Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Operations Undergraduate Internship: Eligibility & How to Apply

Who can apply?

• The page requires a full-time student in the first year of study toward a bachelor's degree at a four-year institution, with only one semester or quarter completed when expressing interest, who will not graduate before December 2028. It states the internship is open to freshmen only. Students in a two-year program that feeds into an accredited four-year program are considered, but must show acceptance into the four-year program before the first internship.
• Candidates must be able to intern in person in the Washington, DC area for 90 days in each of two summers and return to school for at least one semester or quarter before graduating. The current text names the summers of 2027 and 2028.
• A 3.0 GPA on a 4-point scale is listed as preferred, but staying in the program requires proof that you maintain it throughout college. CIA's agency-wide conditions also apply: US citizenship (dual citizens eligible), age 18 or older, willingness to move to the DC area, security and medical evaluations, and Selective Service registration if applicable.
• The page lists a starting salary of $58,714 and says interns cover the cost of their own housing.

Dates, pay & program timing

CIA says the window is closed and will reopen from December 15, 2026 to January 30, 2027; no time of day is published for the close. Part of the qualifications text still describes the previous call — interviews in spring or summer 2026, two sets of follow-on appointments in the DC area in late summer and early winter, and internships in summers 2027 and 2028 — so confirm which summers and interview dates apply to the cohort applying in the new window rather than assuming them. After completing both internships, and depending on hiring needs, interns may be offered conversion into the Professional Trainee program.

These 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 Central Intelligence Agency

1. Check the timing rule before anything else: you must be in your first year with exactly one semester or quarter completed when you submit interest, so the December–January window has to fall inside that first year.
2. Prepare the interest-form package: an unofficial transcript for your first semester or quarter showing your program of study and current GPA, plus a completed qualification statement and cover letter uploaded with the form. CIA says resumes without the transcript and all supplemental attachments will not be considered.
3. Submit between December 15, 2026 and January 30, 2027, then keep your calendar open for the interview period and the two sets of follow-on appointments in the DC area that the page describes.

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 desired qualifications include STEM exposure, foreign cultural or language ability, and applying learning quickly to complex international issues. With one semester behind you the evidence is small, so make it concrete: a language you are actively studying, a paper where you had to weigh sources you could not fully trust, or time spent working in an unfamiliar setting.

Community-college students: the page asks you to address your plan to earn a bachelor's degree in the cover letter and to prove acceptance to a four-year program before the first internship. Name the transfer institution and the term you expect to start there rather than stating an intention in general terms.

Official sources & update notes

We reviewed these publisher pages on September 29, 2026. They establish the program facts above; our preparation suggestions are independent editorial guidance.

• First-year eligibility, two-summer structure, salary, required documents and the reopening window
• Student programs page noting the DO internship's separate timetable

We do not infer deadlines, remote eligibility, or guaranteed offers from older recruiting cycles. Read our editorial process.