The position advertised has been exempted from the federal civilian hiring freeze. The FBI Honors Internship Program is for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral college students and offers exposure to the world's premiere law enforcement and intelligence agency while also serving as a pipeline for entry-level positions after graduation. Intern positions available across our 55 Field Offices and Headquarters Divisions.
The position advertised has been exempted from the federal civilian hiring freeze. The FBI Honors Internship Program is for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral college students and offers exposure to the world's premiere law enforcement and intelligence agency while also serving as a pipeline for entry-level positions after graduation. Intern positions available across our 55 Field Offices and Headquarters Divisions.
Salary will be based on years of education per OPM.gov standards, and could be below or above the range given.
The FBI Honors Internship Program is a full-time, 10-week paid summer internship will occur from June 1, 2026 to August 7, 2026. While exploring the FBI's exciting career options, students will work side-by-side with FBI employees at one of our FBI offices nationwide. This internship offers students an unmatched opportunity to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. At the end of their summer, Honors Interns who receive a positive evaluation may continue in the program throughout the school year.
FBI interns come from a variety of backgrounds, and those hired as interns will be placed in assignments based on their location preferences, educational background, skill sets, and unique life experiences. The application cycle for the 2026 class will begin 14-months before the start of the internship in an effort to provide more time for applicant intake processing and our background investigation. Official conditional job offers are scheduled to be extended between July 10 - July 25, 2025; recipients of a conditional job offer will have (3) business days from receipt to accept or decline it.
You must be a student, attending an accredited college or university on a full-time basis within the United States as an undergraduate, graduate, or post-doctoral student. You are not eligible to participate in the program if you will graduate before the program start date June 1, 2026, unless you are continuing your education in the semester following your graduation.
Automatic Disqualifiers
You must meet ALL eligibility requirements posted on our Employment Eligibility page. During the polygraph, you will be asked questions related to these requirements. You will be automatically eliminated from the application process if you meet any of the following disqualifiers:
Please see "Requirements" section.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You cannot begin the internship until the background investigation has been completed and you are cleared for hire. A full-scope background investigation can take six months or longer to process, in which some parts of the process will require you to be physically present and located in the United States. Not being physically present and/or available, could delay your processing and start date of the internship. Your investigation timeline may vary depending on the complexity of your background, the number of places you have lived, overseas travel, and more.
To best manage the process, the FBI has deadlines for key milestones in the background investigation:
Those selected candidates that have not successfully completed their SF-86, interview, polygraph, and drug test by October 2, 2025, may be discontinued from the process.
Those selected candidates whose investigative phase of their background is not completed by March 2, 2026, may be discontinued.
Along with a completed application, you must submit the following additional documentation: Resume (Federal format preferred), Unofficial Transcript and the 2026 Program Terms Acknowledgement Form. To confirm your current student status and graduation date an Enrollment Verification Certificate is optional but highly recommended. You must provide all required documents before the application closes on May 2, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET to be considered for the Honors Internship Program. If you are missing any of the required documents, your application may be discontinued.
To apply for the Honors Internship Program - Summer 2026 position, please click here.
If you are selected for the program, you will have to go to the FBI Field Office closest to your address for the interview, polygraph, and drug test. To determine which field office you will visit, you must list an address within the United Stateswhere you will be for the majority of time from July 28, 2025 to October 2, 2025. Be sure that you enter the correct address so you can be assigned to the appropriate field office.
If you are selected for this internship and your student status changes (e.g., you graduate early with no follow-on plans for education), then you must notify us before the start of the internship as you will no longer be eligible to participate as an intern.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
