Are you a college student looking to learn programming as well as help Open-Source projects? Good thing is that there are several organizations that offer internships to students to work on open-source projects.
I am going to list some popular open-source internships here, both paid and unpaid.
I have listed the most useful information as possible, but it is always a good idea to check the project website.
1. Google Summer of Code
GSoC -Google Summer of Code, the one which started it all. In the 2024 survey, GSoC has 1220 contributors accepted from 73 countries, from a gigantic list of 43984 applicants from 172 countries.
The idea of giving those other GSoC programs is that almost all of the above projects were at one time or the other part of the GSoC program. GSoC is limited to a May-to-September timeframe, which has led some to propose a year-round solution to provide more opportunities for students and contributors.
You can work with famous organizations like, Debian, Fedora, GCC, FreeBSD, Git (Not GitHub), GNOME, OpenSUSE, Arduino, and other more top names in Open-Source community.
| GSoC | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | Anyone above 18 years old |
| Internship period | 3 months |
| Application Period | Usually March to April |
| Stipend | It depends on where you live, from $3000 to $6000 |
| Location | Remote |
You can visit this link to get an overview about GSoC timeline.
2. FSF
FSF – The oldest, mother of all organizations which started the free software movement. The I nternship program runs thrice a year, called summer, fall, and spring terms.
| FSF | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | None |
| Internship period | 3 months (12 Weeks) |
| Application Period | Can apply from April to May |
| Stipend | Unpaid (unless doing through Outreachy) |
| Location | Boston, U.S. or Remote |
3. Linux Kernel Mentorship Program
Linux kernel Mentorship program is a remote learning opportunity for aspiring kernel developers. It is funded by the Linux Foundation and includes full-time and part-time volunteer mentee positions.
| Linux Kernel Mentorship Program | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | At-least 18 years old. Should have completed their free prerequisite course. |
| Internship Period | Each year: Full-time: 3 12-week Part-time: 2 24-week |
| Application Period | Summer/Fall: March end/April Spring program: December |
| Stipend | It depends on Purchasing Power Parity, i.e. your location |
| Location | Remote |
4. X.Org Endless Vacation of Code
X.org – Project which develops, maintains, supports the free software stack for accelerated graphics for all graphics hardware.
There are several ideas posted on their wiki. If anyone interested and have idea, you can discuss it further through respected mailing lists.
| X.org | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | None |
| Internship Period | 4 months nearly full-time work |
| Application Period | Throughout the year |
| Stipend | $5000 in stages |
| Location | Remote |
5. OpenGenus Internship
OpenGenus is a remote internship, with profiles, Software Developer, Algorithm & Data Structure Developer, Machine Learning Developer, and Research Scientist.
The internship is an unpaid program, with several benefits like, completion certificate, recommendations on various platforms, etc.
| OpenGenus Internship | Details |
|---|---|
| Internship Period | Minimum 2 months |
| Application Period | Through out the year |
| Stipend | Unpaid |
| Location | Remote |
6. Girl script summer of code
GirlScript Foundation is a non-profit organization registered by the Government of India. GirlScript Summer of Code 2019 witnessed an overwhelming participation of 1000+, from 4 countries. We had 150+ mentor applications.
| GirlScript summer of code | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | Anyone |
| Internship period | 3 months, Usually start in January. |
| Application Period | Usually from January to Feb. |
| Stipend | Unpaid |
| Location | Remote |
7. Outreachy
Outreachy -Outreachy started in 2006, wrapped up, and started up again in 2010. I did share an interview with Maria Glukova which shared her experience. It runs twice a year with numerous projects including Debian, Red Hat, OpenStack, and many others.
| Outreachy | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | Women, trans and cisgendered women, and those who faces under-representation. |
| Internship period | 3 months |
| Application Period | Usually from February to April |
| Stipend | $7000 |
| Location | Remote |
8. Season of KDE
Started in 2012, Season of KDE is an outreach program, hosted by the KDE Community. Participants will work in both code/non-code projects that benefit the KDE ecosystem.
| Season of KDE | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | Everyone |
| Internship period | 2-3 months |
| Application Period | December |
| Stipend | Certificate, merchandise, and swag sent out by courier |
| Location | Remote |
9. ICFOSS
ICFOSS – An autonomous organization set up by Government of Kerala for development and promotion of FOSS in India.
| ICFOSS | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | Based on program |
| Internship Period | 1.5 months |
| Application Period | Usually August to October start. |
| Stipend | Unpaid |
| Location | On-site (Details) |
10. ICFOSS Fellowship
ICFOSS – An autonomous organization set up by Government of Kerala for development and promotion of FOSS in India.
| FOSS Innovation Fellowship Programme | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | Age should not exceed 30. |
| Fellowship Period | 1 year |
| Application Period | Apply by submitting their resumes |
| Stipend | INR Rs. 20k per month |
| Location | Kerala, India |
11. FOSSEE Internships
FOSSEE – An organization targeted towards development, maintenance, and promotion of various FOSS projects based in the famous IIT-Mumbai.
| FOSSEE Internships | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | Depends on project |
| Internship period | 2 months |
| Application Period | Usually January to February end |
| Stipend | Unpaid |
| Location | Mumbai, India, or sometimes remote. |
12. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is looking for talented software developers to create a free virtual classroom for the world. You can work on developing web solutions, data analysis developing classroom content, etc.
| Khan Academy Internship | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | Undergraduate juniors and seniors pursuing computer science, engineering, math, or a related field. |
| Internship period | 10-12 week summer internship |
| Application Period | Usually in October |
| Stipend | Competitive pay rate |
| Location | Remote within the United States or Canada |
13. Google Season of docs
Technical writers can spend three months working closely with an open-source community. Bring their technical writing expertise to the project’s documentation. Google uses Payoneer to pay a stipend to technical writers who have successfully completed their Season of Docs projects.
| Google season of docs | Details |
|---|---|
| Eligibility Criteria | At least 18 years old at the time of registration. |
| Internship period | Check Timeline |
| Application Period | Keep Touch |
| Stipend | It depends on Purchasing Power Parity, i.e. your location |
| Location | Remote |
Wrapping Up
This is not a comprehensive list of all available options. With the increase in popularity of Free and Open-source projects, more such internships and mentoring programs will take shape across the globe.
You should also be up-to-date about local FOSS programs, internships.
