Who can apply?
- Students must have completed at least their sophomore year of college or be enrolled in a master's or doctoral program.
- Students must have maintained an excellent academic record.
- Students must be U.S. citizens.
Completing sophomore year is the floor: a first- or second-year student who will not have finished sophomore year by the summer start is not eligible, regardless of skills.
Dates, pay & program timing
The program runs from mid-May through mid-August with competitive weekly pay. Students relocating from more than 50 miles outside the Boston area receive round-trip travel expense assistance and discounted housing on Northeastern University's campus for up to 11 weeks, and a free weekday shuttle runs from the Northeastern and MIT campuses to the Laboratory. Positions are posted by research group on Lincoln Laboratory's careers site.
View the deadline calendarThese details reflect the sources at the review date. An overview is not a live job offer. Check the official page for today's application status and the selected opening's written terms.
How to apply to MIT Lincoln Laboratory
- Search Lincoln Laboratory's careers site for Summer Research Program postings; each is tied to a research group and its technical area.
- Confirm you will have completed your sophomore year by the start and that you are a U.S. citizen.
- Apply to the groups whose work matches your coursework, and ask about housing if you live more than 50 miles from Boston.
You leave FirstInternships to apply. We do not accept applications, offer referrals, or represent the employer.
Our editorial advice · not employer requirements
How to prepare a stronger application
Postings are written by research groups, from radar and space systems to biotechnology, so read the group's description and match one project or course to it directly. A short line such as "built a software-defined radio receiver in ECE 4xx" tells a radar group more than a list of languages.
The program is research, not routine engineering. Prepare to explain one technical problem you could not solve at first and how you found a way forward; that is closer to the daily work than a polished final result. This is our suggestion, not Lincoln Laboratory's process.
Your preparation, on this device
Make it a plan.
Checking an item saves this program. These are planning prompts, not a substitute for the employer's full requirements.
Add a stage & next actionOfficial sources & update notes
We reviewed these publisher pages on . They establish the program facts above; our preparation suggestions are independent editorial guidance.
We do not infer deadlines, remote eligibility, or guaranteed offers from older recruiting cycles. Read our editorial process.