A look inside the FBI Honors Internship Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Every year, a select group of undergraduate and graduate students embark on an internship with the FBI. To earn a spot in this highly competitive, paid 10-week program (more than 13,000 students applied for 1,200 positions this year) each applicant must pass a complete background investigation – which includes a polygraph examination and drug test—before receiving a top secret clearance and beginning a summer of in-depth experience and a close-up look at the FBI and its mission.

Honors interns have diverse academic backgrounds – including public relations, legal studies, biology and computer science – and bring valuable skills to an agency with an equally diverse variety of positions, from accountants and engineers to helicopter pilots, psychologists and more.

One former intern, Brian, was offered a full-time position after his 2018 summer internship and now works for the FBI as an operational support technician in in the Philadelphia Field Office. Brian is one of more than 300 interns who were hired by the Bureau last year. “I knew that I wanted to work for an organization that helped people and the country, and I wanted do something meaningful,” he said.

The 2019 Honors Internship program ended Aug. 16 with a ceremony for the outgoing class. Students interested in the FBI’s 2020 summer internship program can apply at fbijobs.gov. The application period opened Aug. 16 and ends Sept. 15.

An applicant must be:

A U.S. citizen

Enrolled full time in an undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral program at an accredited U.S. college or university with a GPA of at least 3.0

Able to obtain a top secret security clearance

The following will disqualify any applicant:

A felony conviction

Drug use (See FBI Employment Drug Policy)

Default on a student loan insured by the U.S. government

Review the full list of eligibility requirements at https://fbijobs.gov/working-at-FBI/eligibility