About

The Microsoft Discovery Program is a paid, four-week summer internship at Microsoft for graduating high school seniors — students who have completed high school and will begin a bachelor's degree program in the fall. It is one of the only corporate internship programs in the country specifically designed for students at this stage, offering real project experience inside a major technology company before they begin college.

Participants work in small teams on projects tied to actual Microsoft product groups, gaining exposure to software engineering, technical program management, and UX design. No prior technical experience is required, though applicants must have completed pre-calculus. Microsoft employees and mentors guide Discoverers throughout the four weeks, and the program is explicitly designed to help students understand what technology careers look like in practice.

The program is available at two locations only: Redmond, Washington (applicants must live within 50 miles of Redmond and attend a school in Western Washington) and Atlanta, Georgia (applicants must attend school in one of seven participating metro-area school districts). Students outside these geographies are not eligible. The program is competitive — Microsoft does not publish acceptance figures, but demand is significant given its profile. Applications are submitted through Microsoft's careers portal; the application cycle for summer programs typically opens in the fall.

For an eligible graduating senior with interest in technology, the Discovery Program is a distinctive opportunity — paid work experience at Microsoft before college begins, with mentorship and product exposure that most undergraduates don't access until their junior year internships.