City of Los Angeles Internship 2027–2028: Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: November 2026

The City of Los Angeles doesn't run one internship program. Each department hires students on its own, as paid, part-time "exempt" Student Engineers, Student Professional Workers and Administrative Interns, and a few departments add a summer program. On 10 November 2026 the City's Personnel Department board listed six of these roles at $25.71 to $30.60 an hour. The first to close is the Information Technology Agency's Administrative Intern I, at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, 13 November 2026. Four more close on 20 November and one on 23 December. The LADWP Student Engineer Program for summer 2027 is open now, pays approximately $32 an hour and closes after 4 January 2027. Council offices take interns too, but unpaid. In plain words: you apply between now and March 2027, you intern in summer 2027, and the department student jobs post all year.

Quick Facts

Six paid student postings are open now and close between 13 November and 23 December 2026; the LADWP Student Engineer Program for summer 2027 closes after 4 January 2027, and the Bureau of Engineering and Port of LA summer 2027 windows are expected in February and March 2027.

Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, most commonly over 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week. The Attronica Financial Planning & Analysis and Private Company Valuation Externship builds the finance basics behind the City's accounting and budget intern roles, and the SQL & Database Architecture Externship with Breaking Games fits its data entry and records work. Explore all Externships.

What Is a City of Los Angeles Internship?

A City of Los Angeles internship is a paid student job or summer program inside one of the City's departments, not a single City-wide program. The Personnel Department, which calls the City "one of the largest employers in California", posts the exempt student roles: right now the Information Technology Agency, the Department of Transportation (LADOT), the Department of Disability and the LAPD's Forensic Science Division. LADWP, the Bureau of Engineering, LA Sanitation and the Port of Los Angeles run their own engineering and summer programs. Council district offices take unpaid interns. This page covers the City, not the County of Los Angeles, which is a separate employer with its own internships. Youth programs such as HIRE LA's Youth (ages 14 to 24) are workforce programs, not college internships, and the postings we read don't state a residency requirement.

When Do City of Los Angeles Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

The City runs two kinds of calendar. Department student jobs post all year on the Personnel board and stay open about two weeks each, so the lead time is weeks, not months. The summer programs have fixed windows. LADWP's Student Engineer Program for summer 2026 closed on 4 January 2026, and the summer 2027 window is open now and closes after 4 January 2027, about five months before the June start. The Bureau of Engineering's summer 2026 deadline was 20 February 2026 for sessions starting 1 June and 29 June, about three and a half months ahead. The Port of LA took summer 2025 applications from 17 to 28 March 2025 for a 16 June start, about three months ahead. Dates for summer 2027 at the Bureau of Engineering and the Port are projections from those cycles, with only one or two dated years behind them, so treat them as low confidence.

How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.

Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open

These are hard deadlines. The ITA posting says "late submissions will not be accepted" and that it may close early once enough applications arrive, and the other student postings each give a fixed closing date. Most department roles stay open about two weeks, so a student who checks the board once a month will miss most of them. The summer programs work the same way: LADWP's window closes after 4 January 2027, the Bureau of Engineering's 2026 deadline was a single day in February, and the Port's 2025 window lasted 12 days. Keep the City application, an unofficial transcript and your class schedule as ready PDFs, so you can apply the day a posting appears.

Which City of Los Angeles Internship Programs Should You Target?

Each track below is run by a different department, with its own pay, dates and application route.

Student postings appear on the Personnel Department jobs page. Separately, HIRE LA's Youth lists L.A. City Pathways, a paid City internship for 50 college students at $17.27 an hour for up to 850 hours, alongside youth programs for ages 14 to 24. No dates for its next round are published on the City's own pages.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

There is no City-wide rule; each posting sets its own. These are the requirements in the City's own postings and program pages.

• Class year: LADWP needs at least sophomore standing and one full-time year completed; the Bureau of Engineering takes sophomores and above or graduate students; the Department of Disability wants juniors, seniors or graduate students; the ITA intern needs at least three years of college completed.

• Major: LADWP Student Engineers must be full-time declared engineering majors, and its Student Professional Workers declared IT majors. The Bureau of Engineering wants architecture or civil, structural or environmental engineering.

• Work authorization: LADWP requires the "legal right to work permanently in the United States" and "does not sponsor work visas". The Bureau of Engineering requires the legal right to work in the US.

• Licenses and checks: the LAPD role needs a valid California Class C driver's license; LADWP may require a California license and runs a background check.

• Unpaid routes: council offices take students 18 and older (CD3) or enrolled and recently graduated students for at least 15 hours a week (CD8).

Is There a GPA Cutoff?

Only the Port publishes one: a 2.5 GPA for undergraduates and 3.0 for graduate students. The other postings we read set no GPA, but several ask for transcripts or proof of units, so your record still gets read.

What Skills Does the City of Los Angeles Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

We read nine full City descriptions: three live postings, the Bureau of Engineering and LA Sanitation flyers, the two LADWP program pages and two council office pages. Written and verbal communication comes up in five. Microsoft Office, especially Excel, appears in four. Engineering tracks ask for AutoCAD, CADD or Revit and field work, while the admin roles ask for processing purchase orders and payments in the City's financial management system.

How Is Demand for Civil Engineering Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each row ties a duty from a real City posting to a remote Externship that gives you a finished project to talk about.

None of these Externships is connected to the City of Los Angeles, and none covers civil or structural engineering. They help because a finished project gives you something specific to put on a City application or talk about in an interview.

What Is the City of Los Angeles Application and Interview Process Like?

The steps below come from the City's live postings and the program pages. Exempt student jobs have no civil service exam.

1. Find the posting. Check the Personnel board for job types "Intern" and "Exempt", and the LADWP, Bureau of Engineering and Port pages for summer programs.

2. Prepare the package. Most postings ask for a resume, the City application from the Personnel site, unofficial transcripts or proof of enrollment, and sometimes your class schedule. The LAPD role asks for proof of major and units earned.

3. Send it the way the posting says. Department roles go by email to the named contact, with the position title in the subject line; LADOT uses a Google Site link in its attachment. LADWP and the Bureau of Engineering use their own online forms.

4. Review and interview. "Applications are subject to review and only the most qualified candidates will be invited to the interview," the ITA posting says. LADWP contacts applicants between February and April 2027.

5. Start part-time or in summer. Department roles fit around classes at up to 20 hours a week; summer programs start in June.

Council offices take an email with a resume and cover letter, and CD3 also asks for a writing sample.

What Students on Reddit Say

The Reddit threads with first-hand detail are all about LADWP's Student Engineer Program; we found nothing comparable on other City departments.

How Do You Stand Out for a City of Los Angeles Internship?

First, check the Personnel board every week and filter by both "Intern" and "Exempt", since most student roles are typed Exempt and close in about two weeks. Second, follow each posting's instructions to the letter: the right subject line, the City application and every document it lists, because incomplete packages are easy to set aside. Third, apply to more than one track: an engineering student can hold a department Student Engineer job during the year and still apply to LADWP or the Bureau of Engineering for the summer. The City doesn't publish applicant counts, acceptance rates or a conversion rate.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Students applying to City of Los Angeles student jobs often also look at these utilities, infrastructure firms and public-sector employers.

For more public-sector options and their timing, see our government internships summer 2027 guide.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 City of Los Angeles internship?

No, summer 2026 programs have already run. What's open now: six paid department student roles, closing 13 November (ITA, 12:00 p.m.), 20 November (three LADOT roles and the Department of Disability) and 23 December 2026 (LAPD). The LADWP Student Engineer Program for summer 2027 is also open until after 4 January 2027.

Are City of Los Angeles internships paid?

Most are, by the hour. Today's postings pay $25.71 to $30.60, and LADWP's Student Engineer Program approximately $32. The Bureau of Engineering paid $23.48 to $37.13 in 2026, LA Sanitation lists $24.40 to $45.47, and the Port paid summer interns $17.28 to $21.51 in 2025. Council office internships are unpaid.

When do applications open for summer 2027?

Some already have. LADWP's Student Engineer Program is open now and closes after 4 January 2027. The Bureau of Engineering deadline is expected in mid to late February 2027, and the Port of LA's two-week window in mid to late March 2027, based on earlier cycles. Department student jobs post all year.

Where are City of Los Angeles internships posted?

On the Personnel Department openings board at personnel.lacity.gov, not on the City's NEOGOV page, which carries civil service jobs only. Search the job types "Intern" and "Exempt", because most student roles are typed Exempt. LADWP, the Bureau of Engineering and the Port post their summer programs on their own pages.

Can international students apply?

It's hard. LADWP requires the legal right to work permanently in the United States and doesn't sponsor work visas, and the Bureau of Engineering requires the legal right to work in the US. The department postings we read don't mention sponsorship, so ask the contact named in a posting before you apply.

Is this the same as a Los Angeles County internship?

No. The County of Los Angeles is a separate government with its own human resources department and its own internships. This page covers the City of Los Angeles, whose departments include LADWP, the Port of Los Angeles, the Bureau of Engineering, LADOT, the Information Technology Agency and the City Council offices.

Does a City of Los Angeles internship lead to a full-time job?

Not directly. Exempt student roles are at-will and don't give civil service status, so a permanent City job means passing a civil service exam. LADWP says its IT student program prepares students for later careers with LADWP and other City departments, but the City publishes no conversion rate.

Can I work for the City part-time during the school year?

Yes. Department student roles are part-time and fit around classes, usually up to 20 hours a week while school is in session. The Department of Disability posting allows up to 40 hours during breaks, and the ITA intern works 16 to 20 hours a week with a cap of 1,040 hours a year.

The first City student posting closes on 13 November 2026 and LADWP's summer 2027 window after 4 January 2027. If you want a finished project to show on your application, a remote Externship fits around classes at 5 to 10 hours a week.