City of Memphis Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: November 2026

The City of Memphis says it has "over 8,000 employees", and its internship for college students is the Urban Fellows Program. The City's summer 2025 posting paid $15 an hour (posted range $15 to $17) for 10 to 28 hours a week in a City division, and it was open to current college or graduate students and anyone who graduated within the last two years. No session is open today. Summer postings went up on March 3, 2023, January 15, 2024 and March 3, 2025, so applications for summer 2027 are expected around January to March 2027, about 3 to 5 months before a June start. In plain words: you apply in early 2027 and intern in summer 2027, and the step to take now is joining the program's mailing list.

Quick Facts

No Urban Fellows session is open today; applications for summer 2027 are expected around January to March 2027.

Externships are short, remote projects for real companies, most commonly 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week, so one fits next to a part-time schedule. The Health Research & Data Analytics Externship with ARCeH builds the metrics and dashboard skills past Urban Fellows used, and the SQL & Database Architecture Externship with Breaking Games builds the data and web skills behind City website and portal projects. Explore all Externships.

What Is a City of Memphis Internship?

A City of Memphis internship usually means the Urban Fellows Program, a paid, part-time internship inside a City of Memphis Government division. This page covers the City as an employer. The City says the program "offers local college students and recent graduates the chance to intern within the City of Memphis Government", with each intern working with "assigned mentors and divisions" on projects that match their interests. Its own postings go back to summer 2018, and the most recent one found is summer 2025. The City also runs Mayor Young's Legal Pathways Internship Program, which takes "high school, college, and law students" and has "Only eight positions". The Memphis Ambassadors Program (grades 9 to 12) and MPLOY Youth Summer Experience (ages 14 to 22, six weeks, mostly with outside business partners) are youth employment programs, not college internships.

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

The Urban Fellows Program now runs two sessions a year, summer and fall; the City's page listed spring, summer and fall in April 2024. Each session gets its own posting on the City's job system. The last three summer postings went up on March 3, 2023, January 15, 2024 and March 3, 2025, and the fall 2024 posting went up on July 8, 2024. That puts applications for summer 2027 around January to March 2027 (expected), about 3 to 5 months before a June start. We didn't find a summer 2026 posting after the City changed job systems, so treat the projection as medium 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

The City publishes one Urban Fellows posting per session, and the recent postings didn't show a closing date. The 2018 posting, the last one with a published window, opened March 1 and closed May 4, 2018. The City doesn't publish how many fellows it takes, so you can't count on a late window. Treat the day the posting appears as your start line: be on the mailing list, have your resume and three division choices ready by January, and apply that week.

Which City of Memphis Internship Programs Should You Target?

The Urban Fellows Program is the City's internship for college students and recent graduates. The other City programs serve law students and younger students, and they're labelled that way below.

All of these are listed on the City's internships page. Legal Pathways has its own page, and its pay and dates aren't published there.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

These rules come from the City's summer 2025 Urban Fellows posting, the program page and the 2018 posting.

• Education: "current college/graduate students or those who have graduated within the last two years". Graduate students and recent graduates qualify.

• School: the page describes the program as for "local college students and recent graduates", but the posting doesn't name a required school. Past fellows featured by the City came from Rhodes College, Butler University and UT Chattanooga.

• Class year: the 2018 application accepted freshmen through college graduates.

• Residency clause: the 2025 posting says the City Charter requires City employees, except first responders, to "establish residence within Shelby County within six (6) months from their date of employment".

• GPA and work authorization: not published on the City's postings or program pages.

• Legal Pathways: open to high school, college and law students, with eight positions.

• Youth programs: Memphis Ambassadors is for high school students in grades 9 to 12, and MPLOY is for ages 14 to 22. Neither is a college internship.

Do You Need a Minimum GPA or a Memphis Address?

No GPA appears in the City's Urban Fellows postings or on the program page. The page calls the program one for local students, but the posting doesn't restrict it to Memphis schools. The posting does carry the Shelby County residence clause from the City Charter. If you live outside the county, ask Talent Management (talent.management@memphistn.gov, 901-636-6509) how it applies to you before you apply.

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

Every Urban Fellows posting carries the same program text, so there's no per-role skill list to count. The posting says fellows take on "challenging projects proposed by division leaders", and it gives examples: "improving neighborhood watch programs, creating an online benefits-management portal, performing analysis of best recruitment strategies for the Spanish-speaking community, and recommend body-worn camera solutions". The City's own spotlights add detail. A Rhodes College senior built a dashboard of "key performance metrics" for Parks & Neighborhoods and the Office of Performance Management, and a UT Chattanooga computer science graduate researched false-alarm prevention for Metro Alarms and updated its website with Javascript/HTML. So the useful skills are data analysis, research and recommendations, and clear writing for a City audience.

Note: We haven't drawn a skill chart for the City of Memphis. Its Urban Fellows postings all use the same program description, so there aren't enough role-specific descriptions to count. The skills above come from the City's own posting text and fellow spotlights.

How Is Demand for Policy Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each row ties a project from the City's own posting or fellow spotlights to a remote Externship that leaves you with a finished project to describe in your application.

None of these Externships is connected to the City of Memphis. They help because a finished project gives you something specific to point to in your resume and when you choose your divisions.

What Is the City of Memphis Application and Interview Process Like?

The steps below come from the City's program page and its own postings. The City doesn't publish its interview steps.

1. Join the mailing list. The Urban Fellows page has a "Join Our Mailing List" form, and it's how the City says you'll hear about the next session.

2. Watch the City's job board. Each session gets one posting. Through 2025 the page's "Apply Now" button led to that posting; the City now links its job board from the careers page.

3. Apply with your divisions in mind. The 2018 application asked for your school, major, class year, three preferred divisions and why you wanted the program.

4. Placement. Fellows are placed in a division that matches their interests and work with an assigned mentor. Divisions named in 2018 included Executive, Human Resources, Public Works, Parks, City Engineering, Police, Fire, Finance, Housing and Community Development, Information Systems and Communications.

5. Credit, if you want it. The posting says college credit is possible, and the student handles the school paperwork with mentor support.

If you have questions about a posting, email Urban.Fellows@memphistn.gov.

What Students on Reddit Say

We didn't find any Reddit threads from City of Memphis interns. The r/memphis threads we read were about jobs and internships in the city in general, not about the Urban Fellows Program. The closest first-hand accounts are the fellow spotlights on the City's own Urban Fellows page, which the City writes and selects.

How Do You Stand Out for a City of Memphis Internship?

First, be early. Join the mailing list now and have your resume ready by January, since summer postings have gone up as early as January 15. Second, choose your divisions on purpose. The application has asked for three, so match them to your coursework and point to a project like the ones past fellows did: a metrics dashboard, website updates or a recruitment analysis. Third, if you graduated in the last two years, apply anyway, because recent graduates qualify. The City doesn't publish class size, acceptance rates or a conversion rate; its posting only says the program aims to develop "future City of Memphis leaders".

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Students looking at City of Memphis internships often also consider these city, federal and Memphis employers.

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

FAQ

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

No. Summer 2026 is over, and on November 11, 2026 the City's job board had no Urban Fellows or other intern posting. The program page says to join its mailing list for the next session. Applications for summer 2027 are expected around January to March 2027, based on the last three summer postings.

When do City of Memphis internship applications open for summer 2027?

The City hasn't announced a date. Applications for summer 2027 are expected around January to March 2027, because the last three summer postings went up on March 3, 2023, January 15, 2024 and March 3, 2025. A fall 2027 posting is expected around July 2027. Join the Urban Fellows mailing list to hear first.

Is the City of Memphis Urban Fellows Program paid?

Yes, it's paid by the hour. The summer 2025 posting paid $15 an hour, with a posted range of $15 to $17. Earlier postings paid $12 to $15.50 an hour in 2024 and $12 an hour in 2023. The City hasn't posted pay for summer 2027 yet, so check the new posting.

Who can apply for the Urban Fellows Program?

Current college or graduate students, and anyone who graduated within the last two years, per the 2025 posting. The 2018 application accepted freshmen through recent graduates. No GPA is listed, and the posting doesn't name a required school, though the City describes the program as one for local college students and recent graduates.

How many hours do City of Memphis Urban Fellows work?

It's part-time. The program page says fellows work 15 to 28 hours a week, and the 2025 posting listed a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 28. There are two sessions a year, summer and fall. The City doesn't publish current session dates; the 2018 summer session ran June 12 to August 15.

Does the City of Memphis have internships for high school students?

Yes, but they're separate programs. The Memphis Ambassadors Program is for students in grades 9 to 12, and MPLOY Youth Summer Experience is a six-week youth employment program for ages 14 to 22, mostly with outside business partners. Mayor Young's Legal Pathways Internship Program also takes high school students.

Is there a City of Memphis internship for law students?

Yes. Mayor Young's Legal Pathways Internship Program takes high school, college and law students, and the City says only eight positions are available. Its pay and dates aren't published on the City's page, so check the Legal Pathways page and its application link for the current details before you apply.

Do I have to live in Memphis to be an Urban Fellow?

The posting doesn't require a Memphis school, but it does include the City Charter clause that City employees, except first responders, must establish residence in Shelby County within six months of their date of employment. If you live elsewhere, ask the City's Talent Management team how that applies before you apply.

The next Urban Fellows posting is expected in early 2027, so join the mailing list today. If you want a finished project to show while you wait, a remote Externship fits around classes at 5 to 10 hours a week.