Student
Opportunities
Want to get a head start on your career? The Intelligence Community offers opportunities for everyone, from high school students to postgraduate fellows. Get an inside look at what a job in intelligence is really like.
There’s no better way to serve your country while completing your education.
Jump-start your career in intelligence
Gain valuable hands-on experience and on-the-job training with an Intelligence Community internship, fellowship, scholarship, and more. (These programs are highly competitive and many require a background investigation.)
About Our
Opportunities
CO-OP
NSA and DIA offer cooperative education programs (co-ops) for current undergraduate and graduate students to gain work experience in combination with their academic studies. Participants in NSA’s program alternate semesters of full-time work with full-time study until graduation, while those in DIA’s program work full-time for four months during the academic year.
Available For:
Undergraduate Graduate StudentsFellowship
NSA, CIA, and others offer fellowships to students who meet specific requirements. The fellowship includes financial support and internship-like employment for approximately 12 weeks prior to graduation.
Available For:
Undergraduate Graduate StudentsInternship
Multiple IC elements, including CIA, NSA, ODNI, and FBI, offer paid and unpaid internships to undergraduate and graduate students and recent college graduates. Limited internships for high school students also exist. Interns generally work full-time during the summer; some have the option of working part-time during the academic year. Most are in-person but a few can be done virtually. Interns work on meaningful projects in a variety of disciplines, delivering real impact for their sponsoring agency. Some internships result in a security clearance, which is valid for a limited time period after the internship has ended.
Available For:
High School Students (limited) Undergraduate Students Graduate Students Recent College GraduatesScholarship
NSA, CIA, DIA, and others offer scholarships to qualified high school, undergraduate, and graduate students who meet specific criteria. Many scholarship programs are designed to attract minorities, women, and students with in-demand skills and majors to the IC. All scholarships include financial assistance while some also offer summer work opportunities and/or require a period of post-graduation employment at the sponsoring agency.
Available For:
High School Students (limited) Undergraduate Students Graduate StudentsHigh School Programs
CIA, DIA, FBI, NRO, and NSA offer programs for high school students including paid work-study and scholarship programs. Select FBI field offices run an annual Teen or Youth Leadership Academy, which gives juniors and seniors a peek into the inner workings of the FBI. Most of these programs require a minimum GPA and some are targeted to students with specialized interests or skills, such as students studying Chinese and Russian.
Available For:
High School StudentsMission
Truth
Lawfulness
Integrity
Stewardship
Excellence
Diversity
Mission
Truth
Lawfulness
Integrity
Stewardship
Excellence
Diversity
Organizations With Student Opportunities
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Defense Intelligence Agency
- National Reconnaissance Office
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
- National Security Agency
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence & Analysis
- Department of State Bureau of Intelligence & Research
- Drug Enforcement Administration Intelligence Program
Workforce diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are mission-critical imperatives for the IC, and the unique contributions of all employees are vital to the IC’s success.
Stephanie la Rue
Chief, IC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Ensuring that we have an IC workforce made up of people who think differently, see problems differently, and overcome challenges differently, is a prerequisite to our success.
Avril Haines
Director of National Intelligence
There are so many opportunities within the intelligence community. If you are a person who is inspired by serving your country, this is one way to do that.
Stacey Dixon
Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
Stay up to date on our student opportunities and events.
intelligencecareers.gov