Undergraduate Summer Internships for Aspiring Genetic Counselors

The Alliance for Genetic Counseling Fellowship, funded by a grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation and based at the University of Pennsylvania's MSGC program, supports six-week-long, full-time, paid summer internships to provide undergraduate students (rising juniors and seniors) opportunities to gain exposure to the genetic counseling profession. 

Four genetic counseling master's programs will host 2026 summer interns: the University of Pennsylvania, Sarah Lawrence College, Rutgers University, and the University of Maryland. While interns are based at one of the four locations, the same application is used for all, and many virtual activities are coordinated to include the interns at all four schools. Applicants select the program they are interested in attending on the application.  

2026 Summer Undergraduate Internships  

• Full-time, paid summer internships (40 hours per week @ $17/hour for six weeks = $4,080)
• From Monday, June 8 through Friday, July 17
• Shadow genetic counselors in various clinical settings
• Gain exposure to a broad range of clinical genetics specialties
• Attend seminars, conferences, and case conferences
• Engage in Research and laboratory work
• Enjoy one-on-one interactions with genetic counselors and current students
• Network with genetic counseling interns at the four participating schools

Timeline

Applicant Qualifications

Applicants must:

• Be undergraduate students (rising juniors and seniors in summer 2026)
• Have a keen interest in health professions and genetics
• Have a GPA of at least 3.0 and have completed some college-level coursework in biology, chemistry and genetics
• Be able to successfully complete criminal background checks and provide the immunization records (including for COVID-19) that will be required for clearance by the clinical sites
• Have access to housing in the location of the internship 

Application Requirements

1.  An online application form with links to upload the required documents 

2.  Essay 

       Essay prompt: How have your professional experiences and life experiences shaped your decision to learn more about genetic counseling?

       500 word maximum

       Upload as a Word document or pdf. 

3.  A current résumé or CV

4.  An unofficial transcript from your college or university

For more on the 2026 Genetic Counseling Summer Internships, click here.

The Genetic Counseling Summer Internship is a project of the Alliance for Genetic Counseling Fellowship which is funded by a grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation.