Summer 2027 recruiting
Snap internships: when they open and how to apply
Thirteen weeks is longer than most tech internships run, and that is the length of Summer @ Snap. The company behind Snapchat and Spectacles puts interns on engineering, advanced technology, and Specs teams. Separately, the Snap Academies are paid summer training programs for community college students in Southern California.
Early-career programs
- Summer @ Snap Internship
- Software Engineering Intern
- Snap Academies
Internships and programs at Snap
The early-career programs it runs for students and recent graduates, by the names it uses for them.
- Summer @ Snap Internship
- Snap's 13-week summer internship across engineering, research, and business teams, including its augmented reality and Specs hardware groups. Interns get mentors and take part in a Welcome Summit and a Leadership Speaker Series.
- Software Engineering Intern
- The biggest slice of the intern class, for bachelor's and master's students in computer science, computer engineering, or similar fields. Interns ship work on Snapchat, Lens tooling, ads, or infrastructure. Recent postings were in office in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and Palo Alto.
- Snap Academies
- Nine-week, instructor-led, paid summer programs for community college students, recent transfers, and young people who have experienced foster care or housing insecurity. The Design, Engineering, and Storytelling Academies meet in person in Santa Monica; the Lens Academy for augmented reality is virtual and open to U.S. applicants.
When Snap posts internships
In past cycles, most of Snap's technical internships opened in August and September and most non-technical ones in January and February. Engineering students should apply at the start of the fall semester. Business and design students can plan for the new year.
The Snap Academies run on a spring calendar. In 2026, applications were open from March 2 to April 10 for a program running June 15 to August 14, and each of the four academies took 15 scholars.
These are patterns from recent cycles, not published dates, and they shift. The reliable signal is the posting itself: Trakker is an internship tracker that reads Snap’s careers site directly and can email you within minutes of a new role appearing.
Who can apply
Internship candidates must be enrolled in an accredited bachelor's or master's program, and engineering roles require a computer science, computer engineering, or other technical major. Each posting lists its own graduation window.
The Snap Academies have their own rules: applicants must be at least 18 and currently enrolled, and the in-person academies require living in Southern California. The virtual Lens Academy accepts applicants from anywhere in the U.S.
The interview process
Engineering candidates report a recruiter conversation and a technical screen, then a same-day onsite loop of several interviews. That loop has two or three coding interviews, sometimes a design discussion, and a behavioral interview with engineers and managers.
Questions are algorithmic at medium difficulty. For camera, AR, or Specs teams, expect some discussion of performance and mobile or graphics fundamentals.
Tips for applying to Snap
- Technical roles: be ready in August. That is when most have opened in past cycles.
- If AR teams interest you, build something with Lens Studio. It shows you understand Snap's product beyond the app.
- Community college students in Southern California should look at the Snap Academies. They are paid and run on a spring calendar.
Snap internship questions
- When does Snap post internships?
- In past cycles, most technical internships opened in August and September and most non-technical internships in January and February. Apply early in each window.
- How long is a Snap internship?
- Summer @ Snap internships run 13 weeks, longer than the 10 to 12 weeks common in tech. Interns work on engineering, advanced technology, Specs, research, and business teams.
- What are the Snap Academies?
- Nine-week, paid, instructor-led summer programs in design, engineering, storytelling, and AR Lenses for community college students, recent transfers, and opportunity youth. Three meet in person in Santa Monica; the Lens Academy is virtual.
Where else to look
Employers students often weigh against Snap, and the role tracks its internships fall under.
Sources
What this page was checked against. Programs and timelines change from cycle to cycle, so Snap’s own careers site has the final word.
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