Our nation’s current and future challenges make it imperative that government identify, recruit and retain the next generation of public servants.
The Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program is an exciting, paid opportunity for students of all majors to gain professional experience in federal and state government. Since 2022, the program places highly skilled talent from across the country into government and offers students the opportunity to apply their educational training to work in a government agency.
Explore the available opportunities and program timeline for Summer 2026 below. Candidates may only apply to one opportunity per application cycle.
Summer 2026 Application Now Open
Applications are now open for the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Summer 2026 cohort.
Application Deadline: Friday, December 5, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET
Future Leaders University Partnerships and Summer 2026 Program Tracks
Beginning in Summer 2026, the Partnership for Public Service has created official partnerships for the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program with the following universities and programs:
In order to qualify for the Atlanta University Center Consortium and CFE’s partnership for the Future Leaders program, applicants should:
Have completed OR plan to apply to the Summer 2026 Center for Excellence A.T.I. Summer Leadership Training (recommended but not required)
AND
Attend one of the following schools:
- Alabama A&M University
- Albany State University
- Bennett College
- Clark Atlanta University
- Fisk University
- Fort Valley State University
- Hampton University
- Jackson State University
- Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine
- North Carolina Central University
- Philander Smith University
- Prairie View A&M University
- Shaw University
- Southern University and A&M College
- Spelman College
- Tennessee State University
- Tougaloo College
- Tuskegee University
- University of the Virgin Islands
All Binghamton students are eligible under this partnership.
All Denison students with at least one semester remaining after Summer 2026 are eligible under this partnership.
Recent graduates (May/June 2026) are not eligible under this partnership.
Only Eisenhower Institute students accepted to the Washington Summer Fellowship program are eligible under this partnership.
Applicants must have at least one semester remaining at Gettysburg College following Summer 2026.
Only undergraduate students from Penn State with a minimum of one major in the College of the Liberal Arts are eligible under this partnership.
Rutgers University students must submit their application for the Future Leaders program in conjunction with an application to a stipend-funded program at Rutgers, such as Rutgers Scarlet Service in Washington, DC and/or those administered by the Eagleton Institute of Politics, to be considered for Future Leaders through our existing partnership.
All St. Olaf students are eligible under this partnership.
Current or past students in the Public Affairs Conversation Program (PACON) are especially invited to apply to the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program. While all students are encouraged to apply, a slight preference will be given to past or current PACON students.
Only undergraduate students from the University of Chicago are eligible under this partnership.
All University of Cincinnati undergraduate students with at least a 2.5 GPA are eligible under this partnership.
Only full-time Master of Public Administration (MPA) students at the Fels Institute of Government who have not yet received the Public Leadership and Service Stipend (PLAS) are eligible under this partnership.
This opportunity is open only to University of Richmond undergraduate students who qualify for UR Summer Fellowships.
Only current sophomores and juniors from Wellesley College are eligible to apply. Students funded for this program are subject to College internship requirements and policies.
University partners will provide funding directly to students placed with the Future Leaders program in Summer 2026.
Through these partnerships, students who attend these universities will be considered for government internships within the three program tracks listed below. Students from all majors are welcome to apply for these opportunities.
Data Science
Interested in using your data science skills for the public good? Agencies across the federal government need data scientists, and several previous Future Leaders internships focused on data science. This track is open to candidates from technical backgrounds, including: computer science; engineering; statistics; mathematics; economics; data analytics; data science; information technology; business, finance; biostatistics; data analytics in artificial intelligence or machine learning; and physics.
Public Administration
May include positions in finance, human resources, management/administration, or similar fields.
Public Interest Technology & AI
Public Interest Technology & AI positions may include a focus on operations technology-focused policy, federal AI policy, design, writing/editing, program management, data analysis, entrepreneurship and stakeholder management. This track is open to candidates from both technical and social science backgrounds, but candidates must be interested in technology innovation and harnessing the full potential of technology and AI for public good.
General Applicants and Summer 2026 Program Tracks
Candidates who do not attend a university partner school or program are welcome to apply to the Future Leaders program.
Candidates will select their first and second choice career tracks (listed below) that align most closely with their interests and skills.
Data Science
Interested in using your data science skills for the public good? Agencies across the federal government need data scientists, and several previous Future Leaders internships focused on data science. This track is open to candidates from technical backgrounds, including: computer science; engineering; statistics; mathematics; economics; data analytics; data science; information technology; business, finance; biostatistics; data analytics in artificial intelligence or machine learning; and physics.
Government Contracting and Acquisition
May include positions relating to federal contracting and acquisition, procurement, and business.
Liberal Arts
May include positions in communications, arts, humanities, graphic design, public policy, writing/editing, public affairs and social sciences.
Public Administration
May include positions in finance, human resources, management/administration, or similar fields.
Public Interest Technology & AI
Public Interest Technology & AI positions may include a focus on operations technology-focused policy, federal AI policy, design, writing/editing, program management, data analysis, entrepreneurship and stakeholder management. This track is open to candidates from both technical and social science backgrounds, but candidates must be interested in technology innovation and harnessing the full potential of technology and AI for public good.
Science, Mathematics and Engineering
May include positions in the fields of science and health, engineering and math. This track is open to candidates from technical backgrounds.
Agency Partners
This list will be continually updated as the Future Leaders team confirms agency participation. You are encouraged to apply to this program as agencies are added. There are opportunities in all fields available to students of all academic backgrounds for placements with federal and state agency partners.
Past Agency Partners (2022-2025)
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Defense
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Transportation
- General Services Administration
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- National Science Foundation
- Small Business Administration
- State of Maryland
What happens after candidates submit their application?
After the Future Leaders application closes, the Partnership will review all candidates for this program. If candidates move to the next round, eligible candidates will receive communication from the Partnership seeking the candidate’s agency preferences for their internship placement depending on their program track selections. At that time, candidates will have the opportunity to rank from their choice of participating agencies in this program. Not all program tracks will be offered among multiple federal and state agencies. Agencies will be announced throughout the fall and winter.
Summer 2026 Timeline
- September 29, 2025: Applications for the summer 2026 cohort open.
- December 5, 2025: Application closes.
- January 31, 2026: Applicants are notified of eligibility status. Eligible applicants will receive instructions on next steps.
- February – mid-April, 2026: Virtual interviews conducted.
- February – May 2026: Background check process begins.
- May 2026: Virtual Orientation.
- May 26 – June 15, 2026: Internship Begins.
- July 31 – September 4, 2026: Internship Ends.
- Internship end date is dependent on each student’s schedule and agreed upon with their supervisor.
Program Benefits
Selected participants will receive:
- A 10-12-week summer internship at a federal or state government agency.
- A stipend of at least $5,000 for full-time positions (a minimum of 32 hours/week) depending on agency placement.
- Professional development sessions, including orientation and networking events throughout the summer.
Program Eligibility
To apply to the program, candidates must be:
- U.S. citizens at the time of application submission.
- Currently enrolled at an accredited educational institution in an undergraduate or graduate program. Undergraduates must be current (rising) second-year students/sophomores and above during Summer 2026.
- Able to demonstrate superior academic achievement and have a GPA above 2.5.
- Interested in at least one of the following career tracks:
- Data Science
- Government Contracting and Acquisition
- Liberal Arts
- Public Administration
- Public Interest Technology & AI
- Science, Mathematics and Engineering
IMPORTANT: Please check the specific conditions outlined above for university partner eligibility requirements, as they may differ from the requirements above.
FAQs - Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program
U.S. citizens currently enrolled at an accredited educational institution in an undergraduate (rising 2nd years/sophomores and above) or graduate program with a 2.5 GPA or above are eligible to apply.
Students with an expected graduation date of May/June 2026 are also eligible to apply.
Yes, any students who attend a non-university partner school are able to apply for the Future Leaders program. All applicants will use the same application for Summer 2026.
There are two main differences between university partner and non-university partner applicants:
- University partners have allocated funding specifically for their students placed in the Future Leaders program for Summer 2026.
- The focus areas of the internship placements for university partner applicants will be public interest technology and AI, data science, and/or public administration.
University partner applicants will only be considered for internships focused on public interest technology and AI, data science, and/or public administration. These focus areas are open to students of all majors and do not require students to be pursuing careers exclusively in tech.
We highly recommend any applicants who attend a university partner apply for Future Leaders through the existing partnership.
Optional reference letters may be uploaded directly through the application portal or emailed to internships@ourpublicservice.org with the applicant’s name referenced in the subject line.
All reference letters must be emailed by December 5, 2025 by 11:59 pm EST.
Stipend amounts vary by agency and opportunity type. Please refer to the Program Benefits section to learn more.
Applicants may only apply to one of the Future Leaders program cohorts:
- Future Leaders Summer 2026
- Rosenthal Fellowship
If multiple applications are received from the same candidate, the Partnership will reach out to the candidate and ask that they select one cohort to be considered for.
In-person internship opportunities in the Washington, D.C., area, as well as other U.S. states are available. In-person opportunities outside of Washington, D.C. will be announced once confirmed.
Fully remote internship options for Future Leaders may be limited as more government internship opportunities are now offered in-person or hybrid only. Government agencies will ultimately decide if an internship opportunity can be offered on a fully remote basis.
All Future Leaders internships for Summer 2026 are offered as full-time opportunities only. Successful candidates should expect to work for 32-40 per week for the duration of the internship.
Participating agencies for the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program vary by each term and will be added to this website once they are confirmed. Please refer to this website for any updates.
Participating agencies will be confirmed between Fall 2025 and Winter 2026. If candidates move to the next round, some will receive communication from the Partnership seeking the candidate’s agency preferences for their internship placement depending on their program track selections.
Please note – not all program tracks will be offered among multiple government agencies.
The Partnership for Public Service does not provide housing for the Future Leaders program.
Staff
