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Semester in DC programs

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US students interested in policy work should consider applying to a semester in DC program to complete a policy internship in Washington DC. These programs are probably the best chance many students have to get their first taste of US policy work, such as in Congress or a think tank.

Details vary a lot between specific programs—including the program titles—so you should check the website of the program you’re most interested in. See below for a non-exhaustive list of these programs.

What are semester in DC programs?

Many US universities and some nonprofits host semester in DC programs, in which their students spend an academic semester or summer interning in DC, typically receiving academic credit (some programs involve academic coursework). 

Benefits

These programs can be very valuable for students interested in US policy careers. They can provide support for internship applications, academic credit, funding, accommodation, and networking opportunities with professionals and other students. Anecdotally, they also often seem to be less competitive than many other ways of getting a DC internship.

  1. Application support: Many schools have established relationships with internship-hosting policy organizations in Washington DC, and program managers generally know a lot about what helps DC internship applications succeed. Through these connections and this knowledge, they can substantially help participants get DC internships. In many cases, this support makes it much easier for program participants to land DC internships, since these internships tend to be very competitive (even for students from top schools). This support can also help students save much time on internship applications and sometimes get internships that are more prestigious or relevant to their topics of interest. 
  2. Academic credit: It’s common for programs to offer academic credit for the completion of the internship so that interning doesn’t (necessarily) delay graduation. But this also means that participants have to pay academic tuition for the program (just as they would for classes in a regular academic semester). 
  3. Funding and accommodation: Some programs also offer financial support or housing for participants.
  4. Networking: Many programs host events to help participants meet DC policy professionals. Some programs also have participants live together, which can be a great opportunity to get to know other students who are likely to pursue US policy careers. Finally, some programs involve policy-relevant coursework (often through partnerships with DC-based universities), frequently taught by professors with policy networks.

Costs

The financial costs of these programs vary significantly. Some are fully paid or offer extensive scholarships and stipends. But most programs charge fees for housing and enrolling in academic credit-bearing courses from DC-based schools during the internship period. When considering a program’s cost, take into account the academic credit you receive counting towards your degree—which results in you having to take and pay for fewer classes at your school to graduate.

Timing

While some of these programs only run in the summer, many of them run during the school year, and some do both. 

Consider participating in these programs during the school year: most students want summer internships, so students who are willing to intern during the spring or fall semester can have an easier time getting attractive internships and attention (e.g. coffee meetings with professionals) as an intern. But interning during the school year may come at the significant cost of graduating later.

Applications and eligibility

The application processes are set by the school or nonprofit running the programs, so the application materials and eligibility requirements differ between programs. Sometimes applications need to be submitted significantly in advance of the time when the student wants to be in DC.

There are some open application and partnership-based programs that any student can apply to. In addition, there are programs supporting students from specific demographic groups. But most schools run programs only open only to their own students (including some law schools). 

While many programs are restricted to undergraduates, especially juniors and seniors, there are also some opportunities for graduate students. They are often (but not always) open to students of all majors—not just political science students.

There’s a list of semester in DC programs here, which are omitted from this narration.

Non-exhaustive list of semester in DC programs

Open application and partnership-based programs

These programs are typically open to all (undergraduate) students regardless of subject background. Most of these programs also maintain agreements with various partner universities to support their students to get DC-based internships. Many of the university-specific program pages linked in the section below are facilitated via one of these partnership programs.

ProgramWho can apply?Eligibility criteriaRegular deadlines1 Other benefitsCosts2
American University, Washington Semester ProgramAnyone
+
Partner school students		Sophomores, juniors, and seniors

GPA of 2.5 or higher		Spring: Nov 15

Summer: Mar 31
Fall: May 15		Housing

Academic courses & credit

Professional development events		~$10,000-40,000
(scholarships available)
George Washington University, Semester in Washington ProgramAnyone
+
Partner school students		GPA of 2.75 or higherSpring: ?

Summer: Apr 30

Fall: Jun 15		Housing

Academic courses & credit

Professional development events		~$15,000-21,000
The Washington Center, Academic Internship ProgramAnyone
+
Partner school students		Sophomore or above

GPA of 2.75 or higher		Spring: Nov 1

Summer: Mar 13

Fall: April 24		Housing

Academic courses & credit

Professional development events		~$12,000-16,000
(scholarships available)
The Fund for American Studies, Academic Internship ProgramsAnyone
+
Partner school students		GPA of 3.0 or higher (not strict)Summer:
March 12		Courses & credit (George Mason University)

Housing		~$9,000
(scholarships available)
Partnership for Public Service, Future Leaders in Public Service Internship ProgramAnyoneSophomores and above

GPA of 2.5 or higher

US citizen		Spring: Oct 23

Summer: ?

Fall: Nov 24		Stipend

Professional development events		0$
(fully funded + stipend)
Capitol Hill Internship ProgramPartner school students3Sophomores and above

GPA of 3.0 or higher		Spring: ?

Fall: ?		Courses & credit

Housing		Regular tuition + $3,500 for housing
Washington Internship InstituteAnyone
+
Partner school students		Sophomores and above

GPA of 2.75 or higher (not strict)		Spring: Nov 6

Summer: Mar 1

Fall: May 10		Housing

Courses		~$10,000-13,000
(scholarships available)
Lutheran College Washington SemesterPartner school students4?Spring: Oct 15

Summer: rolling
Fall: April 1		Housing

Courses		?
National Summer Learning Association’s Summer Policy InternshipDiverse college students?Summer: Rolling??
Schaeffer FellowsPartner school students5College studentSummer: Mar 17Stipend of $5,500
Professional development events		0$
(+ stipend)

Demographic programs 

  1. Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Congressional Internship
  2. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Internships
  3. Congressional Hispanic Caucus Congressional Internship Program
  4. Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities National Internship Program (placement in federal agencies & private companies)
  5. Minority Access National Diversity and Inclusion Internship Program
  6. Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation Native American Congressional Internship Program

University-specific programs

These programs generally only accept students from their university. 

  1. Amherst College (scholarship only)
  2. Arizona State University
  3. Auburn University
  4. Baylor University
  5. Binghamton University – SUNY
  6. Boston College
  7. Boston University
  8. Brigham Young University
  9. Brown University
  10. California State University – Fullerton
  11. California State University – Long Beach (Washington Mentoring Program)
  12. California State University – Sacramento (California-specific) 
  13. Carnegie Mellon University
  14. Case Western Reserve University
  15. Chapman University
  16. City College of New York – CCNY
  17. Claremont Colleges (e.g. McKenna, Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer)
  18. Clarkson University
  19. Clemson University (see also)
  20. Colorado State University
  21. Cornell University
  22. Columbia University (also for congressional internships)
  23. Creighton University
  24. City University of New York (CUNY)—City College
  25. Dartmouth (+ public policy internship funding)
  26. DePaul University
  27. Duke University (+ Duke Engage)
  28. Duquesne University (see also)
  29. Elon University (see also)
  30. Emory University (also this and this)
  31. Fairfield University (see also)
  32. Florida International University
  33. Florida State University
  34. Fordham University
  35. George Mason University
  36. Georgetown University (see also)
  37. George Washington University (funding)
  38. Georgia Tech (see also)
  39. Gonzaga University
  40. Harvard University (Director’s Internship Program, Summer Stipend Program, Summer Service Stipend Program, Schaeffer Fellows)
  41. Indiana University
  42. Iowa State University
  43. James Madison University
  44. John Hopkins University (SAIS internships)
  45. Lehigh University
  46. Loyola Marymount University
  47. Loyola University Chicago (see also)
  48. Marquette University
  49. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  50. Metropolitan State University of Denver
  51. Miami University (Oxford)
  52. Michigan State University (see also)
  53. Michigan Technological University
  54. New York University (see also)
  55. Northeastern University
  56. Northwestern University
  57. Occidental College (UN program)
  58. Ohio State University
  59. Oklahoma City University
  60. Oregon State University
  61. Pennsylvania State University – University Park
  62. Pepperdine University (see also)
  63. Princeton University (also this, this, and Schaeffer Fellows)
  64. Purdue University
  65. Rice University
  66. Rutgers University (funding)
  67. San Diego State University
  68. Santa Clara University
  69. Seton Hall University
  70. Simmons University (only for Massachusetts legislative internships)
  71. Southern Methodist University (scholarship only)
  72. Stanford University (see also)
  73. Stony Brook University
  74. St Lawrence University
  75. SUNY Brockport
  76. Syracuse University (see also)
  77. Temple University (see also)
  78. Texas A&M University
  79. Texas Christian University
  80. The College of New Jersey
  81. Tufts University (for MALD students)
  82. Tulane University (see also this and this)
  83. University at Albany
  84. University of Arizona
  85. University at Buffalo
  86. University of Alabama system (i.e. including UA, UA at Birmingham, and UA in Huntsville)
  87. University of California system
    1. UC Berkeley (also Schaeffer Fellows)
    2. UC Davis
    3. UC Irvine
    4. UCLA
    5. UC Merced
    6. UC Riverside
    7. UC San Diego
    8. UC Santa Barbara
    9. UC Santa Cruz
  88. University of Central Florida (see also)
  89. University of Chicago  (also this, this, and this DC City Guide)
  90. University of Colorado Boulder
  91. University of Connecticut (see also)
  92. University of Dayton (see also)
  93. University of Delaware (see also)
  94. University of Denver (see also)
  95. University of Florida (see also)
  96. University of Georgia (see also)
  97. University of Houston (also this and this)
  98. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  99. University of Iowa
  100. University of Kansas
  101. University of Maryland – College Park (also this and this)
  102. University of Massachusetts – Amherst
  103. University of Massachusetts Lowell
  104. University of Michigan
  105. University of Missouri (see also)
  106. University of New Hampshire
  107. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (see also)
  108. University of Notre Dame
  109. University of Oklahoma
  110. University of Oregon (see also)
  111. University of Pennsylvania
  112. University of Pittsburgh
  113. University of Rochester (see also)
  114. University of San Francisco
  115. University of South Carolina
  116. University of Southern California (also Schaeffer Fellows)
  117. University of South Florida
  118. University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  119. University of Texas system (UT Austin, UT Dallas, UT Arlington, etc.)
  120. University of Toledo
  121. University of the Pacific
  122. University of Utah (see also)
  123. University of Vermont
  124. University of Virginia (STEM-program, Center for Politics Student Internships, Schaeffer Fellows)
  125. University of Washington
  126. University of Wisconsin-Madison
  127. Vanderbilt University
  128. Villanova University (see also this, this, and this)
  129. Virginia Commonwealth University
  130. Virginia Tech
  131. Wake Forest University (see also)
  132. Washington University in St. Louis (only master of social policy students)
  133. William & Mary (see also)
  134. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
  135. Worcester State University

If you don’t see your school on the above list, you can:

  • Google something like the following and see if you find anything:
    • site:.edu <your university name here> Washington DC internships
    • Or try this: site:.edu <your university name here> semester in Washington
  • Even if your school doesn’t have a formal semester in DC program, you can still apply directly (1) to many of the open application and partnership-based programs listed above, or (2) to internship opportunities offered by policy organizations. Many schools can provide academic credit and (limited) funding for public service internships. 
  • Make sure to also contact your school’s career center, which might be able to help you identify and apply for internships, or even connect you with alumni of your school working in policy.

Law school externships and clinics in government

Many law schools offers externships or clinics in government either in DC or at the state or local level.

  1. Harvard Law
  2. Columbia Law
  3. Stanford Law
  4. U Penn Law
  5. Duke Law
  6. NYU Law
  7. UVA Law
  8. Northwestern University Law (+ career trek to DC)
  9. Michigan Law
  10. Cornell Law
  11. Penn State Law
  12. University of Illinois Chicago Law
  13. University of Connecticut Law
  14. University of Iowa Law
  15. University of Miami Law
  16. University of Oklahoma Law
  17. University of San Diego Law
  18. Pepperdine Law
  19. Saint Louis Law (only for employment law and health law students)
  20. University of California DC Law Program (for law students from UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Irvine, and Hastings)
Related articles
Footnotes
  1. Some programs have earlier priority deadlines. ↩︎
  2. Note that, where applicable, this includes the cost of housing and for enrolling in credit-bearing academic courses. When considering a program’s cost, take into account the academic credit you receive counting towards your degree—which results in you having to take and pay for fewer classes at your school to graduate. ↩︎
  3. * Coe College
    * Creighton University
    * Lindsay Wilson College
    * Nebraska Wesleyan University
    * Pfeiffer University
    * Simpson College
    * Southwestern University
    * Wofford College ↩︎
  4. * Augustina University 
    * California Lutheran University
    * Concordia College
    * Concordia University Chicago
    * Dickinson
    * Gettysburg College
    * Lenoir-Rhyne University
    * Luther College
    * Muhlenberg College
    * Pacific Lutheran University
    * Roanoke College
    * Susquehanna University
    * St. Olaf College
    * Thiel College
    * Valparaiso University
    * Wittenberg University ↩︎
  5. * Harvard University
    * Princeton University
    * UC Berkeley
    * University of Virginia
    * University of Southern California ↩︎