externship gives you a finished Python or data project to show a recruiter.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
