When does OpenAI post internships?

Summer software engineering internships have gone up in the fall, and the new grad Applied Emerging Talent role for 2027 was posted in mid-September 2026. Listings can close early once the team has enough applicants, so apply soon after one appears.

Does OpenAI hire undergraduate interns?

Yes. The Software Engineer Internship on the Applied Emerging Talent track is open to bachelor's and master's students in computer science or other technical fields who have at least one semester left after the internship. Seats are limited and in person, mainly in San Francisco.

What is the OpenAI Residency?

A six-month, full-time, paid program that places residents on OpenAI research teams with senior mentors. It's aimed at strong engineers and researchers from adjacent fields, and residents who do well can be offered full-time roles when it ends.

Do I need machine learning experience to intern at OpenAI?

Not for the Applied engineering internship. The postings ask for full-stack skills in JavaScript, React, and Python plus some database experience, and say direct ML experience isn't required.

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Summer 2027 recruiting

OpenAI internships: when they open and how to apply

Most student hiring at OpenAI runs through Emerging Talent roles on the Applied engineering team, the group that builds ChatGPT and the API. Separately, the OpenAI Residency is a six-month paid research program for people coming from outside AI. Seats are few, in person in San Francisco, and the listings draw a crowd fast.

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Internships and programs at OpenAI

The early-career programs it runs for students and recent graduates, by the names it uses for them.

Software Engineer Internship / Co-op, Applied Emerging Talent: A paid, in-person internship on the Applied Engineering team for bachelor's and master's students in computer science, computer engineering, or another technical field. Recent postings ran 12 weeks, in San Francisco for summer and in San Francisco or Seattle for a fall cohort. The work is product engineering: JavaScript and React on the front end, Python on the back end, and relational databases.
Software Engineer, Applied Emerging Talent (new grad): The full-time entry point for graduating students and people with up to a year of experience. New hires own customer-facing ChatGPT and API features end to end, talk to users, and work with researchers, designers, and PMs. The role is based in San Francisco.
OpenAI Residency: Six months on a research team as a full-time employee, mentored by senior researchers. It targets strong engineers and researchers from adjacent fields such as math, physics, or neuroscience; you don't need ML publications. Residents who perform well can get full-time offers at the end. It's based at the San Francisco headquarters with no remote option.
Software Engineer, Systems Research Internship: A PhD-level variant posted under the Applied Emerging Talent label for summer 2026: 13 weeks in San Francisco, extendable to 26, for students working on distributed systems, performance, ML systems, databases, or compilers. It hasn't appeared every cycle, so treat it as an occasional opening.

When OpenAI posts internships

OpenAI publishes no student calendar. Summer internship postings have gone up in the fall, roughly eight to nine months before the start date, and the 2027 new grad Applied Emerging Talent role appeared in mid-September 2026. Listings are reviewed as applications come in and can come down once the team has enough candidates.

The Residency has its own once-a-year window. Applications for the 2026 cohort opened the preceding winter, OpenAI said it would start interviewing as early as January, and the listing was then marked closed.

Who can apply

Interns must be enrolled in a bachelor's or master's program in computer science, computer engineering, or another technical field, with at least one semester of school left after the internship ends. The Applied track doesn't require ML experience; the postings ask for interest in AI and solid full-stack skills.

The Residency doesn't require a machine learning degree. It asks for very strong programming ability, comfort with linear algebra, probability, statistics, and calculus, and evidence of independent technical work or self-study in ML. All of these roles are in person, with residents expected in the office at least three days a week.

The interview process

There's no published student loop. Candidates describe a recruiter conversation, a coding assessment, and technical interviews built around practical, production-style problems (a small caching system, a rate limiter, edge cases) more than algorithm puzzles. A conversation about motivation and mission closes it out.

For the Residency, OpenAI weighs projects, self-directed learning, and achievements in any technical or creative field. Credentials count for less than proof that you learn fast and build hard things on your own.

Tips for applying to OpenAI

The Applied track is a product engineering job. A shipped web app with a real backend and database will carry more weight than ML coursework alone.
Coming to the Residency without an ML background? Document your self-study concretely: papers you reproduced, models you trained, and what broke along the way.
Openings are few and live on OpenAI's own careers page. Check it weekly in September and October and get your application in the week a role appears.

OpenAI internship questions

When does OpenAI post internships?: Summer software engineering internships have gone up in the fall, and the new grad Applied Emerging Talent role for 2027 was posted in mid-September 2026. Listings can close early once the team has enough applicants, so apply soon after one appears.
Does OpenAI hire undergraduate interns?: Yes. The Software Engineer Internship on the Applied Emerging Talent track is open to bachelor's and master's students in computer science or other technical fields who have at least one semester left after the internship. Seats are limited and in person, mainly in San Francisco.
What is the OpenAI Residency?: A six-month, full-time, paid program that places residents on OpenAI research teams with senior mentors. It's aimed at strong engineers and researchers from adjacent fields, and residents who do well can be offered full-time roles when it ends.
Do I need machine learning experience to intern at OpenAI?: Not for the Applied engineering internship. The postings ask for full-stack skills in JavaScript, React, and Python plus some database experience, and say direct ML experience isn't required.