Internship Timeline and Information

There is one ASPIRE application session per year. All students begin their internship the last week of June.

ASPIRE requires students to:

• be on-site 30–40 hours per week;
• be available between June 23 and August 21; and
• achieve at least 190 hours during that time.

Students may, and are encouraged to, complete hours beyond the 190-hour minimum.

ASPIRE hours must be completed:

• During standard business hours (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
• Monday–Friday only

Students may not conclude their internships early unless their school year begins before August 21. There are no weekend, evening, or holiday ASPIRE hours.

While students may take a short vacation (less than two weeks) during ASPIRE, they must be present during the mandatory onboarding dates. ASPIRE is not a good fit for students who are enrolled in competing programs (second internships, camps, SAT or college prep classes, clubs, etc.) or who have significant travel obligations during the day. Students who work in the evenings or on the weekends, or who have evening/weekend responsibilities, can also participate in ASPIRE.

With mentor permission, students may stay on through the academic year. There is no separate application for the academic-year term.

ASPIRE Summer Timeline

• January 1: ASPIRE summer session application period begins at 12 a.m.
• February 15: ASPIRE summer session application period ends at 11:59 p.m.
• March 1: All recommendation forms are due by 11:59 p.m.
• March 1–March 15: Students are notified if they’ve made it to the selection pool.
• March 15–May 15: Mentors review applications, interview students, and extend an invitation to the program. Acceptances are sent on a rolling basis.
• May 15: Final status notifications are sent to students.
• June 23–25: Mandatory ASPIRE onboarding is held in person at APL. These are the earliest dates a student may begin their internship.
• August 20: ASPIRE Student Showcase capstone event is held.
• August 21: Last day of ASPIRE; final posters are due.

ASPIRE Academic Year

Students and mentors in good standing may agree to continue their internship through the academic year (September–May). Students are not guaranteed readmission. Students must carefully examine their academic and extracurricular calendar to ensure they have enough time for ASPIRE. ASPIRE should be the student’s main priority.

All Students

• The internship must last the entire school year. It cannot be clustered in just the fall or spring semester.
• Students have flexibility and may participate in person, virtually, or through a hybrid arrangement at their mentor’s discretion.
• Internship hours (6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday–Friday) remain the same. There are no evening or weekend hours.
• Students may not intern for more than 10 hours each week.
• Students must be able to work with their mentor’s schedule.
• At the end of the academic year, all students must complete a final poster showing their work.
• Students are strongly encouraged to receive credit or formal recognition from their school for participation in the program.

Seniors

• Seniors must complete a minimum of 130 hours.
• 60 hours must be completed before December 31.

Juniors

• Juniors must complete a minimum of 80 hours.
• 30 hours must be completed before December 31.

Session Timeline

• September 15: Academic-year session officially begins.
• December 31: Seniors must have completed 60 hours, and juniors must have completed 30 hours.
• May: ASPIRE Student Showcase capstone event is held.