Mayo Clinic Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: October 2026

Mayo Clinic runs several summer programs, each with its own window, and the best known has a fixed calendar: the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) takes summer-2027 applications from 1 November 2026 to 3 February 2027, accepts about 180 undergraduates a year across Rochester, Scottsdale and Jacksonville, and pays $7,000 for 10 weeks. In plain words: you apply this fall and winter, you intern in summer 2027.

No summer-2027 Mayo program is taking applications today (3 October 2026). The first door is the graduate Administrative Internship, whose application Mayo says becomes available in early October; the clinical research program CRISP opens 1 November and nursing internships post in November.

Quick Facts

Every summer track has its own window, and the big undergraduate ones open on 1 November, so October is for picking a track and lining up recommenders.

Externships are short, remote project programs run by Extern, separate from Mayo's own Arizona Student Nurse Extern program. Most run 8 weeks at 5–10 hours a week, so one fits before the November and January deadlines. The Arceh Children's Environmental Health Analytics Externship gives you a finished health-research project to describe in a SURF or CRISP statement, and the Healthcare Operations Consulting Externship builds the process-improvement work Mayo's administrative interns do. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Mayo Clinic Internship?

A Mayo Clinic internship is a paid summer program at one of the largest academic medical centers in the US, in research, clinical research, hospital administration, nursing or lab support, depending on the track.

SURF puts undergraduates in a lab for at least 40 hours a week on a mentor's project and ends with a poster symposium. CRISP is mostly chart-review clinical research, at least 20 hours a week, for students leaning toward medicine. The Administrative Internship, formalized in 2018, embeds graduate students in a division under an administrator, with projects in process improvement, data analysis, capital budgeting and financial analysis. Summer III and the Health System internships are paid clinical roles for nursing students working alongside registered nurses.

When Do Mayo Clinic Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

The research programs publish their summer-2027 dates outright. SURF's application page lists 1 November 2026 to 3 February 2027, the same calendar as last year, and CRISP opens 1 November and closes 31 January at 11:59 pm EST. The Administrative Internship gives month-level dates: application available in early October, deadline in early December. The nursing programs page says pay and schedules appear on the postings in November, and the Arizona Student Nurse Extern window runs only 25 to 29 January 2027.

That's a lead time of about 7 months from the November opening to a late-May or June start. As of 3 October the jobs board shows no "Intern-Graduate" posting yet, so the Administrative Internship could appear any day.

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

These are hard deadlines, not rolling windows. CRISP closes at 11:59 pm EST on 31 January and requires every student to attend an in-person orientation, with no exceptions. SURF allows only one application per season, so a rushed file can't be fixed with a second try. The Arizona Student Nurse Extern window is five days long.

The real reason to start early is the paperwork. SURF wants a one-to-two-page personal statement, transcripts and two letters from research mentors or science instructors, and Mayo says competitive applicants upload transcripts with their fall grades. Recommenders need weeks of notice, so ask them in October and submit as soon as your file is complete.

Which Mayo Clinic Internship Programs Should You Target?

Choose by degree level and career goal. Mayo itself says SURF is for students heading toward a PhD or MD-PhD, and points students set on an MD to CRISP.

Mayo lists its jobs-board programs, including engineering and IT internships, on its training programs and internships page.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

Each track sets its own gates:

• SURF: completed sophomore year, enrolled at an accredited US college, cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, seriously considering a PhD or MD-PhD research career. Students finishing their first bachelor's before the program aren't eligible.

• CRISP: 18 or older, GPA of 3.5 or higher, completed freshman year, enrolled at or recently graduated from a US college; at most two summers.

• Administrative Internship: graduate students in healthcare management, with a resume listing GPA and two letters.

• Summer III: completed junior year of an accredited BSN, graduating by the following June, enrolled for Minnesota summer internship credit.

• International students: SURF accepts full-time students at US colleges (OPT or CPT paperwork after acceptance) and CRISP accepts F-1 students at US colleges. The Summer Lab Science Program and the jobs-board intern roles don't sponsor visas.

Is the GPA a Hard Cutoff?

Treat the stated floors as firm: 3.0 for SURF, 3.5 for CRISP and 2.75 for the Summer Lab Science Program are written as requirements. Clearing them doesn't make you competitive, though. SURF fills about 180 seats from applicants across the country, and research experience, your statement and your letters decide most files.

One 2026 SURF admit on Reddit reported a 3.17 GPA alongside a prior summer REU and work in an EEG lab, which fits what Mayo asks for: evidence that you want a research career.

What Skills Does Mayo Clinic Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Mayo's program pages describe programs more than they list skills, so we read seven sources together: the SURF, CRISP, Administrative Internship, Summer III and Summer Lab Science pages, plus two live intern postings (AI/ML in Radiation Oncology and a Gastroenterology Research internship).

Research work and the paperwork around it dominate. Four of seven ask for mentored research or project work, four require recommendation letters, and three ask for a written statement or cover letter. Data analysis shows up in the administrative and AI postings, and the two technical postings want Python and machine learning coursework.

How Is Demand for Research Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each skill maps to a remote Externship you can finish before the SURF and CRISP deadlines.

A finished project gives your SURF personal statement or CRISP essay a concrete example of research you completed, rather than a list of interests.

What Is the Mayo Clinic Application and Interview Process Like?

Each track has its own route:

1. SURF. Create an account on the College portal, pick your campus and research area, then upload a one-to-two-page personal statement, unofficial transcripts and two recommendation requests. One application per season.

2. CRISP. Apply through the same College portal between 1 November and 31 January with an essay, transcript, CV and a letter of recommendation.

3. Administrative Internship. Search "Intern-Graduate" on jobs.mayoclinic.org, submit the candidate form, a resume and two letters, then complete virtual interviews before offers in mid-January.

4. Nursing internships. Apply to the November postings with a resume and transcript. A 2026 Summer III intern described recorded virtual interviews after that.

5. Offers. SURF fellows are matched with a mentor in their chosen research area once accepted, with offers by email from mid-February to mid-March.

What Students on Reddit Say

Recent applicants and alumni on Reddit mostly talk about timing, what got them in and whether the programs were worth it.

How Do You Stand Out for a Mayo Clinic Internship?

Three moves, all doable before 1 November.

Apply to the right program. Mayo is explicit that SURF is for future PhD and MD-PhD researchers and CRISP is for students considering medicine. A pre-med writing a SURF statement about seeing patients argues against the program's own description.

Pick a research area and say why. SURF asks you to choose an area, from immunology to regenerative sciences, and matches you with a mentor there. Name the questions you want to work on and the lab skills you already have.

Get strong letters early. SURF wants two letters from research mentors or science instructors. Ask in October, send each writer your statement draft, and submit once the file is complete.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

If you're applying to Mayo, these academic medical and research centers run comparable student programs.

Our healthcare internships guide for summer 2027 covers more hospitals, health systems and research programs.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Mayo Clinic internship?

No. Summer 2026 programs have finished, and their application windows closed in early 2026. Nothing for summer 2027 is open on 3 October 2026 either. The graduate Administrative Internship opens first, in early October, then SURF and CRISP on 1 November, with nursing internships posting in November.

When do Mayo Clinic summer 2027 internship applications open?

Most open on 1 November 2026. SURF runs from 1 November 2026 to 3 February 2027 and CRISP from 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027. The Administrative Internship opens in early October and closes in early December, and nursing internships post in November.

Is Mayo Clinic's SURF program paid?

Yes. SURF pays $7,000 for the 10-week program, paid every two weeks, according to Mayo's stipend page. Housing isn't included: Mayo lists Rochester student housing starting around $1,200 a month, with separate options in Arizona and Florida. CRISP pays a $3,000 stipend and doesn't cover housing or transport.

What GPA do I need for a Mayo Clinic internship?

It depends on the program. SURF requires a cumulative 3.0, CRISP requires 3.5 and the Summer Lab Science Program requires 2.75. The Administrative Internship asks for GPA on your resume without a published floor. Meeting the minimum is only the start, because research experience and letters carry most SURF files.

Can international students apply to Mayo Clinic internships?

Some can. SURF accepts international students enrolled full-time at US colleges, who submit OPT or CPT paperwork after acceptance, and CRISP accepts F-1 students at US colleges. The Summer Lab Science Program and the paid intern roles on the jobs board don't sponsor visas, and the AI/ML posting excludes STEM OPT.

How many students does Mayo Clinic's SURF program accept?

About 180 undergraduates a year, according to Mayo's SURF application page, across its campuses in Rochester, Minnesota; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida. You choose your preferred campus and research area when you apply. Mayo doesn't publish the number of applicants, so no acceptance rate is available.

Does Mayo Clinic have internships for MHA or MBA students?

Yes. The Administrative Internship Program takes a cohort of graduate healthcare-management students for 10 to 12 weeks each summer. Interns are embedded in a division under an administrator. The application opens in early October and closes in early December, with offers expected in mid-January after virtual interviews.

What is Mayo Clinic's Summer III internship?

Summer III is a paid, 10-week, full-time clinical internship in Rochester for nursing students who have finished junior year of a BSN. Interns care for patients under registered nurses. Pay and schedule appear on the posting from November, and you must enroll in Minnesota summer internship credit.

Mayo's summer-2027 windows open within weeks. Use the time before 1 November to build proof: a remote Externship gives your SURF or CRISP application a finished project to describe.