Most U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program opportunities are offered at the bureau level. Students can work in one of the many offices which make up the respective geographic or functional bureaus. There are also opportunities offered at U.S. embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions abroad. Also, a small number of bureaus offer internship opportunities in cities throughout the United States: the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Management Bureau and the U.S. Mission to the United States in New York.

• Geographic Bureaus: Oversee policies for a given region of the world. Geographic bureaus include African Affairs (AF), East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP), European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR), Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA), and Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA).
• Functional Bureaus: Focus on specific issues and are responsible for policy areas which affect all regions and countries. These bureaus include the Bureau of Democracy,
  Human Rights and Labor (DRL), International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), International Organization Affairs (IO), Political-Military Affairs (PM), and Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES). Other functional bureaus have responsibility for different critical operations and aspects of the administration of the Department of State, including Administration (A), Consular Affairs (CA), Diplomatic Security (DS), Legislative Affairs (H), Global Talent Management (GTM), and Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO).

Find out which offices are the best fit for your major. Regardless of your major there’s an opportunity for you.

To be eligible for the U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Have a minimum 3.0 GPA
• If your school does not issue Grade Point Averages (GPAs), please work with your registrar office to understand the markings associated with each course on your transcript to use the GPA Calculation Table. Note, a GPA must be entered for your application to be complete and for you to be considered for an internship with the Department.
  

  Grade	A+	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F
  4.0 Scale	4.0	4.0	3.7	3.3	3.0	2.7	2.3	2.0	1.7	1.3	1.0	0.7	0.0
  4.0+ Scale	4.3	4.0	3.7	3.3	3.0	2.7	2.3	2.0	1.7	1.3	1.0	0.7	0.0

• Be able to receive either a Public Trust, Secret or Top Secret clearance
• Be a Undergraduate (juniors and seniors) or Graduate Student
  • A student is an individual who is enrolled in a degree-seeking program in an accredited college or university
  • An applicant is considered a junior if he/she will have completed all sophomore credits (60 or more semester hours or 90 quarter hours) by the time the internship begins and will be entering at least the junior year immediately following completion of the internship
  • An individual is still considered a student if he/she has been out of school, between semesters or school years, for not more than five (5) months and have plans to return to school within five (5) months or less
  • An individual enrolled in school and receiving credit toward their degree for participating in the Student Internship Program is also considered a student
  • Students must be returning to school immediately following the internship in order to qualify for the program. In addition, students must attach an official or unofficial transcript to their application confirming they are a current student.
  • You are eligible to apply for this program if you have not yet completed your registration at a college or university for graduate or post-graduate studies (including law school) or are awaiting an admissions determination for graduate or post-graduate studies (including law school). However, if selected for an internship, you must provide proof that you have registered, or have been accepted for enrollment for studies in the semester or quarter immediately following the internship before you can begin your internship.

Furthermore, you may be required to undergo random drug testing.

The U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program is an unpaid internship with the opportunity to work in U.S. Embassies and field offices throughout the world, as well as in various bureaus located in Washington, D.C. This program is designed to provide substantive experiences in a foreign affairs environment.

• Unpaid interns will not receive compensation for their internship. Interns are responsible for travel to and from their assignments.
• Unpaid interns may be able to earn college credit but should coordinate this with their institutions.
• Unpaid interns assigned to the U.S. qualify for SmartBenefits Metro Transit Subsidy.

Those interested in applying for the U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program must begin by visiting the Student Programs section under the Intern tab of careers.state.gov, clicking the “U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program” and continuing through the “Gateway to State.” The “Gateway to State” button will only be available when an application is open and active. Applicants can also go directly to USAJOBS*, and search for the U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program.

Application Structure

There are five (5) sections, including a Statement of Interest:

1. Eligibility
2. Series Grade Questions
3. All Grade Questions
4. Documents
5. Application Review

Note: Some eligibility questions are exclusionary. Applicants will only be notified after the closing of the announcement if their application is disqualified based upon responses to these questions. Please carefully read the program eligibility requirements before applying. No applicant will be able to make changes to their application once the announcement has closed.

Application Navigation

An applicant is in the actual online application when they see “The U.S. Department of State” and “Diplomacy in Action” at the top of the screen.
New USAJOBS users must create a USAJOBS account, and build a resume using the USAJOBS Resume Builder. Applicants must create (not upload) a USAJOBS resume in order to move forward to the actual application. Once a profile has been created and a resume built, they can click the “Apply Online” button on the right-hand side of the vacancy announcement. After this, applicants will be taken to another screen to identify and highlight their resume to certify that the information submitted is true and made in good faith. Applicants must then click on “Apply for this position now!”

Application Completion

• Select up to two (2) bureaus or posts abroad
• Specify a country or countries
• Include a well-written Statement of Interest
• Provide all required documents

Bureau Selection: Applicants must select up to two (2) bureaus or posts abroad to which they would like to be considered. An applicant will only be considered by the bureaus or posts specified in the application.

Country Selection: Select the geographic bureau with responsibility for the country in which you are interested in working. For example, if you are interested in interning at the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, first select the Bureau of African Affairs (AF). Later in the application, you will be prompted to choose the country in which the Embassy or Consulate is located. Applicants are considered only for the country/countries they select. Some countries host multiple diplomatic facilities, including embassies, consulates general, and missions to international organizations. In such cases, an application may be reviewed by multiple posts within a given country; however, this is not a guarantee. Each geographic bureau and overseas post determines how best to review applications and make their selections.

If a country is not listed in the application, it is not accepting students for that season.

Statement of Interest: Applications include space for a short Statement of Interest (maximum 2,500 characters, spaces included). Applicants should:

• Ensure that their statements are well written and free of spelling and grammatical errors
• Include any academic or personal areas of interest, foreign languages, or other skill sets that make them particularly useful to a given bureau, office, or overseas post
• Consider including information about any specific disadvantages they may have overcome, or personal experience that makes them unique

Required Documents: Applicants must provide proof of student status in the form of an official or unofficial transcript. The transcripts must be attached to the submitted application. If using official transcripts, applicants must attach them to their application per the instructions provided in the application. The application offers candidates two methods to attach their transcript to their application: by fax or by upload. If the transcript is not successfully attached to the application, the application will be rated ineligible.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload their transcript to their application. Technical difficulties tend to arise through the faxing process that lead to applications being received as incomplete after the closing of the announcement.

Application Reminder

Once applicants have started an application, they can access and edit that application at any time up to the closing of the vacancy announcement. Applicants must complete all sections of the application, attach the most recent transcript, and submit their application in order to be considered for the U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program.

There are several steps in the selection process; students should understand the following:

• Step 1: The Student Internship Program team receives the full application package of those eligible and then forwards to the bureaus/posts for review.
• Step 2: Individual bureaus/posts make their selections and then submit the request to the Student Internship Program team. Bureaus/posts can contact students directly or only review their application to make a determination. They also may contact students via email/phone.
  
  ***All offers, made via phone or e-mail, directly from the bureaus/posts are considered tentative until confirmed by an official offer notification from the Student Internship Program team.
• Step 3: The Student Internship Program team reviews and clarifies the bureau/post selections and coordinates the official notification to students selected
• Step 4: The Student Internship Program team sends both primary and alternate selectees conditional offer letters, providing the specific selecting bureau/post and a bureau point of contact. If applicant is selected as a primary candidate by more than one bureau or post, the Student Programs Office will confirm with the applicant his or her preference.

  ***Primary selectees are the bureau/post selected first choice. An alternate is chosen to replace a primary selectee in the event that a primary declines the offer or does not receive his/her security clearance.

• Step 5: Selectees are initiated in the security clearance process. Once the security clearance application has been completed, selectees must send a request to the Student Intern Program team to release the application to the Diplomatic Security team.

Students tentatively selected for the internship program must undergo a background investigation and receive either a Public Trust, Secret or Top Secret security clearance. The clearance process can take up to 150 days to complete from the time the forms are received by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS). Investigations may take substantially longer if students have had extensive travel, education, residence and/or employment overseas. Also, this process could be extended if they have dual citizenship, foreign contacts, immediate family or relatives who are not citizens of the United States and/or a foreign born spouse or if there is a security, suitability, or medical issue to resolve.

These issues could include a current or past history of drugs or alcohol abuse, as well as a recent history of credit problems. Further information regarding issues of dual citizenship and foreign influence is available at careers.state.gov. Although these problems will not necessarily preclude students from receiving a security clearance, they will lengthen the time required to complete the clearance process. The appropriate security forms needed to complete the application for security clearance will be included with your notification of acceptance. When you receive information to proceed with your security clearance application, please complete, sign, and return all materials by the date indicated. DS may be unable to process the security clearance if the student fails to meet the deadline.

Learn more about the security clearance process.

U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program participants serving at posts outside of the United States are responsible for obtaining a U.S. passport with validity at least six (6) months beyond their proposed stay and a travel visa as required by the country. They are also responsible for purchasing overseas medical insurance that will cover repatriation of remains and medical evacuation overseas.