The Congressional Budget Office’s summer internship program provides an excellent opportunity for graduate students to experience and observe the budget process and policymaking at the federal level. Most of CBO’s employees are in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and the internships will ideally be conducted in person. However, CBO is closely monitoring developments and is sensitive to safety, so it is prepared to conduct the internships virtually if necessary. The summer internship program runs from May 30, 2022, to August 5, 2022; there may be some flexibility in those dates.

Students must be pursuing graduate academic programs in economics, public policy, health policy, mathematics, statistics, or a related field. Those pursuing a MBA will not be considered this year. JD’s should apply to the separate Legal Intern position. CBO is also unable to consider undergraduate students for the summer internship program. 

All CBO summer internships require solid writing skills and the ability to communicate clearly and concisely. Familiarity with computer programming, statistics, econometrics, and other quantitative methods is desirable. Ideal candidates also have exceptional interpersonal and analytical skills. U.S. citizens are eligible for consideration, as are noncitizens who are permanent residents of the United States and seeking citizenship.

Students must submit a cover letter, a résumé, contact information for two references (who may know the applicant either from academic work or from employment), and an unofficial copy of transcripts that include coursework for the spring semester. First-year graduate students must submit both an undergraduate transcript and a graduate transcript. A complete application must be submitted through CBO’s website by February 28, 2022, EST, to be considered; there will be no exceptions.