Who can apply?
- The AP says the internship is open to US and international students who are college upperclassmen or graduate students, and to recent graduates.
- It describes the program as paid, highly selective and individually tailored, with recent locations including New York City, Washington, Los Angeles, Mexico City, London, Cairo and Tokyo.
- The AP says it is evolving its internship program and expects to announce plans for 2027 early next year, so eligibility, locations and timing for the next cycle may differ from the description here.
The AP has said it is changing its internship program for 2027. Treat the eligibility and packet described here as the last published version, not a promise of the next one.
Dates, pay & program timing
No 2027 application window, deadline, term length or pay figure is published. The AP says it expects to announce 2027 plans early next year; this record does not infer dates from earlier cycles.
View the deadline calendarThese details reflect the sources at the review date. An overview is not a live job offer. Check the official page for today's application status and the selected opening's written terms.
How to apply to The Associated Press
- Check the AP careers page early in 2027 for the announcement of the next program and its dates.
- Assemble the packet the AP describes: a resume showing your projected graduation date or education status, a 300-word personal essay, four to five examples of your best work (links to an online site preferred), and a reference letter from a prior internship supervisor, media employer or faculty adviser on college or university letterhead.
- If you work in photo or video, add a link to an online portfolio, then apply through whatever route the AP names when it announces 2027.
You leave FirstInternships to apply. We do not accept applications, offer referrals, or represent the employer.
Our editorial advice · not employer requirements
How to prepare a stronger application
The 300-word essay asks two specific questions: why the AP, and how this internship fits your career goals. The AP frames the program around cross-format skills in a workplace where every word matters, so ground your answer in a time you filed quickly and got it right, rather than in admiration for the name.
Request the reference letter now. It must come from someone who has supervised or taught your journalism, and it is the item most likely to hold up a packet once a window opens.
Your preparation, on this device
Make it a plan.
Checking an item saves this program. These are planning prompts, not a substitute for the employer's full requirements.
Add a stage & next actionOfficial sources & update notes
We reviewed these publisher pages on . They establish the program facts above; our preparation suggestions are independent editorial guidance.
We do not infer deadlines, remote eligibility, or guaranteed offers from older recruiting cycles. Read our editorial process.