Careers & Internships

 

Student Opportunities

Are you looking for an exciting and challenging internship or cooperative education experience? Consider employment with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an undergraduate or graduate student.

Learn more about and apply for specific internship and co-op positions by visiting the High School, Undergraduate and Graduate Student pages.

Undergraduate Co-Op Program

  • For students in engineering, computer science, mathematics, economics, physical sciences, foreign languages, area studies, business administration, accounting, international relations, finance, logistics, human resources, geography, national security studies, military and foreign affairs, political science or graphic design
  • Will work on an alternating semester or quarterly basis
  • Expect to spend 3+ semesters or 4 quarters on the job
  • Targets student currently enrolled in schools with co-operative programs
  • View and apply for undergraduate co-op opportunities

Undergraduate Internship Program

  • For students majoring in engineering, computer science, mathematics, economics, physical sciences, foreign languages, area studies, business administration, accounting, international relations, finance, logistics, human resources, geography, national security studies, military and foreign affairs, political science or graphic design
  • Required to work up to two 60 - 90 day internships prior to graduation
  • View and apply for undergraduate internship opportunities

Undergraduate Scholarship Program

  • For high school seniors enrolling in an accredited college or university, or college freshmen or sophomores enrolled in an accredited college or university
  • Financial need as demonstrated by the household income ceiling up to $70,000 for a family of four, and $80,000 for a family of five or more
  • Annual salary, federal benefits package, and up to $18,000 per calendar year for tuition, fees, books and supplies
  • Paid transportation between school and the Washington, DC area each summer, plus housing allowance
  • Must agree to continue employment with the CIA after college graduation equal to 1.5 times the length of sponsorship
  • View and apply for the Undergraduate Scholarship Program

Graduate Scholarship Program

  • For students that are entering graduate school, current graduate students, or doctoral students
  • Financial need as demonstrated by the household income ceiling up to $70,000 for a family of four, and $80,000 for a family of five or more
  • Annual salary, federal benefits package, and up to $18,000 per calendar year for tuition, fees, books and supplies
  • Paid transportation between school and the Washington, DC area each summer, plus housing allowance
  • Must agree to continue employment with the CIA after college graduation equal to 1.5 times the length of sponsorship
  • View and apply for the Graduate Scholarship Program

Graduate Studies Program

  • For graduate students who focus primarily on international affairs, languages, economics, geography, cartography, physical sciences and engineering; other majors may be accepted
  • Should be entering their first or second year of graduate studies in an accredited college or university
  • Active participation in projects with potential to have work disseminated throughout the Intelligence Community
  • View and apply for graduate student opportunities

General Requirements

  • US citizenship
  • 3.0 GPA or better on a 4.0 scale
  • Foreign language skills and previous international residency are pluses
  • Medical/polygraph examinations and background investigation required
  • Assignments are ONLY in the Washington, DC metro area
  • Because of safety concerns for the prospective applicant, as well as security and communication issues, the CIA Recruitment Center does not accept applications, nor can we return phone calls, e-mails or other forms of communication, from US citizens living outside of the US.

Deadlines

We encourage you to discuss CIA opportunities with your on-campus career advisor or internship/co-op program coordinator and to check your school's schedule for recruiting events. To apply for participation in a student program, excluding the undergraduate scholarship program, you must be at least a college sophomore.

  • Applications for summer 2014 employment will be accepted until October 15, 2013. Applications for winter, spring, and fall employment should be sent 12 months before the desired start date.
  • National Clandestine Service Internship: The application period for Summer 2014 employment is closed. Please check back in early 2014 for the Summer 2015 application period.

Benefits

  • Paid Internships/Co-Op Opportunities
  • Paid Transportation Costs (School to the Washington, DC area)
  • Annual Leave
  • Sick Leave
  • Assistance With Housing Search
  • Security Clearance
  • Federal Holidays
  • Potential Tuition Assistance
  • Health Insurance

Drug Use

  • To be considered suitable for Agency employment, applicants must generally not have used illegal drugs within the last 12 months
  • Drug use is one of the common reasons applicants are denied a security clearance
  • You cannot work for the CIA without a security clearance

Illegal Downloading

  • Illegal downloading, use, distribution or sale of songs, games, software and other electronic files will be carefully evaluated during security processing
  • Applicants are reminded that the theft of copyrighted material may disqualify them from Agency employment

Living in the Washington, DC area

  • Explore the US Census Bureau's American FactFinder pages: http://factfinder2.census.gov
    /main.html     to find demographic and cost of living information about specific communities in the Washington, DC metropolitan area

Note: For any external links, please read our External Link Disclaimer


Posted: May 05, 2007 12:39 PM
Last Updated: Jul 18, 2013 12:03 PM