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Public-service internships can involve science, engineering, policy, communications, diplomacy, data, administration and community work. The controlling federal announcement matters more than a general agency description.
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Pick a promising program, check the exact eligibility, then apply on the employer's official site.
79 options shown
79 confirmed program-level matches
Some programs span several fields. Open a guide to match the exact role to your coursework, experience and availability.
A paid ten-week program working with Library of Congress collections and services across cultural, technical, and research projects.
2027 application projected late OctoberA six-month investigative consumer-news internship involving research, viewer follow-up, field shoots, interview logging, and public-records requests.
Spring 2027 posting available at reviewPaid foreign-affairs experience supporting policy, communications, events, reporting, and government operations in US and overseas offices.
Future cycle updates pendingPaid federal internships in environmental science, engineering, policy, data, communications, administration, and related work.
Check federal announcementsStipend-supported internships in legal, communications, advocacy, technology, analytics, development, and operations at the ACLU National Office.
Current 2027 National Office openings listedMission-focused internships supporting humanitarian, biomedical, disaster, fundraising, communications, technology, and corporate work.
Check specific openingsA paid, full-time museum internship with placements in research, exhibitions, education, visitor experience, operations, digital work, data, AI, and conservation.
Last published cycle closedPaid federal internships for current undergraduate students exploring science, data, engineering, technology, operations, and public-service careers at USGS.
Check Pathways announcementsA paid, year-long USDA Pathways internship combining APHIS technical work with cohort-based leadership and professional development.
Check USDA Pathways openingsA consortium program placing undergraduates in mentored research across the sciences, social sciences and humanities, with one application reaching three sites.
Last published cycle closedAirbnb's US internships in communications, finance, legal and public policy, plus part-time semester internships in business operations and privacy law.
Prepare for the winter windowBooz Allen's Summer Games internship puts interns in teams that each tackle a challenge project with mentors, ending in a Challenge Cup competition and presentation to senior leaders.
2027 postings open at reviewPaid, year-round CIA internships and co-ops for full-time undergraduates in designated majors, available only after medical and security processing.
Rolling · apply 6–12 months aheadA first-year-only CIA track placing undergraduates in two in-person summer tours as staff operations or targeting officers, with a possible route into the Professional Trainee program.
Window reopens Dec 15, 2026A paid ten-week summer internship at FBI headquarters, field offices and satellite campuses for full-time students, run as a pipeline into entry-level FBI roles.
Summer 2027 cycle closedPaid 12-week summer internships across STEM, language and intelligence analysis, and mission-support work at NSA sites that require suitability processing for a TS/SCI clearance.
Summer 2027 cycle closedAn unpaid, full-time, in-person internship serving presidential and vice-presidential offices, run in spring, summer and fall sessions of about 10 to 16 weeks.
Summer 2027 application posts Dec 7Unpaid spring, summer and fall internships in Treasury's Departmental Offices, supporting economic, financial, national-security and management work in Washington, DC.
Summer 2027: watch USAJOBS in DecemberA paid ten-week summer program placing undergraduate juniors in one New York Fed business area, such as Markets, Research, Supervision, Audit or Technology.
2027 postings open at reviewUnpaid, year-round Secretariat internships of two to six months, filled through individual openings posted by UN offices and duty stations worldwide.
Rolling openings year-roundThe World Bank Group's paid internship program, with separate final-year undergraduate and postgraduate tracks in Washington, DC and country offices.
Next application window planned for January 2027Ten-week museum placements across curatorial work, conservation, communications, education, advancement, exhibitions, administration and visitor services.
Opens Dec 1 · deadline publishedPaid federal student employment in soil science, plant science, forestry, rangeland management, ecology and related conservation work, with a required service-hour pathway and possible conversion.
Check current USAJOBS announcementsA paid public-infrastructure cohort across aviation, ports, PATH, engineering, communications, policy, finance, sustainability, planning, technology and operations.
Interest form live · not an applicationPaid passenger-rail placements across operations, transportation, engineering, marketing, communications, government affairs, procurement, finance, HR, planning, accessibility and environmental safety.
Year-round · check current openingsA semester-long virtual tutoring fellowship in which college students support small groups of K-12 students while receiving training, school-based guidance and practice building consistent learning relationships.
Open at review · deadline Nov 18A near-peer summer teaching residency where undergraduates lead academic and enrichment classes for students from underserved communities with more than 100 hours of training and continued educator coaching.
Open at review · regular deadline Feb 25A matched summer placement at a health organization combining a full-time project, a dedicated preceptor, career workshops and exposure to public health, care delivery, policy, advocacy, data and health-equity work.
Summer 2027 applications open at reviewA paid pathway into administrative and supporting health-care careers with department work, mentorship, job shadowing, workshops, community service and exposure to senior leaders rather than clinical treatment.
Opens Nov 16 · deadline Jan 8A CDC-supported maternal and child health leadership program offering clinical, research, community-engagement and advocacy experiences with mentoring, seminars and a final presentation.
2027 cycle not yet publishedA ten-week congressional placement paired with an eight-day orientation, weekly leadership development, community service and a cohort centered on public policy and investment in Latino communities.
Open at review · deadline Dec 1A nonpartisan congressional internship combining office work, leadership development and political engagement for students committed to public service and to uplifting Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.
Open at review · deadline Dec 18A specialized congressional and policy-writing program for students and recent graduates with lived US foster-care experience, culminating in a researched federal child-welfare policy report.
Open at review · part one due Nov 1A NOAA research and operations internship spanning weather, water, climate, oceans, fisheries, modeling, data, policy and science communication under the guidance of agency scientists and mentors.
Open at review · deadline Dec 24AmeriCorps conservation-science placements addressing real National Park Service resource needs through fieldwork, data analysis, GIS, collections, interpretation, education and science communication.
Summer 2027 roles open mid-DecemberPaid newsroom internships across reporting, photography, video, design, audience engagement, data and graphics, and multiplatform editing, with separate applications tailored to each craft.
Open at review · deadline publishedPaid utility internships for full-time college students, with hands-on work across engineering, technology, operations and business teams.
Check current AEP internship openingsPaid Spring 2027 research and business-unit internships across Brookings, with two cohort schedules and one published application deadline.
Spring 2027 openings posted · deadline Nov 7More than one hundred paid internships each year combining substantive foreign-policy or organizational work with skills training and career programming.
Recurring paid program · check current openingsPaid policy, research and organizational internships with writing, project work and additional foreign-policy training through CSIS's leadership academy.
Semester internships · check current opportunitiesMore than forty research and business-group internships in policy, media, government relations, fundraising, events and organizational work.
Spring internship listings available at reviewPaid research, legal, editorial, communications, fundraising and technical placements with fixed application windows for each 2027 term.
Spring 2027 open · deadline Oct 25, 11:59 p.m. ETPaid US internships embedded in research programs or functional teams, with remote eligibility, schedule and qualifications defined by each posting.
Current internship board available · opening-specificPaid semester internships across policy and functional teams, with current 2027 posting dates, a hybrid schedule and a detailed common application packet.
Spring 2027 postings launched · rolling reviewA ten-week summer program pairing policy, data, communications and organizational work with mentoring, workshops, networking and a final presentation.
Recurring 10-week summer program · check openingsPaid conservative policy and organizational internships with live Spring and Summer 2027 applications, structured seminars and career programming.
Spring and Summer 2027 applications open · rollingPaid Spring 2027 research-assistant and staff internships with separate role choices, one published deadline and detailed writing-sample requirements.
Spring 2027 open · deadline Nov 6Paid federal student appointments that let current students explore aviation, technical, engineering, technology and administrative careers while completing school.
Program active · check current USAJOBS announcementsA paid airport-authority internship with departmental project work, airfield and terminal exposure, professional classes, tours and mentorship.
Summer 2027 application route active at reviewA paid undergraduate airport internship with full-time departmental work, mentorship and exposure to aviation careers and business operations.
Annual January–March recruiting cycleA paid airport-authority internship combining department work, an airport classroom, operational tours and a collaborative capstone project.
Annual February–March recruiting cycleYear-round humanitarian and international-development internships across UNICEF offices, with assignments shaped by each team's work and location.
Year-round vacancies · check current openingsDevelopment-focused internships in UNDP country offices, regional hubs and New York headquarters for final-year bachelor's students and other eligible applicants.
Check current UNDP internship vacanciesHumanitarian-sector internships across UNHCR offices for students who have completed at least two undergraduate years and for eligible recent graduates.
Year-round openings · check recruitment platformFood-security and humanitarian internships across WFP offices for students and recent graduates who have completed at least two undergraduate years.
Check current WFP internship openingsRolling policy and corporate-function internships for enrolled bachelor's, master's and PhD students, primarily at OECD headquarters in Paris.
Rolling application availablePaid conservation placements with public-land and nonprofit partners, spanning field science, habitat work, interpretation, GIS and program support.
Check current SCA opportunitiesA 10-week paid WWF-US summer program with undergraduate roles across conservation, communications, development, operations, finance and research-adjacent work.
Applications open by early March 2027Project-focused paid environmental internships across science, economics, policy, advocacy and the operating teams behind EDF's work.
Check current EDF internshipsPaid undergraduate internships supporting environmental advocacy and the research, communications, development and operations around public-interest legal work.
Check current undergraduate openingsPaid wildlife and conservation internships open to students pursuing undergraduate degrees across all fields of study.
Check current NWF internship opportunitiesYear-round conservation placements for students enrolled in Singapore, with field and corporate roles connected to Asia Pacific work.
Year-round · check current CI positionsA ten-week undergraduate internship supporting civil-liberties litigation and advocacy through government-document review, case-file organization and factual research.
Summer 2027 application listed after priority dateNIST's 11-week paid summer research fellowship at its Gaithersburg and Boulder laboratories, open to full-time undergraduates from the first year through graduation.
2027 announcement expected mid-OctoberSandia National Laboratories' paid summer, year-round and co-op positions for full-time students, posted individually in Albuquerque and Livermore.
Openings posted individuallyMIT Lincoln Laboratory's paid summer research program for undergraduates who have finished their sophomore year and graduate students, placed with individual research groups.
Search current group postingsJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory's paid summer internships for college students, posted individually each fall and filled on a rolling basis.
2027 roles posted through the fallMITRE's summer internships and co-ops, mostly for rising college juniors and seniors in computing, engineering, cybersecurity and data science, at its Bedford and McLean campuses and other sites.
Hiring continues through springThe San Francisco Fed's paid summer internship at its San Francisco head office and Los Angeles branch, for full-time students graduating between December 2027 and June 2029.
2027 applications open until Oct 15The Atlanta Fed's paid, in-person summer internship for undergraduate and graduate students returning to school, with published hourly rates and a January offer timeline.
Opens early fall; offers from JanuaryThe Dallas Fed's paid, full-time summer internships across its four Texas offices, for undergraduate and graduate students with at least a 3.0 GPA.
Postings open in the fallThe Cleveland Fed's paid 10- to 12-week summer internships in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, for undergraduate and graduate students with at least one semester left.
Openings post September–NovemberThe Richmond Fed's paid, on-site summer internship for college sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students, with co-op roles that can last up to a year.
2027 applications open in the fallThe Philadelphia Fed's paid summer internships for full-time undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students at accredited four-year colleges and universities.
Check current postingsThe Chicago Fed's paid summer internship for undergraduate and graduate students across marketing, human resources, public relations, IT, project management, finance and economics.
Summer 2027 postings live at reviewThe Supreme Court's paid internship for undergraduates who have completed two semesters, with fall, spring and summer terms and two-week USAJOBS application windows.
Summer window opens Feb 15The FDIC's paid summer program in which economics, finance and accounting students join on-site bank examinations, with a possible path to a Financial Institution Specialist role.
Apply through FDIC recruitingThe FDIC's salaried summer program for economics, business, finance, accounting and related majors, in Consumer Protection or Risk Management examination tracks.
Join FDIC Talent NetworkThe Securities and Exchange Commission's unpaid 10-week internship for U.S. citizen undergraduate, graduate and law students, with business and legal tracks.
Summer 2027 dates not yet postedPathways internships, student trainee jobs, volunteer appointments and recent-graduate programs have different rules. Confirm that the opening is for current college students and do not assume that eligibility for one hiring path transfers to another.
Federal postings can specify enrollment level, citizenship, credits, GPA, coursework, transcript format, resume detail and an exact closing time. Map every requirement to a document before you begin the application questionnaire.
Keep accurate education dates, addresses, employment history, supervisors and travel information. Some roles involve suitability or security reviews after selection. Answer only what is asked, keep copies of your submission and never pay a third party to apply for a federal job.
Federal and many state applications work differently from corporate ones: structured application systems, specific eligibility categories, documentation requirements, and timelines that can run far longer than a private-sector process. Read the announcement itself rather than a summary, follow its document instructions exactly, and expect the whole thing to take longer than you would like. A missing required document is the most common avoidable rejection here.
Many public-sector roles state citizenship requirements, and some require a background investigation or security clearance that adds weeks or months before a start date. These are legal and procedural conditions rather than preferences. Establish them before investing in an application, and where a clearance is involved, ask what the realistic timeline looks like.
Many are, though some are unpaid or credit-based, and it varies by agency and program. Each guide here records what the publisher states; confirm the terms on the official announcement.
No. Agencies hire students across engineering, science, computing, data, finance, communications, law and administration. The announcement names what it needs.
Further than for most private-sector roles. Announcements often open months before the term and can close quickly, and any clearance or screening step adds more time. Start watching official pages early.
Prepare for the automated stage of an internship application: timed skills tests, recorded one-way video questions, and situational judgment exercises.
Read the guide Application playbook / 4 min readStop an internship application failing on mechanics: file naming, PDF export, portal parsing, transcript uploads, and checking what the employer actually received.
Read the guide Application playbook / 4 min readThe eligibility, timing, and authorization questions an international student should resolve — and who has the authority to answer each one — before applying.
Read the guide