Figure AI Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: July 2026

Figure AI has received roughly 176,000 resumes over the past three years and hired about 425 people, putting the company-wide acceptance rate at approximately 0.24%. For the 2027–2028 cycle, Summer 2027 postings are expected to appear on the Greenhouse board between September and November 2026 and fill on a rolling basis. Because there are no fixed deadlines and seats close as teams hire, the single most effective move is submitting the week a posting goes live with a polished project portfolio already in hand.

Quick Facts

Two numbers frame the opportunity: a $39 billion valuation and a roughly 0.24% company-wide acceptance rate. Figure AI fills intern seats on a rolling basis with no published deadline, so a strong portfolio and early submission do the heaviest lifting.

Externships are short, remote projects where you finish real work for a real company. The Wayfair AI Agent Engineering Externship and Beats by Dre Data Analytics Externship build the programming, systems-thinking, and data evidence a Figure AI application rewards. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Figure AI Internship?

A Figure AI internship is a paid, full-time, on-site placement at the company's San Jose headquarters, where you work five days a week alongside the team building general-purpose humanoid robots like the Figure 02 and Figure 03. Unlike rotational programs at larger firms, Figure assigns interns to a specific engineering track from day one and expects hands-on contributions to real hardware and software shipping to production. The company's rapid scaling from 163 to over 650 employees in roughly two years means intern projects carry genuine weight. Compensation sits at $35 to $45 per hour, and while no public conversion-rate data exists, Figure's growth trajectory and in-office-only culture suggest strong performers have a clear path to full-time roles where median total compensation reaches $247,000.

When Do Figure AI Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

Figure AI does not follow the fixed-deadline calendar that Big Tech uses. Postings for each term appear on the Greenhouse board when teams have headcount, and they close when seats fill. For the 2025 and 2026 cycles, Fall intern roles were posted by early-to-mid year, and Winter and Summer roles appeared in the prior fall through early winter. Expect Summer 2027 postings to surface between September and November 2026, with interviews running October through January and offers landing November through February. The critical insight: rolling review at a company with a 0.24% acceptance rate means the candidate who submits first with a ready portfolio wins the seat over the candidate who submits a better portfolio two months later.

Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open

Rolling review at a 0.24% acceptance rate is the mechanism. Figure AI does not set a batch deadline; postings go live when a team has headcount and close the moment a seat fills. That means the strongest candidate who applies in month two may never be seen if the role already closed in month one. Community data confirms Figure moves fast on prioritized hires, and Glassdoor reports an average interview cycle of roughly 13 days. So set a job alert on the Greenhouse board, have your project portfolio or website ready before September, and submit the week a relevant posting appears. Waiting to polish one more bullet point is a losing trade when the posting could close tomorrow.

Which Figure AI Internship Programs Should You Target?

Figure AI organizes internships around its hardware-to-software stack, not business functions. You are hired into a specific engineering team and expected to contribute to real robot development from day one. The tracks skew heavily toward hardware and systems, reflecting the company's manufacturing-stage focus on building physical humanoid robots. The one AI-focused track requires a Master's or PhD.

See every open role on the Figure AI Greenhouse board. Note the hardware-heavy orientation: Figure is in full-scale manufacturing mode for the Figure 02 and 03 platforms, so mechanical, electrical, and firmware seats consistently outnumber pure software openings.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

Figure AI's eligibility bar is tighter than most tech internships in two specific ways: a minimum experience floor and an on-site requirement with no exceptions.

• Enrollment: actively pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related engineering field at an accredited institution.

• Minimum experience: at least 2 years of study completed by the internship start date. This is stricter than many companies that accept first-year or sophomore applicants.

• Graduate requirement for AI track: the Special Projects Intern role requires current enrollment in a Master's or PhD program in CS, Robotics, or Computer Engineering.

• Portfolio required: a personal project website or portfolio showcasing relevant engineering work is mandatory for hardware roles and strongly recommended for all tracks.

• On-site only: all internships are 5 days per week at the San Jose, CA headquarters. There is no remote or hybrid option. Plan for Bay Area housing costs independently.

Does Figure AI Require a Specific GPA?

Figure AI does not list a GPA cutoff in its intern postings. The emphasis falls on demonstrated hands-on ability: project portfolios, prototyping experience, and programming proficiency in Python, C++, or C. For the AI-focused Special Projects track, research experience and familiarity with robotics fundamentals carry more weight than a transcript number. Given the 0.24% company-wide acceptance rate, the differentiator is tangible evidence of building things, not grade thresholds.

What Skills Does Figure AI Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Read across thirteen Figure AI intern postings spanning mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, and AI tracks, and the pattern is clear. Python and C++ dominate the software side, CAD proficiency anchors the hardware side, and hands-on prototyping ability appears in nearly every listing regardless of discipline. The AI-focused Special Projects track adds robotics fundamentals and ML experience, but even there the emphasis is on candidates who can move from concept to working prototype on real hardware. Figure is building physical robots, not just models, and the skill bar reflects that bias toward people who have actually assembled, debugged, and tested physical systems.

How Is Demand for Robotics Engineering Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

And every skill in that chart maps to a remote Externship where you finish a real project before a role opens.

How close is the overlap? The Wayfair project is agent-engineering work that produces the build-and-explain evidence Figure's technical interviews probe for, and the Beats project delivers the data-analysis storytelling a behavioral round rewards.

What Is the Figure AI Application and Interview Process Like?

Figure AI's interview funnel is a 4-stage loop that averages roughly 13 days from first contact to decision, though some candidates report 3 or more weeks:

1. Apply on figure.ai/careers or the Greenhouse board. Pick a specific track, attach your resume and project portfolio or website. For hardware roles, the portfolio is mandatory, not optional. Apply the week a posting goes live; there is no batch deadline.

2. Recruiter phone screen (30 minutes). Background verification, motivation, role understanding, and logistics. Expect questions about why Figure AI and your interest in humanoid robotics.

3. Technical assessment. A coding challenge for software and firmware roles, or a case study and hands-on knowledge check for hardware roles. Expect Python or C++ problems for software tracks and CAD, prototyping, or debugging questions for mechanical and electrical tracks.

4. Technical interviews (1 to 2 rounds). Virtual or in-person sessions with team members. Discussion of your technical assessment, past projects, and problem-solving approach in robotics or embedded systems. Glassdoor rates interview difficulty at 2.94 out of 5.

5. Final interview with leadership. A conversation with the hiring manager or team lead focused on cultural fit, long-term interest in humanoid robotics, and alignment with Figure's mission to expand human capabilities through AI.

So the preparation checklist is specific: build a project portfolio or personal website showcasing hands-on work, drill Python and C++ fundamentals, and prepare 3 to 4 stories about projects where you took something from concept to working prototype. Glassdoor reports a 38.9% positive candidate experience rate, with some reviewers noting slow recruiter follow-up, so be prepared for gaps between stages and follow up proactively.

What Students on Reddit Say

Three community threads give a picture of Figure AI from the inside and outside, all paraphrased.

How Do You Stand Out at a Company With a 0.24% Acceptance Rate?

Three moves, all before a posting goes live. First, build and publish a project portfolio or personal website before September: Figure explicitly requires one for hardware roles and implicitly expects it for all tracks, and at a 0.24% acceptance rate, an application without tangible evidence of building things is an application that does not advance. Second, target the right track honestly: 10 of the 13 observed intern roles are hardware-oriented, so if your strength is software, the Special Projects track is your lane, and it requires a Master's or PhD. Third, submit the week a posting appears. Rolling review with no fixed deadline means the seat closes when someone fills it, and Figure reportedly moves fast. An internal referral or LinkedIn connection to a current employee further compresses the timeline. And prepare for intensity: Glassdoor and Reddit consistently note long hours and a strong work-over-balance culture, so frame your interview stories around resilience and ownership under pressure.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Figure AI is not the only robotics or AI company hiring interns on a rolling calendar. If you are building a robotics-and-AI internship list, these are the natural comparisons:

Our tech internships summer 2027 guide maps the whole landscape, timeline by timeline.

FAQ

When do Figure AI internship applications open for summer 2027?

Based on prior cycles, Summer 2027 postings are expected between September and November 2026 on the Greenhouse job board. Figure does not publish fixed deadlines; positions are filled on a rolling basis. Set an alert at job-boards.greenhouse.io/figureai.

How much does a Figure AI internship pay?

Standard intern roles pay $35 to $45 per hour, and the Special Projects Intern track pays $40 to $45 per hour. These rates are confirmed from official job postings. No housing stipend has been publicly documented, and San Jose is high cost-of-living.

Is the Figure AI internship remote?

No. All Figure AI internships are on-site 5 days per week at the San Jose, California headquarters. There is no remote or hybrid option for any intern track.

Do I need a Master's or PhD to intern at Figure AI?

Only for the Special Projects Intern track, which focuses on AI and ML in robotics. All other intern roles require a Bachelor's or Master's with a minimum of 2 years of study completed. A strong project portfolio matters more than degree level for most tracks.

What is the acceptance rate for Figure AI?

Figure AI's company-wide acceptance rate is approximately 0.24%, based on 176,000 resumes received and roughly 425 hires over three years. No intern-specific acceptance rate is published, but the overall selectivity suggests the bar is extremely high.

What is the Figure AI internship interview process like?

A 4-stage loop averaging about 13 days: recruiter phone screen, technical assessment or coding challenge, 1 to 2 technical interviews with team members, and a final interview with a hiring manager. For hardware roles, expect questions about prototyping, CAD, and hands-on debugging.

Do Figure AI interns get return offers?

No public data exists on Figure AI's intern-to-full-time conversion rate. The industry average is 63.1% per NACE data. Figure's rapid growth from 163 to 650+ employees and in-office-only culture suggest strong performers have clear conversion opportunities.

Do I need a project portfolio to apply?

Yes, for hardware roles a portfolio or personal project website is explicitly required. For software and AI tracks it is strongly recommended. At a 0.24% acceptance rate, tangible evidence of building things is the differentiator.

Figure AI's acceptance rate is 0.24%, but every seat is filled one rolling decision at a time. Use the runway to build proof: a remote Externship turns 'interested in robotics' into a finished project you can showcase when postings open this fall.