Volunteer Student Interns

Our Volunteer Student Internship (VSI) Program allows current high school, undergraduate, and graduate students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions to intern for the federal government while completing their education. These internships allow individuals the opportunity to gain meaningful training and career development experience.

Volunteer Student Internships are our only unpaid internships at CISA—they are either done in exchange for academic credit or payment from a third-party (an organization outside of CISA).

CISA offers internships targeted towards business/mission and administrative support, cybersecurity and IT, and human resources. Our cyber interns work on databases, support efforts to automate the collection of forensics from Linux distributions, code, assist with evaluation and risk management, and develop and run scripts to analyze logs, among other duties. We also have legal interns, who assist CISA attorneys by providing written advice on the application of federal laws to the CISA and DHS programs and policies. Other assignments may include legal research and analysis, client engagement, and consultations as necessary.

Interns may also participate in conferences and meetings with representatives of other Executive Departments and agencies, industry representatives, and the public regarding matters of interest. Explore these opportunities!

Eligibility Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• Minimum age is 16
• Transcripts are required. Unofficial transcripts are accepted.
• Must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 throughout the internship
• Must be an enrolled student at both the time of application AND at the time the internship begins to meet eligibility requirements; must remain at least a part-time student throughout the internship (if you are not in classes in the summer, you can still intern in the summer)
• Ability to obtain and maintain a public trust or potentially higher clearance levels depending on work requirements

How to Apply

If you are interested in a volunteer student internship with us, please send an application to studentcareers@cisa.dhs.gov containing:

• your resume
• cover letter (optional)
• letter from your university/school stating you will be obtaining course credit OR a letter from a third party stating they will be paying for the internship
• unofficial transcript(s)

The subject line should also include “Volunteer Student Internship.” If your interests align with those of our selecting divisions and our availability, we will contact you regarding next steps.

Please note that a submission does NOT guarantee that you will be selected as an intern. We will also need an official transcript from you if you are selected.

VSI Program Partnerships

All VSI internships involve a third-party (outside organization), most often an accredited educational institution. The third-party will provide payment or academic credit for interns.

CISA also participates in certain VSI program partnerships, which are internship placements done with third-parties that CISA has existing relationships with.

If you are interested in one of the programs listed below, please inquire with the organization for their eligibility and application requirements. Please note that third-party programs may have their own individual pre-employment requirements that must be completed as well as CISA’s.

Note: this list is not exhaustive, and other programs may be added. Most of these programs are for college students unless otherwise specified.

• Stanford in Government (SIG)
• West Point
• HS Power
• Arlington Tech (for high school students)
• CISA Office of the Chief Counsel (for law students)
• On-Ramps to Careers (for high school and college students) 
• U.S. Coast Guard Academy