Eiligibility:

Student must:

1. Be enrolled in an accredited college or university as a second semester sophomore or above at the start of the program.
2. Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75.
3. Receive academic credit for your participation in the program.
4. Receive the endorsement of your campus liaison, or a faculty sponsor if your institution is not affiliated. Please contact internship@cfgu.us if you do not know whether your institution has a campus liaison.

Application Process:

Interested students may download the pdf application or apply online. We encourage all prospective students to use the online application found on The Washington Center website, which will take you to a secure portal. However, the following schools do NOT permit its use: Albion College, Bridgewater State College, Clark University, Florida State University, Miami University, Montclair State University and Texas Christian University. Students attending these schools should use the paper application found above. Dickinson College students must consult their Global Ed Office before starting the online application. University of Toledo students must consult the campus liaison before starting the online application.

A completed application consists of several components including essays, letters of recommendation, transcripts and the endorsement of your liaison or campus sponsor.

Acceptance Process:

1. You will be notified via email that your application has been received. Feel free to contact us at internship@cfgu.us to see if all components have been received or to check on your status.
2. You will receive notification of acceptance within 4 weeks after all parts of the application have arrived. Please note that in most cases you will be notified sooner. First we will send you an email and then a hard copy letter will be mailed to your permanent address.

Placement Process:

1. Upon acceptance you will be assigned a program advisor who will serve as your Washington Center contact and who will assist you in the placement process.
2. Your program advisor will forward your application materials to potential placement sites. If the agency is interested, you will be contacted for a phone interview.
3. If the agency determines you would be an appropriate match for their organization based on their needs, and your interests and abilities, you will be offered the internship. You should discuss all offers with your program advisor.

The Internship Program:

The internship program consists of the following:

1. An orientation where you will meet your program advisor and other interns.
2. The internship: 4 or 4 ½ days per week.
3. Attendance at the Presidential Lecture Series and Congressional Speaker Series.
4. An academic course one evening per week (all interns, except those in the Postgraduate Professional Program are required to attend).
5. Embassy visits.
6. Small group meetings and other activities planned by your program advisor.
7. Service learning project.
8. Completion of a portfolio (detailed explanation of all required components will be provided by your program advisor during orientation).

Evaluation Process:

All interns receive three recommended grades which are sent to their campus liaison or sponsor:

1. Final Agency Evaluation
2. Final Program Advisor Evaluation
3. Final Course Evaluation