Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program – Fall 2025

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.

May include positions relating to federal contracting and acquisition, procurement, and business.

May include positions in communications, arts, humanities, graphic design, public policy, writing/editing, public affairs and social sciences.

May include positions in finance, human resources, management/administration, or similar fields.

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.

May include positions in the fields of science and health, engineering and math. This track is open to candidates from technical backgrounds.

To apply to the program, candidates must be:

• U.S. citizens at the time of application submission.
• For the Fall 2025 term, enrolled at an accredited educational institution in an undergraduate or graduate program. Undergraduates must be current second-year students/sophomores and above. Current first-year students are eligible to apply if they will be sophomores in Fall 2025.
• Students must be actively enrolled at their institution at the time of their internship. Recent graduates are not eligible for this opportunity.
• 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
• Students admitted to the program must successfully complete a background check before beginning the internship in September 2025.

For select placements available for students from the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, candidates must be:

• U.S. citizens at the time of application submission.
• For the Fall 2025 term, enrolled as an undergraduate senior or in a graduate program at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Current juniors are eligible to apply as they will be seniors in Fall 2025.
• Able to demonstrate superior academic achievement and have a 3.0 minimum GPA.
• 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
• Students admitted to the program must successfully complete a background check before beginning the internship in September 2025.

U.S. citizens currently enrolled at an accredited educational institution in an undergraduate or graduate program with a 2.5 GPA or above are eligible to apply. Undergraduates must be current second-year students/sophomores and above. Current first-year students are eligible to apply if they will be sophomores in Fall 2025.

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 May 2, 2025, by 11:59 pm ET.

Stipend amounts vary by agency, opportunity type and full-time/part-time status. Please refer to the Program Benefits section on each page to learn more.

In-person internship opportunities in the Washington, D.C., area and fully virtual internships are available. Future Leaders can participate fully remote; however, they must be in the United States throughout the duration of their internship. Future Leaders internships cannot be completed abroad.

Participating agencies for the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program vary by each term. Please refer to this website for any updates.

Applicants can select up to two preferred career tracks at the time of application. After the application closes, the Partnership will review all candidates for this program. 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. At that time, candidates will have the opportunity to rank from their choice of agencies participating in this program.

Not all program tracks will be offered among multiple federal agencies. Agencies will be announced throughout the coming months, and past partners include the Department of Agriculture, 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 and Small Business Administration.

Candidates must be U.S. citizens at the time of application submission, enrolled as an undergraduate senior or in a graduate program at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and have a 3.0 minimum GPA. Current juniors are eligible to apply as they will be seniors in Fall 2025.

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 May 2, 2025, by 11:59 pm ET.

For select placements available for students from the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, the stipend is $3,500 for part-time positions (20 hours/week).

In-person internship opportunities in the Washington, D.C., area and fully virtual internships are available. Future Leaders can participate fully remote; however, they must be in the United States throughout the duration of their internship. Future Leaders internships cannot be completed abroad.

Participating agencies for the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program vary by each term. Please refer to this website for any updates.

Applicants can select up to two preferred career tracks at the time of application. After the application closes, the Partnership will review all candidates for this program. 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. At that time, candidates will have the opportunity to rank from their choice of agencies participating in this program.

Not all program tracks will be offered among multiple federal agencies. Agencies will be announced throughout the coming months, and past partners include the Department of Agriculture, 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 and Small Business Administration.