The Director’s Internship is a signature program of the IOP. Since 1995, the IOP has partnered with high-profile organizations and elected officials around the world to provide substantive, career-oriented summer internships for undergraduate students interested in politics, government, and public service. These are fully-funded internships that allow students to gain experience in the public sector that may otherwise be difficult to obtain or finance. Students have reported these internships as leading to careers, larger networks, and significant development of professional skills. 

APPLY HERE BY FEBRUARY 7 • GENERAL INFORMATION • INFO SESSIONS • FAQs 

DEADLINE: Students may apply to a maximum of TWO Director’s Internship positions before the February 7th deadline.

FORMAT: In light of the ongoing public health crisis, the IOP is arranging internships that are able to be conducted remotely. At this point, we assume all summer 2021 internships will be conducted remotely.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: After the IOP application closes on Sunday, February 7 at 11:59pm ET, some host organizations may request that finalists submit a letter of recommendation, writing sample, or other materials directly to their office. Please review the internship descriptions (below) for the positions to which you are applying to confirm whether additional application materials are required of you AFTER the application deadline. NOTE: You DO NOT need to submit these additional application materials to the IOP application on CARAT.