Seattle Children's Hospital Internship 2027–2028: Dates & How to Apply

Last updated: November 2026

Seattle Children's Summer Scholars Program pays a $7,100 stipend, a $400 food stipend and transportation assistance for nine weeks of mentored research, and applications for summer 2027 open November 16, 2026 at 8 a.m. PT and close January 4, 2027 at 5 p.m. PT, according to the Summer Scholars Guidelines for Applicants. Its 10-week non-clinical summer internships in business, analytics, communications and policy are posted separately by department, and the summer 2027 postings are expected around mid-February 2027, based on the February 2025 wave. In plain words: you apply between November 2026 and February 2027, and you intern in summer 2027.

Quick Facts

The row that matters most: the research program has a fixed January 4 deadline, while the non-clinical roles post later and for local students.

One note on wording first: Seattle Children's uses "externship" for school-arranged clinical placements. Extern's remote Externships are something else: project-based programs where you finish real work for a real organization, most often in 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week. The Health Research & Data Analytics with ARCeH Externship builds the children's health data work that research and clinical analytics teams do, and the Institute of Mental Health Healthcare Operations & Consulting Externship builds the operations and project skills behind the non-clinical roles. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Seattle Children's Hospital Internship?

A Seattle Children's Hospital internship is one of two paid summer programs students apply to directly. The Summer Scholars Program (SSSP) at Seattle Children's Research Institute is a 9-week undergraduate research internship with a mentor, biweekly professional development and a poster presentation in the final week. The Non-Clinical Summer Internships are 10-week department projects in areas the hospital names as marketing and communications, clinical analytics, business operations, and health and public policy. Seattle Children's describes itself as the pediatric academic medical center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, and it's a Magnet designated institution. Nursing, therapy and other clinical placements are arranged through schools and sit outside this guide.

When Do Seattle Children's Hospital Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

Seattle Children's runs its two summer programs on two calendars. Summer Scholars has a published window: for summer 2027 it opens November 16, 2026 and closes January 4, 2027, about 7 months and 5.3 months before the June 14 start, with information sessions on December 7 and December 10, 2026. The non-clinical internships post later as separate department requisitions. In the 2025 cycle, eight "Summer Non-Clinical Internship" postings went up February 18 to 21, 2025, about 4 months before a June start, and a 2026 External Affairs posting was live by March 19, 2026. We expect the summer 2027 non-clinical postings around mid-February 2027, with low-to-medium confidence, because only the 2025 wave carries full posting dates.

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

Summer Scholars has a hard deadline: applications close at 5 p.m. PT on January 4, 2027. The application asks for a resume, a personal statement with four prompts and one mentor letter, which is due January 19. Ask your mentor in November, not in late December when campuses close. The non-clinical internships are a short window instead: in 2025 the department postings went up over four days in mid-February, and there's no published close date. Check the careers site weekly from late January 2027 so you see the postings in their first days.

Which Seattle Children's Hospital Internship Programs Should You Target?

Seattle Children's offers two main routes for undergraduates, plus occasional single postings. The table uses the program pages and postings we read on November 10 to 12, 2026.

Non-clinical interns also job-shadow, tour the hospital and research institute, get a mentor and present a project to peers and leadership. Note that the internships page still shows 2024 dates (June 10 to August 16, 2024) for the non-clinical program, so don't read them as the 2027 dates.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

These come from the Summer Scholars pages, the internships page and the postings we read.

• Summer Scholars class standing: "currently enrolled, or will be enrolled, in an undergraduate, community or technical college." Students who graduate before the program starts aren't eligible, and neither are graduate or medical students. Applicants looking for their first formal research internship get priority.

• Summer Scholars age and ID: at least 18 by the program start, with a Social Security number or ITIN.

• Non-clinical class standing: the internships page names "Rising seniors and recent grads, with an interest in healthcare, from local colleges/technical schools." The 2025 Foundation and Guild Association posting asked for a rising junior or rising senior at a local college or technical school, at least 21 years old. Each department posting sets its own rule.

• GPA: not stated on any program page or posting we read.

• Work authorization and sponsorship: not stated on the postings we read.

• Location: Summer Scholars must live in Seattle or within commuting distance, and housing isn't provided.

• Clinical placements: nursing, therapy, social work and child life placements aren't open applications. They go through your school's affiliation agreement.

Can Students From Outside Washington Apply?

For Summer Scholars, the pages don't limit which college you attend, but you must be able to live in Seattle or commute in for nine weeks, and there's no housing. The non-clinical internships are aimed at students from local colleges and technical schools, on both the internships page and the 2025 posting, even though the work itself is hybrid or remote. If you study outside the Seattle area, Summer Scholars is the realistic route.

What Skills Does Seattle Children's Hospital Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Seattle Children's student postings are few, and we read three in full: the 2025 Foundation and Guild Association internship, a 2026 lab summer intern posting and the November 2026 Government Relations & Public Policy Internship. Administrative support appears in all three. Event planning appears in two, with the foundation role asking for a "Strong interest in event planning and fundraising." The policy role adds "Experience in tracking data & preparing reports using Word, Excel, and/or Access" and says the intern "Conducts research and develops policy proposals." The lab role asks interns to "Provide administrative and database support." Summer Scholars has no job description; its page asks for a strong background and interest in the biomedical sciences, behavioral health, public health or a related STEM field, and says prior formal research experience isn't required.

Note: We read three Seattle Children's student job descriptions in full (2025, 2026 and November 2026), too few for a skills frequency chart. The skills above are quoted from those three postings, all business and administrative roles.

How Is Demand for Research Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each skill below comes from a Seattle Children's posting or program page and maps to a remote Externship you can finish before the deadlines.

No Externship replaces lab experience for Summer Scholars, but a finished health data project gives a first-time researcher something concrete to describe.

What Is the Seattle Children's Hospital Application and Interview Process Like?

The two programs use different applications, so pick your track first.

1. Choose the track. Research-minded undergraduates apply to Summer Scholars; business, analytics, communications and policy students at local schools apply to the non-clinical department postings.

2. Summer Scholars: apply online between November 16, 2026 and January 4, 2027. The application asks for a resume and a personal statement answering four prompts.

3. Summer Scholars: get your mentor letter in. One letter of recommendation is due by January 19, 2027 at 5 p.m. PT.

4. Summer Scholars: decision and matching. Notification comes by the end of March 2027, and project matching runs from April to May 14, 2027.

5. Non-clinical: apply to the department posting. Search "non-clinical internship" on the careers site and apply with a resume, cover letter and one reference. The 2025 foundation posting asked for the resume and cover letter as one document, with the letter covering your year in school, career goals, learning goals and top three departments to shadow.

6. Non-clinical: e-screen and interviews. Applicants in 2025 described a written e-screen of behavioral questions before interviews.

Seattle Children's publishes no interview questions, class size or acceptance rate for either program.

What Students on Reddit Say

Only two threads discuss these programs, both from spring 2025. These are lightly paraphrased from threads we read in full.

How Do You Stand Out for a Seattle Children's Hospital Internship?

First, apply to the right program. Summer Scholars gives priority to students looking for their first formal research internship, so say so plainly in your personal statement if that's you. Second, line up your mentor letter early: it's due January 19, 2027, after the January 4 application deadline. Third, for non-clinical roles, tailor the cover letter to one department and name the departments you'd like to shadow, as the 2025 posting asked. Seattle Children's doesn't publish an applicant count, class size or conversion rate, so there's no figure to benchmark against.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

If you're targeting pediatric hospitals and health systems, these employers also hire interns:

Our healthcare consulting internships guide compares more hospitals, health systems and healthcare employers.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Seattle Children's Hospital internship?

No. The summer 2026 programs have already run. The next door is summer 2027: Summer Scholars applications open November 16, 2026 at 8 a.m. PT and close January 4, 2027 at 5 p.m. PT. Non-clinical summer 2027 postings are expected around mid-February 2027, based on the February 2025 wave.

When do Seattle Children's internship applications open for summer 2027?

Summer Scholars opens November 16, 2026 at 8 a.m. PT and closes January 4, 2027 at 5 p.m. PT, with letters due January 19. Non-clinical summer 2027 postings are expected around mid-February 2027, with low-to-medium confidence, since the 2025 postings went up February 18 to 21, 2025.

Are Seattle Children's internships paid?

Yes. Summer Scholars pays a $7,100 stipend, a $400 food stipend and transportation assistance. The non-clinical program offers a "Competitive hourly wage" plus a lunch and transportation stipend, and the 2025 foundation posting listed $23/hr. A 2026 lab summer intern posting listed $21.30 to $26.87 per hour.

Who is eligible for the Seattle Children's Summer Scholars Program?

Students enrolled, or who will be enrolled, in an undergraduate, community or technical college, at least 18 by the start, with an SSN or ITIN. You can't graduate before the program starts, and graduate and medical students aren't eligible. First-time research applicants get priority. You must live in Seattle or commuting distance.

Are Seattle Children's non-clinical internships remote?

Often, yes. The internships page says non-clinical internships are hybrid or fully remote, and the 2025 foundation posting described in-person work one to two days a week. They're aimed at students from local colleges and technical schools, though. Summer Scholars is in person in Seattle, with no housing provided.

How do I apply for a Seattle Children's non-clinical internship?

Search "non-clinical internship" on the Seattle Children's careers site once department postings go up, expected around mid-February 2027. Apply to the posting that fits with a resume, cover letter and one reference. In 2025, applicants described a written e-screen of behavioral questions before interviews.

Can I do a nursing or therapy internship at Seattle Children's?

Not by applying directly. Nursing, therapy, social work and child life placements are arranged through your school's affiliation agreement with Seattle Children's. The hospital's own word for some of these is "externship", which is different from Extern's remote Externships. This guide covers the research and non-clinical programs students apply to themselves.

Does Seattle Children's publish return-offer rates for interns?

No. Seattle Children's publishes no class size, acceptance rate or intern-to-full-time conversion rate for Summer Scholars or the non-clinical internships. Summer Scholars ends with an abstract and poster symposium, and non-clinical interns present a project to peers and leadership, which gives you finished work to show.

Summer Scholars opens November 16, so start your statement and ask your mentor now. A remote Externship gives you a finished health data or operations project to describe before the January 4 deadline.