The Washington Center - Academic Internship Program (fall 2024)

Transform your major into an exciting career while living, working and learning with a Washington, D.C. internship. A professional experience and a great place to live are just the beginning. We'll help you land an internship that fits you and your goals, not just an open slot.

To be eligible to participate in this program, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be enrolled as an undergraduate student at an accredited college or university.*
• Be a sophomore or above while participating in the program and have completed at least two semesters on campus by the start of our program.
• Maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.
• Receive academic credit from your college or university for your participation in the program (TWC does not grant credit).
• Have approval from your campus liaison (or a faculty sponsor if there is no TWC liaison on your campus).

Your home institution may have additional eligibility requirements. Please contact your campus liaison before starting an application to TWC. If you need help identifying your campus liaison email info@twc.edu.

* TWC also considers recent college graduates and students in master’s level programs on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us at info@twc.edu to learn more.

Non-US Students

The Washington Center is a designated J-1 Visa sponsor by the U.S. State Department and sponsors a J-1 Visa for international students attending or recently graduated from a university in a foreign country. Once you’re accepted into The Washington Center’s program, you’ll be given details for how to secure your J-1 Visa. Special provisions may be available for Canadian citizens.

International students enrolled in U.S. universities with a valid F-1 visa can participate in TWC’s programs with their current visa as long as they remain enrolled in the university and their visa is valid until the last day of The Washington Center’s program or beyond. Please contact your home institution for further information.

J-1 Visa Requirements

In order to obtain a J-1 Visa, you must be accepted into one of our programs and:

• Be enrolled in a foreign degree- or certificate-granting university outside the United States OR have graduated from such an institution no more than 12 months prior to the program start date. Alternatively, you may have a degree or professional certificate from a foreign university and at least one year of work experience in your field.
• Know English well enough to perform successfully in the program.
• Plan to leave the United States within 30 days after completion of the program.

Once you have been accepted into our program and placed at an internship site, The Washington Center will send you the DS-2019 and DS-7002 forms along with other important materials.

Health Insurance

All J-1 Visa participants must certify that they have a valid health insurance policy for the entire duration of the program to comply with State Department requirements. You will need to bring proof of insurance with you when you come to the United States to provide to The Washington Center.

Your policy must include:

• Medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness.
• Repatriation of remains in the amount of $25,000.
• Expenses associated with the medical evacuation to your home country in the amount of $50,000.
• A deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness.

An insurance policy secured to meet the benefits requirements must be underwritten by an insurance corporation with an A.M. Best rating of "A-" or above, an Insurance Solvency International, Ltd. (ISI) rating of "A-I" or above, a Standard and Poor's Claims Paying Ability rating of "A-" or above, or a Weiss Research, Inc. rating of B+ or above. Alternatively, the policy may be backed by the full faith and credit of the government of the exchange visitor's home country.

Program Cost

The Washington Center is affiliated with more than 400 colleges and universities in the U.S. Your final cost will depend on how the program works at your college or university. 

Our fees could be offset by financial assistance or through arrangements with your school. You may find that a semester or summer with TWC is comparable in cost to what you’d pay for the same term on campus. 

Financial Assistance

If you need financial assistance to make your semester or summer in Washington, D.C. possible, we offer a number of scholarships supported by generous funding from our partners.

You may be eligible to receive funding available for campus leaders, students from diverse backgrounds, members of honors societies and programs, students with disabilities, and more. Current scholarships are listed below:

• State Scholarships
• Private Scholarships 

If you have questions or would like to find out more about how TWC will work for you, contact us at info@twc.edu.