High school senior internship opportunities in Dallas exist, but most of them are built for the summer before senior year, and the applications close in the middle of winter. That timing catches a lot of students off guard. By the time you think about a summer job, the best deadlines have passed. This guide covers four real Dallas programs, who each one accepts, what they pay, and exactly when to apply so you don't miss them.
What Counts as a High School Senior Internship in Dallas?
"Senior internship" means two different things depending on who you ask. Some programs want rising seniors, students finishing junior year who will intern the summer before 12th grade. Others accept current seniors, including students who graduate in May and intern right after.
That difference decides which programs you can actually apply to. Here are the four Dallas options worth your time:
| Program | Who It's For | Pay | Length | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Works | Ages 16–21, Dallas-area youth | $18+/hour | About 6 weeks | Mixed (government, business, nonprofits) |
| UT Southwestern STARS Summer Research | Current juniors, 16+ by June 1 | Stipend | 8 weeks | Biomedical research |
| Parkland Health High School Summer Internship | Juniors or seniors at DFW high schools, 3.0 GPA | $18.25/hour | 8 weeks, 20 hours/week | Healthcare (non-clinical) |
| Dallas Bar Association Summer Law Intern Program | Dallas ISD juniors, 85+ average | Paid | 4 or 8 weeks | Law |
If you're a junior right now, all four are open to you. If you're already a senior, focus on Dallas Works and Parkland first.
Dallas Works: The City's Paid Summer Internship
Dallas Works is the City of Dallas summer youth employment program, run with the national nonprofit All Stars Project. Dallas has backed a mayor-led summer internship program for public high school students since 2008, and Dallas Works is the version running today.
It's open to Dallas-area youth ages 16 to 21. That age range is why it works for seniors. You can apply during senior year and intern the summer after you graduate.
The Four Steps to a Dallas Works Placement
The catch is the process. You don't just send an application and wait. You have to:
- Complete an application on the Dallas Works site
- Attend Career Ready Workshops across all three of its pathway categories
- Finish the Prep Bootcamp
- Get placed in a paid summer internship
The 2026 internships ran June 29 to August 7 and paid at least $18 an hour. More than 250 students went through the year-round training, and 77 landed summer placements. So the training is open to many people, but the paid spots are limited.
Virtual orientations run from August through January. If you start in the fall, you have months to finish the workshops. If you start in March, you're scrambling.
UT Southwestern STARS: A Research Internship for Rising Seniors
If you want actual lab research, this is the one. UT Southwestern Medical Center's STARS Summer Research Program places high school students in a biomedical research lab for eight weeks with a faculty mentor.
You work on a real project, collect and record data, analyze it, and present your findings at the end. The program is free and comes with a stipend.
Can Current Seniors Apply to STARS?
Usually not. Here's the timing problem. STARS is for current juniors who are at least 16 by June 1. For the 2026 cohort, applications opened November 21, 2025 and closed January 20, 2026. So if you want to do STARS the summer before senior year, you need to apply in the middle of junior year, right around winter break.
Most juniors are thinking about finals in January, not summer research. That's exactly why the students who remember have a better shot.
Parkland Health High School Summer Internship
Parkland is one of Dallas County's major teaching hospitals, and its Workforce Development team runs a paid high school summer internship that accepts seniors.
The details:
- Who: Juniors or seniors at any Dallas-Fort Worth high school
- Age: At least 16 before the program starts
- GPA: 3.0 minimum
- Pay: $18.25 an hour
- Schedule: 8 weeks, June to August, up to 20 hours a week
- Deadline: March 14 in the most recent cycle
One thing to know before you apply: these are non-clinical roles. You won't be shadowing surgeons. You'll be working in the business and operations side of a hospital, which is still useful if you're curious about healthcare administration, public health, or how a hospital actually runs.
If you want something closer to patient care, our guide to medical internships for high school students covers programs with more clinical exposure.
Dallas Bar Association Summer Law Intern Program
The Dallas Bar Association partners with Dallas ISD to place juniors in paid summer jobs at law firms, nonprofits, and corporate legal departments. According to a State Bar of Texas write-up on the program, you need:
- Current junior status at a Dallas ISD high school
- An academic average of 85 or higher
- No more than 10 absences
- A real interest in studying law
Placements run four or eight weeks. Interns also get courthouse tours and college campus visits. Students who speak Spanish, or who have done mock trial, debate, speech, or history competitions, are especially encouraged to apply.
This one is narrow. It's only Dallas ISD, only juniors. But if that's you and you're thinking about law, it's one of the few paid legal internships open to high schoolers anywhere. Our law internships for high school students guide lists options outside Dallas too.
When to Apply for Dallas Internships: A Month-by-Month Timeline
Every program above has a different calendar, and none of them lines up with when students naturally think about summer. Here's the order to work in:
| Month | What to Do |
|---|---|
| August–October | Sign up for Dallas Works orientation; start Career Ready Workshops |
| November | Watch for the STARS application to open |
| December–January | Submit STARS before its January deadline |
| February | Finish your Dallas Works bootcamp; start the Parkland application |
| March | Submit Parkland before mid-March |
| Spring | Interview for placements; confirm your summer schedule |
Dates shift a little every year. Always check each program's site for the current cycle. But the pattern holds: the window is fall through early spring, not May.
How to Get a High School Internship in Dallas: Step by Step
The students who land these spots aren't always the ones with the best grades. They're the ones who applied on time with a clear reason for wanting the job.
- Pick one field first. Research, healthcare, law, or general work experience. Applying to all four programs with the same generic answer reads as unfocused.
- Check eligibility before you write anything. Grade, age, GPA, school district. Ten minutes here saves you a wasted application.
- Put every deadline in your calendar now. Use the timeline above. Set a reminder two weeks before each one.
- Build a one-page resume. List classes, projects, jobs, and clubs with one line on what you actually did in each. Our resume for college application guide walks through the format.
- Write a specific "why." "I want to see how a research lab runs because I've been reading about antibiotic resistance since 9th grade" beats "I'm passionate about science."
- Ask for a recommendation early. Give your teacher at least three weeks and a short note on what you'd like them to mention.
- Apply to more than one. Paid spots are limited. Dallas Works placed 77 students in 2026. Have a backup.
If you're still deciding which kind of internship fits, our guide to paid internships for high school students compares options nationally.
What If You Don't Land a Dallas Internship?
You might apply to all four and get none. These programs take a small share of applicants, and a rejection says more about the math than about you.
Here's the position we hold firmly: you don't need a lab or an internship title to do serious research. A significant number of ISEF projects in 2025 were completed without any lab access. Computational, data, and social science projects count just as much, and students who wait for a lab placement often wait years for something they could have started on their own.
You can also go direct. Professors at UT Dallas, SMU, and UT Southwestern get emails from students all the time, and most students never send one. A short, specific email can turn into an informal research role. Our cold email template for research shows exactly what to write.
Or you can do structured research with a mentor. The Aspire Research Fellowship pairs students in grades 8–11 with a mentor for 12 weeks, one project, start to finish, with your name on it. Aspire has reached more than 20,000 students, and the acceptance rate is about 10%. It runs online, so living in Dallas, Plano, or Fort Worth makes no difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there paid internships for high school seniors in Dallas?
Yes. Dallas Works pays interns at least $18 an hour, Parkland Health's high school summer internship pays $18.25 an hour, and UT Southwestern's STARS Summer Research Program comes with a stipend. Dallas Works and Parkland both accept current seniors, as long as you meet the age and residency rules.
When should I apply for a summer internship in Dallas?
Between November and March of the school year before the summer. UT Southwestern's STARS research program closed its most recent application in January, and Parkland's deadline was March 14. Dallas Works starts with orientations as early as August, so the earlier you sign up, the more time you have to finish the required workshops.
Can a high school senior do research at UT Southwestern?
The STARS Summer Research Program is built for current juniors, which means you do it the summer before senior year. If you're already a senior, you're likely past its window, so look at Dallas Works or Parkland instead, or start an independent research project with a mentor.
What is Dallas Works?
Dallas Works is the City of Dallas summer youth employment program, run with the nonprofit All Stars Project. It's open to Dallas-area youth ages 16 to 21. You complete Career Ready Workshops and a Prep Bootcamp before being placed in a paid summer internship.
Do I need a high GPA for a Dallas high school internship?
It depends on the program. Parkland requires a 3.0 GPA, and the Dallas Bar Association's law program requires an academic average of 85 or higher. Dallas Works focuses more on finishing its training workshops than on grades.
How do I get an internship in high school in Dallas if I don't get into these programs?
Email local professors, small companies, or nonprofits directly with a short, specific request. You can also do an independent research project with a mentor, which gives you something concrete to show colleges even without a formal internship title.
Are Dallas high school internships only for Dallas ISD students?
No. The Dallas Bar Association's law program is for Dallas ISD juniors, but Parkland accepts students from any Dallas-Fort Worth high school, and Dallas Works accepts Dallas-area youth ages 16 to 21 enrolled in Dallas ISD, Dallas College, or UNT Dallas.
The Bottom Line
Dallas has real, paid high school senior internship opportunities, but the deadlines fall between November and March, long before most students start looking. If you're a junior, apply to STARS, Parkland, and the law program this winter. If you're already a senior, Dallas Works and Parkland are still open to you. And if none of them work out, you can still build a research project this year that's entirely yours.
Apply to the Aspire Research Fellowship →
Want more options beyond Dallas? Read our guide to summer internships for high school students.