Los Alamos National Laboratory Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: October 2026

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) hosts more than 1,800 student and post-graduate interns every summer, and it hires them differently from most employers: mentors, not a central office, pick interns from the applicant pool, and the undergraduate window runs from August 1 to February 13. On 3 October 2026 its job site listed 31 postings for currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students (62 including post-bachelor's and post-master's roles), including a High Performance Computing posting that names summer 2027 outright. Pay follows a published table: in 2026 an undergraduate with fewer than 60 credit hours earned $23.11 an hour on the technical scale and one past 60 hours $31.26. In plain words: you apply during fall 2026, or by 13 February 2027 at the latest, and you intern in summer 2027.

Quick Facts

Summer 2027 hiring is open now on lanl.jobs, mentors are already browsing applicants, and the undergraduate window closes on 13 February 2027.

LANL mentors hire students who can already handle real data and code. Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, most commonly over 8 weeks. The Arceh Children's Environmental Health Analytics Externship builds applied data analysis on environmental and health data, and the Hydroficient IoT Cyber Defense Externship fits students aiming at LANL's cyber and computing groups. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Los Alamos National Laboratory Internship?

A Los Alamos National Laboratory internship is a paid student appointment at the Department of Energy's national-security science lab in northern New Mexico, run by Triad National Security, LLC for NNSA. Undergraduates join the UGS program and graduate students the GRA program, each paired with a mentor in a technical or professional group; summer internships typically last 10 weeks, and many students stay on year-round part time. LANL's FY2025 budget was $5.28 billion with 16,487 regular employees, and about 1,600 of its workforce are students. Projects range from fuel cells and batteries to high performance computing, applied mathematics, fire protection and space remote sensing.

When Do Los Alamos National Laboratory Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

LANL's undergraduate applicant guide sets a year-round window that "opens August 1st, closes February 13". Summer 2027 postings are already live: the HPC undergraduate req (posted 15 September 2026) asks for students seeking a paid internship for summer 2027, and the PWDI Scholars reqs say applications must be submitted by 13 February 2027. That's roughly 8 to 10 months of lead time for an early applicant. DOE's SULI program, which lets you pick LANL as host, opens on 14 October 2026 and is due 6 January 2027; LANL hosted SULI in summer 2026, so check DOE's host list when you apply.

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

LANL's hiring is mentor-driven: "the decision to hire students rests entirely with mentors", who search the resume database, and "not every student will hear back." A mentor who finds a good fit in October doesn't wait for February, so the 13 February date is the last day to apply, not the day decisions start. One 2026 applicant to the Applied Machine Learning summer school was told each of its 12 projects took one person. The cutoff is also strict on paperwork: students who don't upload a resume, transcript and personal statement aren't considered.

Which Los Alamos National Laboratory Internship Programs Should You Target?

LANL runs several student tracks; these are the ones a college student can apply to now.

Pay tables and level rules are on LANL's student info page; open postings are at lanl.jobs/students.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

LANL publishes its floors, and every posting adds security rules:

• GPA: 2.75 for undergraduates, post-bachelor's and high school; 3.2 for graduate and post-master's students. Some postings ask for 3.0 or higher.

• Enrollment: undergraduates need at least 12 semester credit hours; graduate students full-time status.

• NDAA restriction: citizens of China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Iran, North Korea and Russia who aren't U.S. permanent residents can't access LANL.

• Clearance: of the 31 undergraduate and graduate postings on 3 October 2026, 24 said no clearance and 7 required Q-clearance eligibility, which in practice means U.S. citizenship.

• Drug test: required; a positive marijuana test ends employment even if use was before the offer.

Can International Students Intern at Los Alamos?

Yes, for postings that don't need a clearance, as long as you aren't a citizen of one of the four NDAA countries without a green card. LANL's undergraduate page says the program is open to domestic and international students, and foreign nationals go through a separate DOE approval process. A July 2026 international grad intern described submitting extra forms in late June and then waiting on the background check. SULI and CCI, by contrast, require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.

What Skills Does Los Alamos National Laboratory Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

LANL's student postings are written by individual groups, so the skills vary with the science. Across the 31 live undergraduate and graduate postings, Python and C or C++ come up most among named tools, followed by machine learning, data analysis, HPC and Linux. Most postings restate the GPA floor, and many ask for a cover letter or personal statement that names your research interests, which the lab treats as a real filter.

How Is Demand for Research Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

None of these is a LANL program, but each builds a skill the postings name and gives you a concrete project for your personal statement.

Name the externship project and the group you'd like to join in your one-page statement; LANL tells applicants to list two or three academic interests there.

What Is the Los Alamos National Laboratory Application and Interview Process Like?

LANL publishes its student hiring steps on its program pages:

1. Find postings or apply to the program. Browse the student categories on lanl.jobs; a single application can be seen by many mentors.

2. Upload three documents. Resume, transcript and a one-page personal statement naming two or three interests. Missing documents mean you won't be considered.

3. Mentors search the pool. Hiring decisions rest with mentors; the lab itself recommends contacting groups whose work fits you.

4. Interview with the mentor by phone or in person.

5. Hiring package and offer. The mentor submits a package, HR approves it, and you get an offer by email to sign within two weeks. Students report about six weeks from verbal offer to start date.

Use LANL's Student Symposium project books and the lab's publications to find mentors whose work matches yours, then email them directly.

What Students on Reddit Say

r/LosAlamos has active, first-hand threads from interns and staff.

How Do You Stand Out for a Los Alamos Internship?

Three moves. First, write the personal statement for a mentor, not for HR: name two or three research areas and the groups you'd want (HPC, MPA-11, T-division), because mentors search the pool by interest. Second, contact scientists directly; the lab itself recommends reaching out to groups and reviewing Student Symposium project books. Third, apply early and use a second route: SULI opens 14 October and lets you name LANL as host. Aim for "hot skills" groups (A-1, A-4, CCS, HPC, ISR-3, ISR-6) if you're computing-focused; they pay on a higher scale. LANL doesn't publish an acceptance rate.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

These national labs and federal research employers hire from the same science and engineering pool.

For more defense and national-security employers, see our aerospace and defense internships summer 2027 guide.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Los Alamos internship?

No. Summer 2026 has ended, and LANL's undergraduate window for it closed in February 2026. What's open now is summer 2027: 17 undergraduate and 14 graduate postings were live on 3 October 2026, and the undergraduate window runs until 13 February 2027. Post-bachelor's roles start year-round.

When should I apply for a summer 2027 LANL internship?

Now. The undergraduate window opened 1 August 2026 and closes 13 February 2027, and summer 2027 postings are already live. Mentors select from the applicant pool as applications arrive, so applying in October or November gives you more chances to be found than applying in February.

How much do Los Alamos interns make?

LANL's 2026 table pays undergraduates $23.11 an hour on the technical scale below 60 credit hours and $31.26 above, and graduate students $37.39 to $43.37. "Hot skills" groups in computing and some cyber and space areas pay more, up to $35.94 for undergraduates. Professional-track roles pay less.

Do I need a security clearance for a LANL internship?

Most student postings don't need one. Of the 31 undergraduate and graduate postings live on 3 October 2026, 24 said no clearance and 7 required Q-clearance eligibility, which generally means U.S. citizenship. Every posting bars citizens of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia who lack a U.S. green card.

What GPA do I need for a Los Alamos internship?

LANL sets a 2.75 cumulative GPA for undergraduates and post-bachelor's students and 3.2 for graduate and post-master's students. Some individual postings ask for 3.0 or higher. Students on Reddit describe anything under 3.0 as a weak spot, so a strong statement and mentor contact matter more.

What is SULI and can it get me to Los Alamos?

SULI is DOE's Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship, and you can choose LANL as a host. Summer 2027 applications open 14 October 2026 and are due 6 January 2027 at 5 PM ET. It pays $650 a week plus travel and requires U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.

How long is a LANL internship?

Summer internships typically run 10 weeks, starting late May or June. Year-round students work about 20 hours a week during the school term and 40 hours between semesters. Post-bachelor's and post-master's appointments can last up to two years before you move on to graduate school or staff roles.

Does LANL provide housing for interns?

No. Students find their own housing, and LANL covers one round trip per appointment for undergraduate and graduate interns. Summer housing in Los Alamos and White Rock is tight because more than 1,800 interns arrive at once, so start looking as soon as you have a verbal offer.

LANL's summer 2027 window is open now and closes 13 February 2027. Apply early, and if you want a finished data or security project for your statement, a remote Externship takes about 5 to 10 hours a week.