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Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program Application

*IMPORTANT* All Future Leaders applications must be submitted by December 5, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET. The application form will close at 11:59 pm ET and will time out if still open.  Due to the expected high volume of last minute applications on December 5, we highly recommend submitting your application at least one hour prior to the application close time. The high volume often blocks application submission even if all fields are completed correctly, so please plan accordingly.
Eligibility

U.S citizenship is a requirement for this program due to the limited number of federal government positions open to non-U.S. citizens. 
Contact Information






Permanent Address






University Partner Schools and Programs
The Partnership for Public Service has official university partners for the Summer 2026 Future Leaders program. If you do not attend any of the universities below, please select "I do not attend any of the schools and/or programs listed above" and proceed to the next section to enter your university name.

For Atlanta University Center Consortium, Inc. - Center for Excellence in Public/Government Service Applicants
In order to qualify for the Atlanta University Center Consortium and CFE’s partnership for the Future Leaders program, applicants should: 
  1. Attend one of these affiliated colleges or universities (required)
    • Alabama A&M University, Albany State University, Bennett College, Clark Atlanta University, Fisk University, Fort Valley State University, Hampton University, Jackson State University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, North Carolina Central University, Philander Smith University, Prairie View A&M University, Shaw University, Southern University and A&M College, Spelman College, Tennessee State University, Tougaloo College, Tuskegee University, University of the Virgin Islands
  2. Have completed OR plan to apply to the Summer 2026 Center for Excellence A.T.I. Summer Leadership Training (recommended but not required).
For Rutgers University Applicants
Rutgers University students must submit their application for the Future Leaders program in conjunction with an application to a stipend-funded program at Rutgers, such as Rutgers Scarlet Service in Washington, DC and/or those administered by the Eagleton Institute of Politics, to be considered for Future Leaders through our existing partnership.


Any Rutgers student who is not applying in conjunction with an established stipend-funded program should select I do not attend any of the schools and/or programs listed above and enter Rutgers manually.

For Denison University Applicants
Any applicants from Denison University cannot have a graduation date of May 2026 or earlier to be considered for Future Leaders through our existing partnership. Eligible applicants must have at least one semester left to complete following a Summer 2026 internship.  
For Gettysburg College Applicants
Any applicants from the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College must also be accepted to the Washington Summer Fellowship program to be considered for Future Leaders through our existing partnership. The Washington Summer Fellowship application will be open from October 19 - November 2.

All Washington Summer Fellowship applicants must also have at least one semester remaining at Gettysburg College after their Summer 2026 internship.

Any Gettysburg College student who is not applying in conjunction with the Washington Summer Fellowship program select I do not attend any of the schools and/or programs listed above and enter Gettysburg College manually.
For University of Chicago Applicants
Any applicants from the University of Chicago must be undergraduates to be considered for Future Leaders through our existing partnership. If you are a graduate student, please select I do not attend any of the schools and/or programs listed above and enter University of Chicago manually.
For Penn State Applicants

Any applicants from Penn State must be undergraduates with a minimum of one major in the College of the Liberal Arts to be considered for Future Leaders through our existing partnership. 


If you are a graduate student or do not have a major within the College of Liberal Arts, please select I do not attend any of the schools and/or programs listed above and enter Penn State manually.

For University of Richmond Applicants
Any applicants from the University of Richmond must be undergraduates who qualify for UR Summer Fellowships to be considered for Future Leaders through our existing partnership.

If you are a graduate student, please select I do not attend any of the schools and/or programs listed above and enter University of Richmond manually.
For University of Cincinnati Applicants
Any applicants from the University of Cincinnati must be undergraduates to be considered for Future Leaders through our existing partnership. If you are a graduate student, please select I do not attend any of the schools and/or programs listed above and enter University of Cincinnati manually.
For St. Olaf Applicants

All St. Olaf students are eligible under this partnership.


Current or past students in the Public Affairs Conversation Program (PACON) are especially invited to apply to the Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program.  While all students are encouraged to apply, a slight preference will be given to past or current PACON students.

For Wellesley College Applicants

Only current sophomores and juniors from Wellesley College are eligible to apply. Students funded for this program are subject to College internship requirements and policies. 


If you are a freshman or senior at Wellesley, please select I do not attend any of the schools and/or programs listed above and enter Wellesley College manually.

For University of Pennsylvania - Fels Institute of Government Applicants

Only full-time Master of Public Administration (MPA) students at the Fels Institute of Government who have not yet received the Public Leadership and Service Stipend (PLAS) are eligible under this partnership.


Education

Please type the full name of the institution, i.e. University of Virginia not UVA. If you can't find your college on the list, please type and select Not Listed.

Note: if the above dropdown does not populate, and you are using a browser other than Chrome, please try switching to Chrome.







Note - applicants who will graduate in March 2026 or who have graduated earlier than this date are ineligible for this program.

Note- Earning academic credit does not affect the stipend participants of Future Leaders receive.

Program Tracks
The Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program is seeking candidates with various backgrounds to fill potential positions across the participating federal agencies. Therefore, we created different tracks to align with opportunities based on candidate backgrounds. Please choose up to two tracks that you are interested in that match with your area of study. Example backgrounds are listed below for your reference.
Program Track Example Backgrounds
 
  • Data Science: 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.    
  • Government Contracting and Acquisition: May include positions relating to federal contracting and acquisition, procurement, and business.
  • Liberal Arts: May include positions in communications, arts, humanities, graphic design, public policy, writing/editing, communications, public affairs and social sciences. 
  • Public Administration: May include positions in finance, human resources, management/administration, or similar fields. 
  • Public Interest Technology & AI: 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.    
  • Science, Mathematics and Engineering: May include positions in the fields of science and health, engineering and math. This track is open to candidates from technical backgrounds. 


Opportunity and Location Preferences
For Eisenhower Institute and Rutgers University Applicants
We highly recommend any applicants from the Eisenhower Institute - Gettysburg College and Rutgers University (Rutgers Scarlet Service in Washington, DC) select Washington, DC opportunities and locations indicated below to comply with the requirements of the Washington Summer Fellowship (Gettysburg) and RSS-DC (Rutgers) programs.

Note - Rutgers applicants may also indicate an interest in State of Maryland opportunities if desired.




Previous Participation




Resume, Transcript and Reference Letter
In order to complete your application, you must include:

  • Your current resume
  • Your latest unofficial transcripts. Please be sure to have the most up-to-date version showing enrollment for Fall 2025 in PDF format.
  • Optional reference letter.

Note: A reference letter from a mentor, professor or work supervisor is optional but highly encouraged. Optional reference letters may be uploaded directly to your application below or emailed to internships@ourpublicservice.org with the applicant's name referenced in the subject line by December 5, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET. Reference letters will not be accepted following this deadline.

File should be a PDF

File should be a PDF

File should be a PDF
Short Essay Questions
In this section, we ask you to complete five questions in order to get a better sense of your candidacy and assess your professionalism and interest in this program. Please be thoughtful with your answers and provide specific examples that focus on professional, volunteer or academic experience when necessary.  






Acknowledgement



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