Metropolitan Museum of Art Internship 2027–2028: Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: October 2026

The Metropolitan Museum of Art pays every intern: its FAQ says all internships are paid and it offers no unpaid ones, and the summer 2027 program pays $26 an hour for ten weeks. In plain words: you apply between mid-November 2026 and January 13, 2027, and you intern from June 4 to August 13, 2027. As of October 16, 2026, the application button on the summer program page is still disabled, so you can't apply yet. Nothing else is open either, because the Met runs three cohorts a year and its fall 2026 and spring 2027 deadlines (May 13 and September 16) have passed. Summer is the next door, and the deadline is final: the Met doesn't accept late applications, materials or recommendations.

Quick Facts

The numbers to remember: $26 an hour, a window of about eight weeks, and a final deadline of January 13, 2027 at 5 pm ET for summer 2027. The two other cohorts, fall and spring, are closed until their next deadlines, expected around May and September 2027. Each cohort has a fixed deadline with no late entry.

Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, and one fits before the January 13 deadline. The Pinterest Gen Z Consumer Behavior Externship builds the audience research behind museum tours and public programs, and the Beats by Dre Creative Advertising Strategy Externship builds the storytelling behind museum communications. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Metropolitan Museum of Art Internship?

A Metropolitan Museum of Art internship is a paid placement at The Met Fifth Avenue or The Met Cloisters in New York City, run through the Rubio Butterfield Internship Program for college and university students. The program has three terms: a ten-week summer term, centered on the Museum Seminar Series (MuSe), and part-time fall and spring terms. In April 2026 the Met announced that Jennifer Rubio and Stewart Butterfield pledged over $23 million to fund these internships in perpetuity, and the Met says it's the single largest art museum in the country to offer 100 percent paid internships. Interns are matched to projects that supervisors submit from departments across the museum, so the work ranges from education and digital to publications and visitor research. This page covers the college program, not the Met's separate recent-graduate, conservation or high school internships.

When Do Metropolitan Museum of Art Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

The Met recruits three cohorts a year, each with a fixed deadline about four to five months before the term starts. For summer 2027, the program page states that applications open in mid-November 2026 and close on January 13, 2027 at 5 pm ET (the page's separate Important Dates block still says to check back, but the application box carries the window). Last cycle's summer deadline was January 14, 2026 for a June start. The fall 2026 deadline was May 13 and the spring 2027 deadline was September 16, so applications for fall 2027 are expected around May 2027 and spring 2028 around mid-September 2027, projected from one cycle.

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

The Met's deadline is final, and it says so in plain terms. Its FAQ states that late applications and updated materials aren't accepted after the deadline, with no exceptions, and the summer page adds that recommendation letters must be submitted by the deadline. The summer window runs only about eight weeks and spans the holidays. The FAQ also confirms you may apply as soon as the form is available, so there is no advantage to waiting. Finish the essays in November, send recommenders a clear date, and submit with time to spare.

Which Metropolitan Museum of Art Internship Programs Should You Target?

The Met runs one college internship program in three terms. The summer term is the flagship, and fall and spring are part-time. Placement is project-based: supervisors submit projects each term and the Met matches applicants to them, so departments vary from term to term.

Fall and spring details are on the fall and spring page. The Met's recent-graduate, conservation and high school internships are separate programs with their own pages and aren't covered here.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

Eligibility differs a little by term:

• Summer: current undergraduate sophomores, juniors and seniors, current graduate students, recent graduates within 12 months of the deadline, and PhD students who haven't reached candidacy.

• Fall and spring: undergraduate and graduate students in their second year or later (first-year BA or AA students aren't eligible), recent graduates within 12 months, and PhD students in their first two years.

• Work authorization: valid US work authorization is required, and the Met doesn't sponsor visas. J-1 applicants can apply through an outside agency, and because J-1 requires 32 hours a week they should apply only to the full-time summer program.

• Start date: quarter-system students must be able to start on June 4, 2027, with no exceptions.

• Availability: full-time summer interns can't take courses or hold jobs or internships that overlap, and days off are limited to illness and religious holidays.

• Past Met interns: eligible if they've completed less than twelve months or three semesters as an intern, with preference for applicants who haven't interned at the Met.

Is There a GPA Minimum?

No minimum is published. The page says reviewers consider more than grades, looking at whether you've followed through on your commitments, and that a few low grades won't knock you out of consideration. Summer applicants also submit an unofficial transcript. Students with little prior arts exposure because of systemic barriers or unequal access are rated higher on the arts-exposure criterion.

What Skills Does Metropolitan Museum of Art Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

The Met doesn't post job descriptions; it scores applications against a published rubric with four criteria: your goals for learning, your potential for growth, your preparation for learning, and your exposure to the arts. Skills come from the placement pages. Its departmental placement areas list, for example, website data analytics, video and audio editing and web development in Digital; visitor research and data analytics in Membership; photography and Photoshop in Imaging; and attention to detail in Publications and Editorial. The FAQ says departments relate to business, computing, finance, political science and writing and editing, and that you don't need to be an art history major.

Note: Skills chart not shown: the Met posts no internship job descriptions. Supervisors submit projects each term and the Met matches applicants to them, so there is no posting set to count. The skills above come from the Met's departmental placement areas page and selection criteria, read October 16, 2026.

How Is Demand for Communications Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

No Externship teaches curatorial work, but three open cohorts build skills that the Met's own placement pages name.

None of these Externships is run by or affiliated with the Met. They give you finished, remote project work to describe in your essays, where the rubric rewards concrete learning goals and preparation.

What Is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Application and Interview Process Like?

The Met describes a layered review:

1. Choose your term and areas. The application lets you select the internships that interest you, such as part time or full-time MuSe, and the Museum areas you want. Apply on the program page once it opens.

2. Submit the application. It takes short essay responses, an unofficial transcript, a résumé and, for summer, two letters of recommendation (one from a professor or instructor), plus a portfolio for Design. There is no fee.

3. Committee review, then supervisors. An Internship Review Committee scores applications on the rubric, then supervisors score them and pick at least four finalists per project.

4. Online interview for finalists. Supervisors interview and recommend one candidate, and final candidates go to the Director's Office for approval.

5. Notification. Summer 2026 applicants were told to expect an answer by the end of April. Fall results come in the second week of August and spring results in the second week of December.

The Met asks that you not contact staff about internships; questions go to collegeprograms@metmuseum.org. Reapplying is allowed if you're still eligible, with a complete new application.

What Students on Reddit Say

Three threads, all from r/MuseumPros.

How Do You Stand Out for a Met Internship?

Write to the rubric, because the Met publishes it and scores every application against it. Name concrete learning goals and tie them to a department, since placement is matched to projects and the FAQ asks you to describe the specific interests and skills that fit. Second, line up your two letters early: one must come from a professor or instructor, and the Met won't take them late. Third, don't treat one rejection as final. Applicants can reapply, and a former intern on Reddit says consistent applications build familiarity. Competition is real: community posters describe curatorial placements as the most sought after, so also consider education, digital, publications and visitor research projects, where students from business, computing and writing backgrounds fit.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Students who look at the Met usually weigh other museums and cultural institutions.

For more employers in this space, see our nonprofit and social impact internships guide for summer 2027.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Metropolitan Museum of Art internship?

No. The summer 2026 deadline was January 14, 2026, and that program has run. Nothing is open now: the fall 2026 deadline was May 13 and the spring 2027 deadline was September 16. The summer 2027 application opens in mid-November 2026 and closes January 13, 2027 at 5 pm ET.

When do Met internship applications open for summer 2027?

Mid-November 2026, according to the Met's summer program page, which lists a January 13, 2027 deadline at 5 pm ET. The program runs June 4 to August 13, 2027. The application button is disabled until the window opens, and the Met doesn't accept late applications or recommendations.

Does the Met pay its interns?

Yes. The Met's FAQ says all internships are paid and it offers no unpaid ones. Summer 2027 pays $26 an hour, and full-time summer interns also receive $1,500 toward housing and travel to New York City, less taxes. The Met doesn't provide housing. Fall and spring pay $26 an hour for up to 14 hours a week.

Who is eligible for a Met internship?

For summer, sophomores, juniors and seniors, graduate students, recent graduates within 12 months of the deadline and PhD students before candidacy. Fall and spring require a second year of study or later. All interns need valid US work authorization, because the Met doesn't sponsor visas. A GPA minimum isn't published.

Do I need to be an art history major for a Met internship?

No. The Met's FAQ says applicants with varied interests and backgrounds are welcome, and that many departments have academic relevance to business, computing, finance, political science and writing and editing. Reviewers match you to a project based on the interests and skills you describe, so name them specifically in your essays.

Can international students apply for a Met internship?

Yes, with valid US work authorization. The Met doesn't sponsor visas, so students needing one can go through an outside agency authorized to sponsor J-1 visas. J-1 interns must work 32 hours a week, so they should apply only to the full-time summer program, not the part-time one.

Do Met internships require letters of recommendation?

Summer applicants need two letters, and one must come from a professor or instructor who knows you academically. Fall and spring applications don't require letters. Letters must be submitted by the application deadline, and the Met doesn't accept recommendations after it, so ask your recommenders well before January 13.

How does the Met choose its interns?

An Internship Review Committee scores applications on a rubric, then supervisors do the same and pick at least four finalists per project. Finalists interview online, supervisors recommend one candidate, and the Director's Office approves. Summer 2026 applicants were told to expect notification by the end of April.

The summer 2027 window opens in mid-November and closes on January 13, 2027, with no late entries. Use the weeks before to draft essays and book your recommenders. A remote Externship gives you finished project work to describe in them.