Memorial Sloan Kettering Internship 2027–2028: Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: October 2026

Memorial Sloan Kettering's undergraduate summer internships are research programs, not business, finance or IT roles, and they're the main way a college student gets paid work at MSK. The five lab programs pay a $6,500 stipend over 10 weeks (the quantitative program, QSURE, pays $6,375), and MSK provides dormitory housing to participants who need it. Applications open in early November 2026 and close February 1, 2027 (QSURE closes January 18). In plain words: you apply this winter, you intern in summer 2027. MSK's separate Summer Student Program is for high school juniors only.

Quick Facts

The row that matters most: nothing is open today, the portal opens in early November, and the main deadline is February 1, 2027 (QSURE: January 18).

Externships are short, remote project programs run by Extern, separate from MSK's own nursing "externship" for nursing students. Most run 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week, so one fits before the January and February deadlines. The ARCeH Data Analytics, Health Outcomes Externship builds the health-data analysis that QSURE and CBSP projects use, and the SQL & Database Architecture with Breaking Games Externship covers the SQL and data handling behind them. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Memorial Sloan Kettering Internship?

A Memorial Sloan Kettering internship, for a college student, is a paid 10-week summer research program at the New York cancer center. MSK runs six undergraduate programs: computational biology (CBSP), chemical biology (ChBSP), engineering and imaging (EISP), immunology research (IRSP), mechanistic biology (MBSP) and quantitative sciences (QSURE). Each student does an independent project under a senior scientist, joins journal clubs and seminars, and presents a poster at the end. MSK lists no business, finance or IT student internships. Its high school Summer Student Program, a nursing student program and its graduate, medical-student and postbaccalaureate programs are separate and mostly outside this guide. Programs host on average 6 to 15 interns each, according to MSK.

When Do Memorial Sloan Kettering Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

MSK runs one annual cycle for its undergraduate research programs, and the deadline barely moves. Archived copies of the application FAQ show a February 3, 2025 deadline for summer 2025 and February 2, 2026 for summer 2026; the live page now says February 1, 2027 for summer 2027. The portal opens in early November (QSURE publishes Monday, November 2). That puts the portal about 7 months before an early-June start and the deadline about 4 months before it. Decisions arrive by March 15. Because three cycles line up, we expect the summer 2028 cycle to open in early November 2027 and close around February 1, 2028.

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 hard deadline cycle, so the goal isn't to apply on day one but to finish before the dates and with every letter in. MSK says applications left incomplete after February 1, 2027 won't receive further consideration, and a file is only reviewed once all listed letters arrive. QSURE closes two weeks earlier, on January 18, with a first review on January 4. Ask recommenders in October, give them the February 4 letter deadline in writing, and aim to submit in December. MSK doesn't publish applicant counts for the undergraduate programs, so there is no number to tell you how early is safe.

Which Memorial Sloan Kettering Internship Programs Should You Target?

MSK's student programs split into undergraduate research, a nursing program and a high school program. The table keeps them apart.

Start at the official undergraduate programs page and apply to the two programs whose prerequisites you already meet.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

These come from MSK's eligibility and application pages, read on October 26, 2026.

• Class year: an active undergraduate rising junior or senior at an accredited college. Graduating seniors and master's students aren't eligible; a student completing a second bachelor's degree is.

• GPA: participants should have a minimum GPA of 3.0.

• Prerequisites: each program names its own, from Python or R for CBSP to a semester of college statistics for QSURE (AP credit doesn't count). Lab experience isn't required, but MSK says most interns to date had some.

• Work authorization: non-citizens can apply, but accepted interns must show work eligibility and MSK doesn't sponsor visas. The FAQ says only F-1 or J-1 students are acceptable and mentions OPT or CPT, which the intern arranges.

• Application: form, personal statement of up to 3,000 characters, unofficial transcript and at least two recommendation letters. Applicants can't update last year's file and must reapply.

Do You Need Lab Experience to Get In?

MSK says it isn't required, but it describes the strongest fits in terms of coursework and skills: chemistry and biology for ChBSP, programming for CBSP, statistics for QSURE. MSK also says applicants are strongly discouraged from emailing principal investigators, and that speaking to program faculty bears no weight. Spend that effort on a statement that addresses the specific program, since MSK warns that statements written for other internships will leave the admissions committee cold.

What Skills Does Memorial Sloan Kettering Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

MSK posts no job descriptions for these programs, so there is nothing to count and we haven't built a frequency chart. The skills come from each program's prerequisites. Computational and statistical work: Python, R and C/C++ for CBSP, and R, SAS, STATA or Python plus a semester of statistics for QSURE. Laboratory science: college chemistry and biology for ChBSP, IRSP and MBSP, with some hands-on lab work. Communication: a personal statement, a journal club and a closing poster or oral presentation. The nature of the work is research, so a statement that shows curiosity about a specific cancer question beats a general interest in medicine.

Note: MSK publishes no job descriptions for its undergraduate research programs, so we didn't build a skills frequency chart. The skills above are read from each program's prerequisite text, not counted across postings.

How Is Demand for Research Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each skill below comes from the programs' stated prerequisites and maps to a remote Externship you can finish before the January and February deadlines.

None of these is a wet-lab Externship. They fit the statistics and computational programs (QSURE, CBSP), not ChBSP, IRSP or MBSP.

What Is the Memorial Sloan Kettering Application and Interview Process Like?

MSK describes one shared application for the five lab programs, and QSURE has its own page with the same steps.

1. Choose up to two programs. The same offices screen all of them, but separate committees review each one.

2. Apply in the admissions portal. Submit the form, a personal statement of up to 3,000 characters and an unofficial transcript once the portal opens in early November.

3. Request two recommendation letters. At least two, none from family or friends. Letters are due February 4, 2027, and a missing listed letter makes the file incomplete.

4. Wait for a decision. MSK emails everyone who applied no later than March 15; accepted interns send official transcripts.

5. Prepare for the summer. MSK may rescind an acceptance if the official transcript differs from the unofficial one.

MSK doesn't publish an interview stage for these programs.

What We Found on Reddit

Nothing we can quote. The r/REU and r/summerprogramresults threads we read are acceptance announcements with little substance, and applicants often mix up MSK's high school and college programs, so check which program a thread describes. We'd rather show no cards than borrow an old or off-topic one.

How Do You Stand Out for an MSK Summer Program?

First, write to one program. MSK says statements aimed at other internships leave the committee cold, so name the program, the area of science and what you'd want to learn there. Second, show the prerequisite in action: a Python or R project for CBSP, a statistics course for QSURE, a lab course for ChBSP, IRSP or MBSP. Third, secure letters early and apply to a second program that fits, since you can apply to two. MSK publishes no applicant counts for the undergraduate programs, so don't rely on a number; the 2% acceptance rate on its high school page covers that program only.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

If you're weighing cancer centers and research programs, these employers also recruit students:

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

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Memorial Sloan Kettering internship?

No. The summer 2026 deadline was February 2, 2026, according to an archived copy of MSK's page, and those programs have run. The cycle to plan for is summer 2027, which opens in early November 2026 and closes February 1, 2027 (QSURE: January 18).

When do Memorial Sloan Kettering internship applications open?

The admissions portal opens in early November 2026, and QSURE opens Monday, November 2. The lab programs close February 1, 2027 and QSURE closes January 18. Decisions come by March 15. The summer 2028 cycle is expected to follow the same early-November to early-February pattern.

Are Memorial Sloan Kettering internships paid?

Yes. MSK says all listed summer research programs are paid: $6,500 over 10 weeks for CBSP, ChBSP, EISP, IRSP and MBSP, and $6,375 for QSURE. MSK also provides dormitory housing to participants who need it. It calls the payment a stipend, so don't assume it works like a salary.

Who is eligible for an MSK summer research program?

Active undergraduates who will be rising juniors or seniors, with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Graduating seniors and master's students aren't eligible. Each program adds prerequisites, such as programming for CBSP or one semester of statistics for QSURE. Lab experience isn't required, though most past interns had some.

Can international students apply to MSK summer programs?

Yes, with caveats. Non-citizens can apply, but accepted interns must show work eligibility, and MSK says only F-1 or J-1 students are acceptable and doesn't sponsor visas. MSK Engage is limited to US citizens and permanent residents, though it welcomes applicants with DACA status.

Does Memorial Sloan Kettering offer business, finance or IT internships?

Not that we could find. MSK's student pages list research programs, and its Workday board had no student-titled opening on October 26, 2026. If you're a business or computer science major, the computational and quantitative programs, CBSP and QSURE, are the closest fit.

Is the MSK Summer Student Program the same as the undergraduate programs?

No. The Summer Student Program is for high school juniors, with applications opening December 1, 2026 and closing February 5, 2027. College students apply to the undergraduate programs, or to the nursing Clinical Assistant Program if they are nursing students entering their final year.

How many students does MSK accept, and do interns get return offers?

MSK says each undergraduate program hosts between 6 and 15 interns on average. It publishes no return-offer rate for them; QSURE says 71% of its alumni entered graduate school in a related field, without a date. Treat other percentages on third-party sites as unverified.

The portal opens in early November and the deadlines fall on January 18 and February 1, so the work to do now is choosing your programs and lining up letters. While you wait, a remote Externship gives your statement a finished data project to describe.