Undergraduate Summer Internships for Aspiring Genetic Counselors

relections of summer internsThe 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 a six-week-long, paid summer internship program to provide undergraduate students (rising juniors and seniors) opportunities to gain exposure to the genetic counseling profession at one of the five participating genetic counseling master's programs: the University of Pennsylvania, Boston University, Sarah Lawrence College, Rutgers University, and the University of Maryland. While interns are based at one of the five locations, the same application is used for all, and many virtual activities are coordinated to include the interns at all five schools. Applicants select the program they are interested in attending on the application.  


2025 Summer Internships

  • Full-time, paid summer internships (40 hours per week @ $17/hour for six weeks = $4,080)
  • From Monday, June 16 through Friday, July 25
  • 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 five AGCF schools

Timeline

December 2, 2024 Application opens
February 3, 2025 Application deadline
Mid-March 2025 Results announced
Late March 2025 Interns apply for clearances    
Monday, June 16, 2025 Internships begin
Friday, July 25, 2025 Internships conclude

 

Summer interns at the University of Pennsylvania
2024 Genetic Counseling Summer Interns at the University of Pennsylvania

Applicant Qualifications

Applicants must:
  • Be undergraduate students (rising juniors and seniors in summer 2025)
  • 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: 

Find the application here. It includes places to upload the required documents listed below. 

2.  Response 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 2025 Genetic Counseling Summer Internships, click here.

2022 summer genetic counseling interns
Summer 2021 genetic counseling interns, Briana Brown, Maya Powell and Maurice Wade.  

 

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.