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The internship with FBI offers various entry-level positions in a wide range of disciplines to students of all backgrounds. These unique opportunities provide students from all walks of life, a head start on a career you may have never expected.
Discover an insider’s perspective on FBI operations while gaining unparalleled experience with our Honors Internship and Visiting Scientist Programs. You can also begin a career directly after graduation with our Collegiate Hiring Initiative.
To learn more about these opportunities, explore the complete FAQs about the internship with FBI below.
1. Does the FBI offer internships?
Yes, it does.
The FBI offers internships and entry-level positions in a wide range of disciplines to students of all backgrounds. Its 10-week paid internship for undergraduate and graduate students offers a unique opportunity to learn and work alongside FBI employees while getting a head start on an exceptional career.
2. How much does the FBI pay interns?
The typical Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intern makes $16 per hour. The hourly pay of internship with FBI can range from $15-$19.
3. How many interns does the FBI hire?
The FBI selected about 700 new honors interns from a pool of 15,000 applicants. The interns will be assigned to work at FBI Headquarters, the Bureau’s research and laboratory facilities at Quantico, Virginia, and in each of the FBI’s 56 field offices around the country.
4. Does the FBI drug test interns?
To earn a spot in this highly competitive, paid 10-week program (more than 13,000 students applied for 1,200 positions this year) each applicant must pass a complete background investigation—which includes a polygraph examination and drug test—before receiving a top secret clearance and beginning a summer of in-depth experience and a close-up look at the FBI and its mission.
5. Can I still apply for an internship with FBI if I have taken illegal drugs in the past?
The FBI’s illegal drug policy is both clear and explicit. No exceptions will be made to the policy, and your answers are subject to verification by urinalysis and pre-employment polygraph examination(s).
6. How do you get an internship with FBI?
Visit fbijobs.gov to apply. An applicant must:
- Attend a college or university full time as an undergraduate (freshman, sophomore, junior or senior), graduate or post-doctoral student. Students are not eligible if they will graduate before the program start date; exceptions are permitted to students continuing their education in the semester immediately following.
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Have and maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or better at the time of application, throughout the application process and for the duration of the internship program.
- Pass all of the FBI employment background investigation requirements and be able to receive a Top Secret Clearance.
Additionally, a first-semester freshman or student attending a school that does not provide a GPA will need to meet alternate criteria. Instead of a 3.0 GPA or higher, the applicant must have maintained at least a 3.0 high school GPA and have scored a 1500 out of 2400 on the SAT (1000 out of 1600 on new SATs) or scored a 21 or higher on the ACT.
7. How does the FBI Internship Program selection process work?
There are four stages in the hiring process:
- Initial Selection and Interviews: The most competitive candidates will be invited for interviews.
- Final Selection and Conditional Offer: Selections are based upon academic achievements, area of study, life/work experiences, and the needs of the FBI. If you are selected, you will receive a conditional offer of employment by the FBI. This offer is contingent upon the successful completion and favorable adjudication of your full background investigation and the receipt of an FBI Top Secret security clearance.
- Background Investigation: Candidates who accept a conditional job offer will be sent an e-QIP application invite via email and will be scheduled for a Personnel Security Interview, pre-employment polygraph examination, urinalysis test and fingerprinting. FBI background investigators will contact former and current employers, references, social acquaintances and neighbors. They will also review your school, credit, arrest, medical and military records. The length of your background investigation depends on a number of different variables, including how quickly and thoroughly you complete and submit the e-QIP application; the extent of your foreign travel or time living abroad; and inconsistencies in the application and investigation process. Please see the Background Investigation portion of this site for more information on the FBI Background Investigation process.
- Enter on Duty: Upon issuance of a Top Secret security clearance, you will be contacted and scheduled for an enter-on-duty (EOD) date. The internship with FBI begins in the summer.
8. How long does it take to be hired as an intern?
The hiring process will depend on the length of the background investigation.
When conditional job offers are made and the candidates complete the necessary e-QIP application and preliminary processing, the FBI will begin the background investigation. Background investigation length can be affected by things like foreign travel, international friends or contacts, and other factors.
However, most entry-on-duties (EODs) will take place during the summer after applications are due.
9. What types of projects do interns work on?
Interns work on a variety of projects, including (but not limited to): analyzing crime data, development of portals to facilitate the exchange of information between law enforcement agencies and the FBI, supporting operations and aiding with divisions audits to ensure compliance with FBI regulations.
9. Does the FBI furnish housing for interns?
No.
The internship with FBI does not pay for or provide housing or travel expenses.
10. Can interns take any time off during the internship with FBI?
Yes.
Interns earn annual and sick leave while on a full-time schedule for 10 weeks during the summer only. As a guideline, interns may take “leave” approximately one day per month.
11. Will interns be offered a full-time position with the FBI at the conclusion of the internship program?
Interns are not guaranteed a job offer for a full-time position. However, interns who have graduated and receive recommendations for hire may be extended a job offer.
If the job offer is accepted, they are converted to a permanent position pending their completion of 16 hours per month of work at the field office during the rest of their academic tenure. This 16 hours ensures the student is able to maintain his or her security clearance according to OPM’s guidelines.
Final thoughts
Whether an internship is paid, for credit, unpaid or not-for-credit, it doesn’t change its value. Internships are investments in your future.
Internship opportunities help set the foundation for your career. Apply for an internship with FBI if you think it will give experience in a company you’d love to work for. As an intern, you’ll have the opportunity to get your foot in the door with a company if you do well. Employers often use internships as a recruitment tool to test out future employees and see if they work well with everyone else. The sweet part? In many cases, FBI hire interns after graduation.
If this field of expertise doesn’t excite you to take take a plunge into the challenge, perhaps you’ll want to check out these amazing opportunities of applying for an internship with Google.
