U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program

U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program - Summer 2025 and Summer 2026

Department of State

Department of State - Agency Wide

Summary

Established in 2014, the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program (USFSIP) is a merit- and needs-based opportunity that offers two paid summer internships to expose undergraduate students to U.S. diplomacy and career opportunities at the Department of State. The program is both professionally and academically beneficial as it provides writing training, diplomatic history, and hands-on experience in the daily operations of U.S. foreign policy.

Duties

Interns must commit to completing two consecutive summers. In the first summer (2025), participants come to Washington, D.C. for three weeks of orientation and training including: U.S. diplomatic history, Department writing, and professional development. In addition to the training, interns work for seven weeks on policy desks in regional or functional bureaus at the U.S. Department of State. The second summer (2026) is a ten-week assignment to a U.S. embassy or consulate overseas. In the intervening year, USFSIP interns must maintain at least a 3.2 GPA and take the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) to gain a better understanding of the Foreign Service assessment process.