Deadlines & Dates

What are the Early Deadline Range and Competitive and
Regular Deadlines?

Early Deadline Range

The Washington Center encourages you to apply early, as some agencies—especially federal agencies that need to issue security clearances for interns upon their acceptance of an offer—have early internal deadlines. Others may require students to complete additional application materials. To be considered for the widest selection of internships, you should apply toward the beginning of the early deadline range.

Please visit here to view the dates by which complete applications should be submitted to The Washington Center for specific placements. These include (but are not limited to) the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State, The White House and U.S. Congressional Offices (summer term only). Many agencies listed need to issue security clearances for students who accept an offer.

Note: The Washington Center does not conduct security clearances.  U.S. citizenship is required for federal agencies conducting security clearances. Some have higher GPA requirements than The Washington Center, only give positions to enrolled students (postgraduates not going directly to further study are not eligible), or select only those who have reached a certain year in college (for example, sophomores do not qualify in some cases).

Competitive and Regular Deadlines

The Washington Center invites applications up to our published “Regular Deadline” and sometimes is able to accommodate students applying after this date has passed on a space-available basis. However, we recommend applying by the “Competitive Deadline” to receive priority consideration for a subset of private scholarships. While you can still be awarded financial assistance if you apply after the “Competitive Deadline,” submitting your materials earlier puts you at an advantage. Also, you will position yourself well for internships, as your application materials will be in the hands of a program advisor and ready for referral before the majority of sites begin reviewing candidates.

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