Academic Internship Program
Spend a summer or semester in Washington, D.C. with the Academic Internship Program, and set yourself apart in today’s competitive job market.
At The Washington Center, we understand that launching your career goes far beyond just landing an internship. The Academic Internship Program delivers a comprehensive experience designed to help you thrive in today’s rapidly-evolving job market.
With the pool of quality internships shrinking, employers raising the bar for prior experience and AI transforming entry-level roles, building a solid foundation with the skills, connections and confidence you need to secure that first quality job has never been more critical.
The Academic Internship Program combines personalized career coaching, immersive hands-on experience and access to a dynamic network of peers and professionals in Washington, D.C.—a city where ideas turn into action. You’ll return to campus with a clear plan for success after graduation and the tools to build a thriving career.
I have solidified my career goals and formed incredible connections. Thanks to this unique and irreplaceable experience, I have developed skills as a researcher and can move forward with confidence.
Caden Rosenbaum
Lubbock Christian University
Interned at American Legislative Exchange Council
Program Components
Our comprehensive, career-launching experience is built on four core components, each designed to prepare you for the challenges of today’s workplace. Our semester or summer program includes:
Preparation and Internship Search
The first part of your experience will take place online and begins approximately three months before you arrive in Washington, D.C. You'll work with a career coach to identify your strengths and develop an internship strategy that matches your ambitions, ensuring you take the next best step in your professional path.
This phase is more than just preparation—it’s a rehearsal for the real job market. You’ll craft your résumé, practice your interview skills and research internship opportunities with the support of professionals who know exactly what it takes to succeed.
If you commit to the process, complete tasks and meet deadlines, we guarantee an internship offer that provides meaningful experience and career-building potential.
Internship
Once you’re here, and depending on your specific internship arrangements, your internship will be either hybrid or fully in-person, requiring a commitment of at least 32 hours per week. Washington, D.C. will be your home base for this immersive experience.
You’ll be gaining hands-on experience in a city that thrives on big ideas and meaningful social impact. With our extensive network of internship site partners, you’ll have access to opportunities that challenge you but are achievable—giving you the experience you need to stand out in the future. Learn more and see a sample of internship sites.
Career Readiness Programming
Throughout the program, you’ll continue building skills critical for success in today’s business environment. You will receive professional development, attend workshops and connect with professionals through networking events and speaker series of prominent D.C.-based influencers.
This continuous development ensures that every step of your journey is supported and refined. We help you acquire the skills, build the connections and develop the confidence you need to succeed in your career. Learn more and see sample workshops and events.
Academic Course
One night each week, you’ll take an academic course designed to bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world application.
These classes, taught by industry professionals who are actively working in their fields, offer you the chance to learn from—and network with—D.C. insiders. You’ll choose from a range of subjects, allowing you to fulfill degree requirements or explore new areas of interest. Learn more and see common course options.
Digital and Emerging Technology Pathway Cohort
For learners interested in careers in digital and emerging technologies, we offer a cohort-style career pathway within our Academic Internship Program. It's designed to align your TWC experience closely with what tech employers are looking for, forging networks and experiences that will help build your professional success after graduation.
The pathway takes all the best aspects of TWC's Academic Internship Program: the internship, academic course, career readiness and networking and combines them into a single industry-focused experience. As a cohort of learners, all with a passion to excel in the dynamic field of digital and emerging technology, you’ll explore the skills and networks that can lead into exciting and high-paying roles.
What sets this program apart is its location in the heart of Washington, D.C., a region teeming with influential business innovators and policymakers shaping the future of tech, AI, cybersecurity and more. By joining our Pathway, you'll have a front-row seat to the action, explore the wealth of technical or non-technical roles and gain insights, experience and connections that will support your goal of launching a successful career.
This pathway experience within the Academic Internship Program is open to those in their junior or senior (third or fourth) year of college. Those interested should select the Digital and Emerging Technology Pathway in the application here. For more information, please contact info@twc.edu.
Related Stories
View All
Essential D.C. Neighborhoods Every Intern Should Visit
Budgeting for Your Internship in D.C.
What’s It Like to be a Virtual Intern? Here’s What Students Say
Housing and Living
Live like a local in the nation’s capital. Participants have the option of staying in TWC’s furnished intern housing in NoMa, a cosmopolitan neighborhood full of unique restaurants and nightlife.
You’ll be within walking distance of the National Mall and the best that D.C. has to offer (not to mention essentials like grocery stores and the Metro). Even better, you’ll have a built-in community of fellow interns to explore the city with.
Academic Credit
The Academic Internship Program is designed to integrate smoothly with your degree program, ensuring you stay on track for graduation. We partner with hundreds of universities in the U.S. and abroad to ensure you earn credit and continue your academic progress while you take full advantage of this opportunity. To find out how TWC works for your school, contact info@twc.edu.
If you attend a school that is not affiliated with TWC, you will be provided with a form that needs to be completed in order to receive credit through TWC's school of record, Elon University. To learn more about how TWC works for students at unaffiliated schools, review this one-pager.
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in this program, you must meet the following criteria:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be enrolled as an undergraduate student at an accredited college or university.*
- Be a sophomore or above while participating in the program and have completed at least two semesters on campus by the start of our program.
- Maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
- Receive academic credit through your school’s agreement with TWC (or through TWC’s school of record, Elon University, if your school is not affiliated).
- Have approval from your campus liaison, if you attend an affiliated school.
Your school may have additional eligibility requirements. Please contact your campus liaison before applying to TWC (if you’re not sure who your campus liaison is, contact info@twc.edu).
* TWC also considers recent college graduates and students in master’s level programs on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us at info@twc.edu to learn more.
Non-US Students
The Washington Center is a designated J-1 Visa sponsor by the U.S. State Department and sponsors a J-1 Visa for international students attending or recently graduated from a university in a foreign country. Once you’re accepted into The Washington Center’s program, you’ll be given details for how to secure your J-1 Visa. Special provisions may be available for Canadian citizens.
International students enrolled in U.S. universities with a valid F-1 visa can participate in TWC’s programs with their current visa as long as they remain enrolled in the university and their visa is valid until the last day of The Washington Center’s program or beyond. Please contact your home institution for further information.
J-1 Visa Requirements
In order to obtain a J-1 Visa, you must be accepted into one of our programs and:
- Be enrolled in a foreign degree- or certificate-granting university outside the United States OR have graduated from such an institution no more than 12 months prior to the program start date. Alternatively, you may have a degree or professional certificate from a foreign university and at least one year of work experience in your field.
- Know English well enough to perform successfully in the program.
- Plan to leave the United States within 30 days after completion of the program.
Once you have been accepted into our program and placed at an internship site, The Washington Center will send you the DS-2019 and DS-7002 forms along with other important materials.
Health Insurance
All J-1 Visa participants must certify that they have a valid health insurance policy for the entire duration of the program to comply with State Department requirements. You will need to bring proof of insurance with you when you come to the United States to provide to The Washington Center.
Your policy must include:
- Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness.
- Repatriation of remains in the amount of $25,000.
- Expenses associated with the medical evacuation to your home country in the amount of $50,000.
- A deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness.
An insurance policy secured to meet the benefits requirements must be underwritten by an insurance corporation with an A.M. Best rating of "A-" or above, an Insurance Solvency International, Ltd. (ISI) rating of "A-I" or above, a Standard and Poor's Claims Paying Ability rating of "A-" or above, or a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of B+ or above. Alternatively, the policy may be backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the exchange visitor's home country.
Program Cost
Since TWC partners with different colleges and universities, the cost of your participation depends on where you go to school and is often comparable to what you’d pay for the same term on campus. If you’re not sure how TWC works for your school, contact info@twc.edu.
Program and Housing Fees
| 2025 Fees | Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 | Fall 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $60 | $60 | $60 |
| Program Fee | $9,700 | $7,500 | $9,700 |
| Housing Fee | $6,570 | $4,990 | $6,570 |
Following these steps will help you determine the cost for you to attend:
- Contact your campus liaison and ask about how The Washington Center's program works at your school. If you need help identifying your campus liaison, email info@twc.edu.
- Check with the financial aid office on your campus to see if your aid package can be applied toward TWC costs. We also recommend inquiring about any additional funding opportunities that may be available to students participating in TWC.
- Review the scholarships available through TWC below.
- Apply to the program. You will automatically be considered for any scholarships that you're eligible for.
If you have questions or would like to find out more about how TWC will work for you, contact us at info@twc.edu.
Financial Assistance
If you need financial assistance to make your semester or summer in Washington, D.C. possible, we offer a number of scholarships supported by generous funding from our partners.
You may be eligible to receive funding available for campus leaders, students from diverse backgrounds, members of honors societies and programs, students with disabilities, and more. Current scholarships are listed below:
If you would like to be considered for need-based aid (the availability of which varies by semester), you will need to provide information about your financial standing in your TWC application.
You will be required to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you have not already completed the FAFSA, we encourage you to watch videos on Preparing for the FAFSA Form and Completing the FAFSA Form.
If you have questions or would like to find out more about how TWC will work for you, contact us at info@twc.edu.
Dates and Deadlines
Program Dates
Fall 2024
- Check-In: Aug. 28, 2024
- Internship Period: Sept. 3 – Dec. 6, 2024
- Check-Out: Dec. 7, 2024
Spring 2025
- Check-In: Jan. 27, 2025
- Internship Period: Jan. 29 – May 2, 2025
- Check-Out: May 3, 2025
Summer 2025
- Virtual Orientation and Program Starts (Early Applicants): Feb. 3, 2025
- Virtual Orientation and Program Starts (Regular Applicants): Feb. 12, 2025
- D.C. Check-In: May 28, 2025
- Internship Period: June 2 – Aug. 1, 2025
- D.C. Check-Out: Aug. 2, 2025
Fall 2025
- Virtual Orientation and Program Starts (Early Applicants): May 19, 2025
- Virtual Orientation and Program Starts (Regular Applicants): June 2, 2025
- D.C. Check-In: Aug. 27, 2025
- Internship Period: Sept. 2 – Dec. 5, 2025
- D.C. Check-Out: Dec. 6, 2025
* Alternate dates for check-in may be provided by your campus liaison. If you’re not sure who your campus liaison is, email info@twc.edu.
Application Deadlines
Applying by the Early Deadline allows you to kick off your Preparation and Internship Search sooner than other applicants. Review the academic calendar to see all program dates.
Spring 2025
- Early Deadline: September 25, 2024
- Regular Deadline: October 23, 2024
- International Student Deadline: September 25, 2024*
Summer 2025
- Early Deadline: December 4, 2024
- Regular Deadline: January 8, 2025
- International Student Deadline: December 4, 2024*
Fall 2025
- Early Deadline: March 19, 2025
- Regular Deadline: April 16, 2025
- International Student Deadline: March 19, 2025*
* For students enrolled in institutions outside of the U.S.
** Spots at internship sites are most highly competitive during the summer. Students looking for summer internships in law enforcement, the legal affairs and international relations fields, and at various think tanks, government agencies, embassies and museums are encouraged to submit their application in January 2025.
How to Apply
Applications are now open for the spring, summer, and fall 2025 Academic Internship Program!
Review the Application Documents section below to see what you'll need to submit with your application. In addition to these documents, you will also be asked to pay a $60 application fee.
When you're ready to get started, create an account (or log in to your existing account) in the Application Portal. Select Academic Internship Program from the list of available programs in the portal.
Sign Up to Learn More
Sign up below to stay in the loop about the program updates, application launches and more.
Application Documents
Below are the documents you’ll need to submit with your application. Please note that all documents must be saved as PDFs in order to upload them.
If you would like to be considered for need-based aid (the availability of which varies by term), you will need to provide information about your financial standing in your TWC application. You will be required to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Visit our Application Resources page to download an application checklist and see sample application documents.
- One-page Resumé: Outline your educational background and include experiences like volunteer opportunities, leadership roles on campus, honors and awards. Before starting your internship search, you will work with your career coach to update and refine your resumé.
- Statement of Professional Interest: Write a summary (around 100 words) of what you're seeking in an internship, the interests you'd like to explore, and the skills you're hoping to develop. Please note, this is for internal purposes only and will not be sent to potential internship sites.
- Issues Essay or Writing Sample: Write an essay (between 450 and 750 words) on an issue of interest to you or submit a writing sample (like a research or analysis paper, between 450 and 750 words) from a previous academic course. If using a writing sample, it may be a clipped excerpt from a longer writing piece. We are not able to accept personal statements. As a note, this document demonstrates your written communication skills to TWC and to prospective internship site supervisors. Please ensure that it does not include any references to your internship interests or career goals as they can limit your internship options.
- Transcript: We accept both unofficial and official transcripts! Upload a transcript for each college or university you’ve attended directly into your TWC application. You may also email your transcript(s) to info@twc.edu if you cannot access them when you are ready to submit your application. Please ensure your transcript is organized by semester and includes your name, cumulative GPA and the name of your school. If your social security number is included on your transcript, please conceal it prior to upload.
If you are attending school outside the U.S. and you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you must also submit:
- Passport ID Page: A photocopy of the first page of your passport, which must be valid for at least six months beyond the program end date.
- Proof of Sufficient Funds: A bank statement, loan certificate, or scholarship grant/award letter confirming you have adequate funds to cover the cost of the program and living expenses of at least $250/week.
- Visas: Photocopies of all previous visas granted to you.
- Official Transcript (in English): Your transcript must be official and in English (all other details from the above section apply).
Additionally, you have the option to submit:
- TOEFL: If English is not your first language, a copy of your TOEFL or other English language proficiency score is optional. TWC will also conduct a pre-acceptance interview to assess your English language skills.
FAQs
Do students often receive job offers at their internship sites?
TWC students frequently make use of the relationships that they developed during their semester or summer in D.C. to enhance their career prospects, and many are offered positions directly. We definitely encourage networking while you are here!
How does the internship placement process work?
Shortly after you are accepted, you’ll take part in a session with your Program Advisor. Together, you will explore potential internship opportunities and discuss next steps in the internship placement process. Throughout the following weeks or months, you will submit your documents directly to internship opportunities that are of interest to you. Upon consideration from one of the employers, they will reach out to you and conduct an interview. You can expect to have one or several interviews, and once an offer is extended, you ultimately decide if you want to accept it or not.
Are TWC internships paid?
Around 70% of our internship partners offer some form of compensation, which can include stipends, hourly pay, or and/or transportation fare. Students are able to see what type of payment will be offered before they interview with the organization.
Can I find my own internship and still do TWC?
Yes. However, we recommend you speak with your internship advisor first. This is to ensure that your chosen internship site will provide you with meaningful work, that your supervisor will be willing to complete your evaluations, and that he or she is aware of our program components, key dates and other important details.
How competitive is the program? Will I be accepted?
As long as you are approved by your home institution (if you are an undergrad), meet basic eligibility requirements and submit a complete application, you should expect to be admitted to our program. That said, certain internship sites may be more competitive than others, and the summer is typically more competitive in general for internships in Washington, D.C.
How long until I find out that I’ve been accepted?
Upon submitting your online application, you will be contacted by one of our staff to inform you of what supporting documents we are waiting to receive from you. Once all of those documents have been received, your application enters review. From that point, you can expect to hear back from us within two weeks via email to inform you of whether or not you have been accepted into the program.
Policies
You can view TWC's Internship Policies here, which includes information on student conduct, billing, grades, and much more. All students will be expected to follow these policies so we encourage you to review them.