Every Princeton undergraduate has the opportunity to participate in a funded social impact or service internship over the summer through the Learning and Education through Service (LENS) initiative. 

Internships give Princeton students an opportunity to explore, to grow and to learn more about their own interests and how they can make a responsible impact in the world. LENS helps students to identify internships that connect their academics with meaningful hands-on experience. Students can find internships that provide practical experience for a wide range of interests including arts and design, data science, health, criminal justice, media, public service, technology, law, research, advocacy and many more.    

Princeton provides hundreds of paid internships every summer. LENS makes it easy for you to find these opportunities, their application processes and funding.  

Visit the LENS website to:

• Explore funded service and social impact internships and grants offered by Princeton 
• Learn how to find resources to support your search
• See how Princeton peers have benefited from LENS

LENS is jointly coordinated by the Center for Career Development and the Pace Center for Civic Engagement. The summer opportunities that make up LENS come from multiple departments across campus.

Programs participating in LENS include:

• Andlinger Center Summer Internships
• Center for Career Development (Summer Social Impact Internship [SSII] Fund)
• Office of Religious Life (Faith-Based Internship Program)
• Department of German (Summer Work Program)
• High Meadows Environmental Institute
• Office of International Programs (International Internship Program & Streicker International Fellows Fund)
• Center for Health and Wellbeing (Internships in Global Health)
• Keller Center (Princeton Startup Immersion Program) 
• Lewis Center for the Arts (Student Summer Funding Opportunities)
• John H. Pace, Jr. ’39 Center for Civic Engagement (John C. Bogle ’51 Fellows in Civic Service, Nancy Weiss Malkiel Fellowship, Princeton Internships in Civic Service [PICS], Princeton RISE [Recognizing Inequities and Standing for Equality], Projects for Peace and Service Focus)
• ProCES Derian Summer Research Internships
• School of Public and International Affairs (Liman Fellowship, Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative [SINSI], SPIA internships)
• Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (Vote100)

Reflections from students who participated in LENS internships

“This internship has been transformative, reinforcing my commitment to using my engineering background to tackle social issues and advocate for gender equality. Moving forward, I plan to integrate these insights into my academic work at Princeton, pursuing opportunities that allow me to leverage my technical skills for social impact.”

Kéllia Gatete '26
Program: Summer Social Impact Internship (SSII) Fund
Internship: Aegis Trust

"I found myself with a unique opportunity to try something new this summer, something that I had always been curious about, without having to alter my career plan...I worked on a variety of projects throughout my eight week internship, through which I learned so much."

Nishka Bahl '26
Program: Princeton RISE (Recognizing Inequities and Standing for Equality)
Internship: Emma's Torch

"I think it was vital I took this opportunity to experience what an organization geared towards those in need is like. In the future, I wish to open my own nonprofit organization for those in need such as homeless or low-income families. Because of how close I worked with the chief advancement officer in networking and meeting with high priority donors, I got an opportunity to understand donor relations extremely up close.”

Osvaldo Flores '25
Program: Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS)
Internship: DREAM Charter Schools

"This summer more than anything has strengthened my commitment to service and policy. I contributed to a project that will change the lives of millions of rural Indians who do not have access to dignified labor and minimum wages and will be working on scalable interventions that could have an impact for decades to come."

Kriti Garg '26
Program: SPIA Undergraduate Program
Internship: Karya