Project Onramp Application Process – Summer 2026 Internship Program for Pell Grant Students in the Life Sciences – Biotech, Engineering, IT, Business, Communications, Human Resources, Law, and more…

Project Onramp offers access to paid summer internships in the life science industry for Pell Grant students who are under-resourced and often from under-represented groups or first-generation in order to help bridge the opportunity gap for undergraduates.

The Tufts Career Center will be hosting a mandatory information session on November 6th.  More details will be added to Handshake soon in order to register for this required information session. 

Students are required to participate in either an in-person session at Tufts or a virtual session offered by Life Science Cares in order to be approved to participate in the program for Summer 2026.  

Tufts University is now in its 5th year of partnering with Life Science Cares, the organization that provides these opportunities each summer in Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, and Philadelphia. They also have a small number of internships in other major cities like DC, Los Angles, North Carolina, and Chicago.

Students must be Pell eligible and U.S. Citizens to apply, and the Career Center will verify Pell Grant eligibility of all students.  Students should be rising sophomores or above and 2026 graduates may participate in the program as well.

Unfortunately, international students are not eligible for this program.  Permanant Residents are able to participate in this program.   

Half the internships are available in industry labs, and the other half in departments such as computer science, business strategy, marketing, communications, clinical operations and HR.

Project Onramp currently partners with 85 companies, including multinationals like Pfizer and Takeda and small start-ups like Astria and TenSixty Bio. Because Project Onramp host companies reserve roles for Onramp students, you will only be competing against 10-15 other candidates.

Internships are 10-12 weeks long and usually run June – August. The exact dates will be decided between you and the hiring manager. The pay range is $20+ per hour (non-negotiable) based on the company and the role. You must work full time; you cannot be in summer school or have another part-time summer job. You must have housing in the Boston area for the summer, as the program does NOT provide housing.  Tufts students can explore options for living on-campus at Tufts through Conferences and Events Services.

The Process

• Students that are interested in participating in this program should sign-up on this Project Onramp Interest List.   If you participated in past years, you must sign-up again for summer 2026 and attend the mandatory info session.
• Attend the Project On-Ramp information session with Life Science Cares scheduled on October 9th from 6 pm – 7 pm in Tisch Library Room 304.   Register in Handshake to attend.  It is mandatory for students to attend either this session or a virtual session offered by Life Science Cares in order to participate in the program for summer 2026.
• The Tufts Career Center will have all students reviewed for good standing by the Office of Student Life in advance of sharing resumes with Project OnRamp & Employers.    By adding your name to our student interest list, you approve that the Tufts Career Center can undergo this process.
• Students interested in locations other than Boston will be able to submit that interest when submitting information on the interest list survey.
• Project Onramp positions will be emailed bi-weekly beginning in Nov./Dec. to students on the approved list after they have verified their Pell Grant status and that they are in good student standing.
• Students must review the internship opportunities in a timely fashion, ensure they meet the qualifications, and if interested, must send their resumes to the Tufts Career Center BEFORE the specified deadline for that specific position.
• We recommend having your resume reviewed in advance by a career advisor (in-person or virtually – check Handshake for availability) or a career fellow during Career Labs before submitting your resume to the open internship postings.
• NEW!   Students are only able to decline one offer during the application process to stay in good standing with the program.   We recommend only applying to internship opportunities where you meet the qualifications and are truly interested in the role.

Timeline

The Tufts Career Center will complete the Pell Grant verification process along with the Good Standing Review Process by November.   The students will begin receiving internship opportunities via email in late November/early December.   The emails will be sent bi-weekly, so students should be checking emails regularly via Tufts email only.

Students submit their resumes and a Project OnRamp Form (provided by the Career Center) and those documents will be shared with the employers of interest.  We continue to send internship opportunities from November through early May.

Students will be contacted directly by the employer if selected for an interview and to complete the internship selection process. Students should respond to employers within 24 hours regarding setting-up interviews or receiving an offer.  If you receive an internship from Project Onramp we ask that you no longer submit your resume for open internship positions.

If you receive an internship from a Project Onramp host company, you will be automatically enrolled in mandatory professional development sessions during your internship.

Many companies will require interns to complete a background check and drug screening after they extend an offer and before the internship starts. If you are unable to complete these items, please speak with your recruiter/hr representative at your internship organization.

The Career Center hosts a meeting with all Project OnRamp participants before students depart campus for the summer.   This is an opportunity to meet all Tufts participants, prepare for making the most of your summer internship, and hear from past Project OnRamp students about the experience as a whole.

Program Benefits

Project Onramp interns are part of bi-weekly professional development sessions over zoom.  Here, interns will meet industry professionals who have volunteered to network, connect with, and advise students on career relevant topics. Discussion topics include forging a career in the life sciences industry, being authentic in the workplace, building confidence and building networks among others.

This volunteer opportunity is a way for companies to leverage their employees’ talent and experience, and to give back to the community. It is also a way for students to build meaningful professional networks and interact with people who can be advisors and guides as they finish undergraduate degrees and enter the workplace or graduate schools.

Volunteers are from a variety of companies, including Abbvie, Acceleron, Agios, Apic Bio, Arrakis, Astra Zeneca, Back Bay Life Science Advisors, Biogen, Boston Public Health Commission, Bowdoin Group, Bristol Myers Squib, Casma, Cerevel, CJ White Bio, CorEvitas, Corval, Dewpoint, Entasis, Foundation, Genocea, Intellia, Johnson & Johnson, Jounce, Kymera, Magenta, Massachusetts General Hospital, Moderna, Novartis, Obsidian, Orchard, Pfizer, Relay, Sarepta, Scorpion, Seres, Synlogic, Takeda, TCR2, Third Rock Ventures, Valo and Vertex.

For any questions related to Tufts’ partnership with Project Onramp, please contact Sue Atkins, Associate Director, Employer Relations at Susan.Atkins@tufts.edu.

Sample List of Host Companies