Internship Timeline and Information

We have exciting news! To better serve our students, mentors, and community, ASPIRE is moving to a single-admission program in 2024. The summer 2024 application period opens January 1 and remains open until 11:59pm on February 15. There will no longer be an academic year application period. Email ASPIRE@jhuapl.edu with any questions.

The ASPIRE internship begins the last week of June. There is only one application session per year. Students accepted for the summer may continue into the academic year with their mentor’s agreement. There is no separate application period for the academic year.
Onboarding during the listed dates is mandatory and students must attend onboarding in-person to participate in ASPIRE.
Students complete a minimum of 190 hours of ASPIRE internship tasking between their onboarding date and their return to school in the fall. You may, and are encouraged to, complete additional hours past the minimum. We expect students to spread their hours over a 6-9 week period.
Students may only complete ASPIRE tasking between 6am-6pm, Monday–Friday and may only complete up to 40 hours of tasking each week. There are no weekend or evening ASPIRE hours.
All students are expected to complete and submit a digital poster of their ASPIRE project at the end of the summer.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review their schedules to determine whether they have the appropriate time available to participate in the ASPIRE program. Students should remember to consider travel times to and from APL when considering an in-person or virtual internship. Our expectation is that the ASPIRE program be the priority.

ASPIRE Timeline

January 1	ASPIRE summer session application period opens at 12:00 a.m.
February 15	ASPIRE summer session application period closes at 11:59 p.m.
March 1	All recommendation forms are due by 11:59 p.m.
March–April	ASPIRE eligibility is confirmed or denied .
April–June 3	Mentors review applications, interview students, and extend an invitation to the program.
June 25–27	Mandatory ASPIRE onboarding is held in-person at APL. These are the earliest dates a student may begin their internship.
August 22	ASPIRE Student Showcase capstone event

Some students and mentors may agree to continue their internship through the academic year. In this case, the following will apply:

The academic year runs from September-May
Seniors complete a minimum of 130 hours over the course of their internship. Juniors complete a minimum of 80 hours over the course of their internship. You may, and are encouraged, to complete additional hours past the minimum, but no more than 10 hours per week.. We expect students to spread their hours over the full September-May period. Internships may not be ended early.
Students may only complete ASPIRE tasking between 6am-6pm, Monday–Friday and may only complete up to 10 hours of tasking each week. There are no weekend or evening ASPIRE hours.
Students may shift their work schedule from in-person to remote or vice versa between the summer and academic year sessions.
Students will be given a winter holiday break of approximately two weeks (generally the last week of December and the first week of January).
All students are expected to complete and submit a digital poster of their ASPIRE project at the end of May.
Students are strongly encouraged to receive credit or formal recognition from their school for participation in the program.

Students considering extending their internship through the academic year are strongly encouraged to review their extracurricular schedule and determine whether they have the appropriate time available to participate in the ASPIRE program. Students should remember to consider travel times to and from APL if they are interested in in-person internship opportunities. We expect students to make ASPIRE their main priority.

There is no separate application period for the academic year.

Session Timeline

September 16	Academic year session officially begins.
December 21–January 5	Winter Break
April 25	Optional early internship end date for AP exam prep
May	ASPIRE Student Showcase capstone event