Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: October 2026

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) runs its summer 2027 student programs on short, fixed calendars, and the first one opens on Monday, October 5, 2026. Applications for the 2027 Summer Nurse Extern program and the Flynn Oncology Nursing Fellowship are accepted only from October 5 to 9, for a program running May 17 to July 23, 2027. Research students have more time: the PCEN Summer Scholars Program is open now through January 10, 2027, and CRISSP, ARRA and the Injury Science REU open in December. In plain words: you apply during late 2026 and early 2027, you intern in summer 2027.

One door has already shut. CHOP's graduate Administrative Fellowships starting in 2027 closed on September 10, 2026, so master's students should plan for the 2028 start.

Quick Facts

CHOP's programs don't share a calendar, so read the window row by track: nursing is a five-day window this month, while research programs close in January.

One naming note first: CHOP's Summer Nurse Externship is a clinical nursing program, and it has nothing to do with Extern. Extern's Externships are short, remote project programs, usually about 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week, where you finish real work for a real organization. The Arceh Children's Environmental Health Analytics Externship builds child-health data skills that fit CHOP's research programs, and the TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics Externship adds hospital-data experience. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Internship?

A Children's Hospital of Philadelphia internship is one of several structured summer programs at CHOP, a pediatric academic medical center founded in 1855 as the nation's first hospital devoted exclusively to children. CHOP describes a workforce of more than 20,000 employees, and most of its student programs run through either Nursing or the CHOP Research Institute.

The research side is the biggest draw for undergraduates. CRISSP, the CHOP Research Institute Summer Scholars Program, selects 30 students a summer for 10 weeks of basic, clinical or behavioral research with a $5,000 stipend and free housing. The NSF-funded Injury Science REU, the nephrology-focused PCEN Summer Scholars Program and ARRA, which teaches research administration, run alongside it. Nursing students have the Summer Nurse Extern program and the Flynn Oncology Nursing Fellowship, and IT and business students have a Digital & Technology Services summer internship.

When Do Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

CHOP's calendar changed this year on the nursing side. For the 2026 program, nursing applications ran on a rolling basis from September through December 2025, according to an archived version of the nursing page. For 2027, CHOP replaced that with a single five-day window, October 5 to 9, 2026. That's a large year-over-year shift, so treat any projection for 2028 nursing dates as low confidence.

Research programs are steadier. CRISSP, ARRA and the REU all open in December and close in January, about 4 to 6 months before a June start. The Digital & Technology Services internship ran later in its 2026 cycle, with applications due February 28, 2026, for a May 26 start.

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

For nursing students, the urgency is literal: CHOP accepts Nurse Extern and Flynn Fellowship applications for five days, and there's no second window for summer 2027. CHOP's own page says to apply with a resume during that window, and Flynn applicants must submit their essay in the same five days.

The research programs work on hard deadlines instead. PCEN says plainly that "late applications will not be accepted," and CRISSP's GPA floor of 3.3 allows no rounding. Recommendation letters are the usual bottleneck: CRISSP asks for two through a recommender link, and PCEN's reference form is due January 22, 2027. Line up recommenders in November, not January.

Which Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Internship Programs Should You Target?

CHOP's student programs sit in three places: Nursing, the Research Institute and Digital & Technology Services. Each has its own application.

Two other tracks follow their own rules. The paid Child Life internship runs three cohorts a year, and its summer 2027 deadline is January 9, 2027. Graduate students should look at the Administrative Fellowship, whose 2027 start is already closed.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

Every CHOP program sets its own rules. These are the ones that rule people out most often:

• GPA: CRISSP requires a 3.3 overall with no rounding and no exceptions; the REU and ARRA require 3.0.

• Class year: first-year students can't apply to CRISSP or ARRA; the REU needs one full year of college completed by June 7, 2027, and graduation after August 13, 2027.

• Citizenship: CRISSP, the REU and PCEN are open only to US citizens and permanent residents; ARRA requires eligibility to work in the US.

• Nursing: the Nurse Extern and Flynn Fellowship take RN students (BSN, ASN or diploma) within 12 months of graduation by the program start, meaning December 2027 or May 2028 graduates, who can commit to the full 10 weeks.

• Onboarding: selected students complete clearances, and CHOP requires an annual flu vaccine for anyone working in patient care buildings.

Is CRISSP's 3.3 GPA a Hard Cutoff?

Yes. CRISSP's own FAQ says the 3.3 minimum has no exceptions and asks applicants not to round up. If you're below it, the REU and ARRA both set the floor at 3.0, and PCEN doesn't list a GPA requirement at all.

A second rule catches people: the CRISSP and REU citizenship requirement. International students who can work in the US should look at ARRA, which asks only for work eligibility.

What Skills Does Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

CHOP has no live intern requisitions to read this month, so we read the official pages for its five main summer programs instead: CRISSP, the REU, PCEN, ARRA and the Summer Nurse Extern.

Mentored, hands-on work. All five put you on real work under a mentor or preceptor, from an independent research project in CRISSP to patient care alongside nurse preceptors in the Nurse Extern program.

Research and communication. Four programs expect you to present your work, through CRISSP's poster day, PCEN's oral presentation, ARRA's presentations to administrators, or REU conference travel. Three include formal training in research methods and the responsible conduct of research.

A real interest in children's health. Four programs are built around pediatric care or pediatric research, and CRISSP asks applicants to be "interested in research related to child health and wellness."

How Is Demand for Research Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

And each skill in the chart maps to a remote Externship where you finish a real project before the December research window.

Research applicants get the most from the Arceh or TruBridge projects; ARRA applicants from the operations or communications ones, since ARRA's sample projects are exactly that kind of work.

What Is the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Application and Interview Process Like?

Each CHOP program runs its own process. The main ones, per CHOP's pages:

1. Nursing (Nurse Extern, Flynn): apply with a resume on CHOP's careers site October 5 to 9, 2026 (Flynn adds an essay). Selection notices by October 23, interviews November 9 to 20, offers December 7 to 18, and track placement in spring 2027.

2. CRISSP: online application with a transcript, CV or resume and two recommendation letters, then faculty review and an interview with a prospective mentor. Offers come in March. You choose a track; CHOP assigns the mentor.

3. CIRP REU: apply December 14 to January 13, interview by video or phone in February 2027, and hear by email in March.

4. ARRA: application form and one or two recommendation letters by January 25, then an interview with administrators and mentors. The page says formal offers go out in April.

5. PCEN: a REDCap application by January 10, 2027, and a reference form from your recommender by January 22.

For research outside these programs, CHOP points students to its Internship Inquiry Form and direct outreach to labs. The "NTP" research intern listings that appear on job aggregators are onboarding records for students already placed, not openings.

What Students on Reddit Say

Reddit threads on CHOP split cleanly between nursing students and research applicants.

How Do You Stand Out for a CHOP Internship?

CHOP publishes CRISSP's class size, 30 students a summer, but no applicant count, so there's no honest acceptance rate to quote. What the program pages reward is clear enough.

First, apply to several programs. CRISSP, the REU, PCEN and ARRA are separate programs with separate deadlines between January 10 and late January, and eligible students can apply to more than one.

Second, pick your CRISSP track deliberately. You choose basic and translational, clinical, or behavioral research, and CHOP assigns your mentor within it. A statement that explains why that track fits your past coursework or lab work is stronger than a general interest in medicine.

Third, nursing students should treat the externship as the hiring pipeline. CHOP's nursing page says these programs are designed to help you "secure a full-time position at CHOP upon graduation," and a recent graduate on Reddit described most new-grad hires coming straight from the summer cohort.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

These health systems and research employers recruit the same nursing, research and health administration students:

Our healthcare consulting internships summer 2027 guide covers the business side of healthcare, including hospital administration roles.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 CHOP internship?

No. Summer 2026 programs have ended. For summer 2027, PCEN Summer Scholars is open now through January 10, 2027, and Nurse Extern applications run October 5 to 9, 2026. CRISSP, ARRA and the REU open in December. The 2027 Administrative Fellowships already closed on September 10, 2026.

When do CHOP summer 2027 internship applications open?

It depends on the program. Summer Nurse Extern and Flynn Fellowship: October 5 to 9, 2026 only. PCEN: open now until January 10, 2027. CIRP REU: December 14, 2026 to January 13, 2027. CRISSP and ARRA: open in December 2026, with ARRA closing January 25. The IT internship is expected in early 2027.

Are CHOP research internships paid?

Yes, through stipends. The CIRP Injury Science REU pays $7,000 plus free housing and up to $500 in travel. CRISSP pays $5,000 plus free housing. ARRA pays $5,000 with a modest travel stipend, and PCEN pays $4,500. ARRA and PCEN don't provide housing, so budget for Philadelphia rent.

How competitive is CRISSP?

Competitive. CHOP selects 30 students each summer, and the program counts more than 200 alumni. CHOP doesn't publish applicant numbers. Applicants need a 3.3 GPA with no rounding, full-time enrollment as a sophomore, junior or spring-graduating senior, and US citizenship or permanent residency.

Can international students apply to CHOP internships?

Some programs, yes. CRISSP, the CIRP REU and PCEN are limited to US citizens and permanent residents. ARRA asks only that applicants be eligible to work in the United States, so it's the main research-side option for international students who already hold US work authorization.

Is the CHOP Summer Nurse Extern program an internship?

It's a clinical nursing program, separate from CHOP's research and business internships. RN students graduating in December 2027 or May 2028 spend 10 weeks, May 17 to July 23, 2027, giving hands-on patient care alongside nurse preceptors on tracks such as critical care, perioperative and behavioral health.

Does CHOP hire nurse externs after graduation?

Often, though CHOP doesn't publish a rate. Its nursing page says the student programs are designed to help you secure a full-time position at CHOP upon graduation, and a 2026 new graduate on Reddit said most of CHOP's new-grad nurses are hired straight from the summer externship cohort.

Does CHOP have business or IT internships?

Yes, on a smaller scale. A Digital & Technology Services summer internship ran 12 weeks in 2026, with applications due February 28, 2026, and the 2027 posting is expected in January or February. Students interested in operations can also apply to ARRA, which places interns in research administration.

Nursing students: put October 5 to 9 on your calendar today. Research students have until December to prepare, and a remote Externship gives you a finished data or research project to describe when the CRISSP or REU application asks about your experience.