Central Intelligence Agency Undergraduate Internship & Co-op Program: Eligibility & How to Apply

Who can apply?

• CIA describes its undergraduate internship and co-op programs as paid and open to full-time students pursuing a relevant major. Its desired-majors list has four groups — science and technology, digital innovation, support, and analytical — running from engineering and computer science to finance, economics, international affairs and several named foreign languages.
• CIA's minimum requirements for any applicant: US citizenship (dual US citizens are eligible), age 18 or older, willingness to move to the Washington, DC area, Selective Service registration if applicable, and completing security and medical evaluations that include a background investigation, a polygraph interview, and physical and psychological examinations. You must be physically in the United States or a US territory when you submit your resume.
• Interns complete at least one 12-week work tour before graduating. Co-op students work on an alternating-semester basis for at least three semesters before graduating, which can include a summer session; CIA does not work with a fixed list of school co-op programs, so you arrange academic credit with your school.
• The student page does not state a minimum class year, GPA or pay figure for these programs; individual opportunities carry their own requirements.

Dates, pay & program timing

Because every student goes through medical and security processing, CIA asks for an expression of interest at least 6–12 months before the desired start date. There is no single cycle deadline for these programs. The Directorate of Operations internship and the scholarship programs follow their own published timetables, and at review CIA said it was not accepting applications for the Summer 2027 Stokes scholarship 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. Count back from the term you want. CIA asks for an expression of interest at least 6–12 months before the start date, so a summer placement means submitting the previous summer or autumn.
2. Check your major against the desired-majors list, choose the undergraduate internship or co-op opportunity that fits it, and submit your resume through CIA's MyLINK portal while you are physically in the US.
3. If invited to apply for a specific position, complete the screening, testing and interviews, then the conditional-offer paperwork (CIA names the SF-86) and the security and medical evaluations before any start date is confirmed.

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 conditional-offer stage involves federal security paperwork. Our suggestion, not a CIA instruction: keep your own dated record of addresses, jobs and foreign travel as you go, so that stage becomes a matter of copying accurate information rather than reconstructing it under time pressure.

Decide between an internship and a co-op using your school's calendar. A co-op means at least three alternating semesters away from campus, which only works if your department lets you step out and back in on schedule. Ask your co-op office how credit is recorded before you express interest, since CIA says it does not work from a set list of school programs.

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.

• Undergraduate internship and co-op structure, desired majors and the 6–12 month lead time
• Minimum requirements and hiring steps for every CIA applicant

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