Commonwealth of Massachusetts Internship 2027–2028: How to Apply

Last updated: November 2026

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts hires interns agency by agency, and its biggest paid summer 2027 program closes first. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) has 50 openings at $20 an hour for undergraduates and $30 for graduate students, and applications for summer 2027 are due 22 November 2026. On 11 November 2026, MassCareers, the state's job system, listed 69 student internship and co-op postings. Five are for summer 2027 (EOPSS plus four at MassDOT), and the rest are winter and spring 2027 roles. The Attorney General's undergraduate summer window opens on 1 February 2027, and the Governor's Office is expected to open around the same time. In plain words: you apply between now and spring 2027, you intern in summer 2027, and spring 2027 roles are posting today.

Quick Facts

EOPSS closes on 22 November 2026, months before the Governor's Office and AGO summer windows open, so the order you apply in matters more here than at most employers.

Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, most commonly over 8 weeks. The Health Research & Data Analytics Externship with ARCeH builds the data cleaning and dashboard skills state data postings ask for, and the Juvenile Justice Policy Analyst Externship with CIYJ fits the public safety and research work at EOPSS. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Internship?

A Commonwealth of Massachusetts internship is a student role with a state agency, constitutional office or the Legislature, and there's no single program: each office hires its own interns. Most Executive Branch agencies post on MassCareers under the job field "Contracted Student Interns". The departments posting now include MassDOT, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, DCAMM, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Public Health and EOPSS. The largest named program is the EOPSS Summer Internship Program, which places students across 14 public safety agencies, from the State Police Crime Lab to the Department of Fire Services. Commonwealth Corporation, the UMass system, the MBTA and Massport are separate employers with their own hiring, and this guide doesn't cover them.

When Do Commonwealth of Massachusetts Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

Massachusetts runs several cohorts a year, and each agency sets its own dates. For summer 2027, EOPSS opened on 11 September 2026 and closes on 22 November 2026, about six and a half months before the 7 June start. The Attorney General's Office has published its summer 2027 dates: law students apply from 16 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, undergraduate and graduate students from 1 February to 1 March 2027, about four months before the 1 June start. The Governor's Office took summer 2026 applications from 2 February to 20 March 2026, so expect a similar window for summer 2027. The Comptroller posted its summer 2026 program on 9 March 2026, with a 6 April deadline, about three months before the start. Spring 2027 roles are posting now, and the Governor's spring 2027 window closed on 6 November 2026.

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, not rolling reviews. EOPSS's own page says it accepts applications only from September through November, and its posting closes on 22 November 2026. The AGO lists fixed cutoffs at 5:00 pm Eastern. The Governor's Office spring window ended on 6 November and moved straight to interviews. MassDOT warns that applications missing any required document won't be considered, so a rushed packet on the last day is a real risk. Put the EOPSS date in your calendar now, then the AGO and Governor's Office windows in February.

Which Commonwealth of Massachusetts Internship Programs Should You Target?

Pay, dates and eligibility change by agency, so check which program a posting belongs to before you apply.

Start from the State Government Internships page, which links ten agency programs, and the MassDOT internship page. Legislative internships are arranged with each member's office, as the Legislature explains.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

Most Massachusetts programs are for current college students, and each office adds its own rules.

• Enrollment: EOPSS asks for enrollment "in a college, university, or trade school"; the Governor's Office takes undergraduate, graduate and associate-degree students who have finished at least one semester; MassDOT asks for proof of full-time enrollment for the following fall.

• Age and background: EOPSS interns must be 18 by the start date and pass a CORI background check, and may be fingerprinted. DPH and the Department of Revenue also run checks.

• Residency: only the Treasury requires a Massachusetts school or Massachusetts residency. EOPSS, MassDOT, the Governor's Office and the AGO state no residency rule.

• Work authorization: DPH asks for U.S. citizenship or appropriate work authorization; the other program pages don't state a rule.

• High school students: the Treasury accepts Massachusetts high school students. The Governor's Office and DPH don't.

• Law students: the AGO Legal Internship, the Treasury legal co-op and the OCABR legal intern posting are for law students only.

Is There a GPA Cutoff?

None of the program pages or postings we read sets a GPA minimum. Agencies screen on the packet instead: EOPSS asks for a transcript and three short essays, and the Governor's Office for a writing sample and a recommendation letter.

What Skills Does the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Across eight postings read in full, two skills lead. Excel and Microsoft Office appear in five, from MassDOT Highway Engineering ("strong Excel skills") to DPH. Written and verbal communication also appear in five. Data analysis, Power BI or Tableau and AutoCAD or GIS show up in three each, mostly in MassDOT, DPH and DCAMM roles. EOPSS lists topic areas rather than skills.

How Is Demand for Policy Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each row ties a phrase from a live Commonwealth posting to a remote Externship that leaves you with a finished project to talk about.

None of these Externships is connected to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They help because a finished project gives you something specific for the EOPSS project essay or a MassDOT data summary.

What Is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Application and Interview Process Like?

The steps come from the EOPSS, MassDOT, Governor's Office and AGO pages and the live postings.

1. Create a MassCareers profile. Search "internship" and "co-op" and filter by agency, as MassDOT's own instructions suggest. EOPSS wants every attachment as a PDF.

2. Build the EOPSS packet by 22 November. It's a resume, an unofficial transcript and three short essays: which agency or unit you want and why, a related project, and an experience that challenged an assumption you held.

3. Add the extras some postings ask for. MassDOT's HR Business Intelligence co-op wants a one-page summary of a data project, and DCAMM Planning a portfolio of up to 20 pages.

4. Apply outside MassCareers where needed. The AGO uses BambooHR (resume and cover letter, plus a personal statement and transcript for Summer Legal). The Governor's Office wants a one-page resume, a 2 to 3 page writing sample and at least one recommendation letter.

5. Interview. EOPSS runs virtual interviews from January 2027. The Governor's Office prefers in-person interviews and offers phone interviews to out-of-state students.

For the Legislature, find your own Representative or Senator and email a resume and cover letter to the office.

What Students on Reddit Say

We didn't find first-hand Reddit discussion of Commonwealth internships that we could use. The threads we read were about a different program, a link share or a post with no replies, so we've left the cards out rather than pad them. The agency pages linked above are the better source for now.

How Do You Stand Out for a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Internship?

First, apply in the right order: EOPSS closes on 22 November 2026, months before the Governor's Office and AGO summer windows, so don't wait for those to open. Second, read the posting title before you apply. 36 of the 69 student postings live on 11 November were titled unpaid, mostly at DCR, EEA and MassDEP, while EOPSS, MassDOT, DPH, the Department of Revenue and DCAMM postings list hourly pay. Third, send a complete packet with the project write-ups agencies ask for, because MassDOT drops incomplete applications. No agency publishes applicant counts or a conversion rate.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Students applying to Massachusetts state agencies often also look at these 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 Commonwealth of Massachusetts internship?

No, summer 2026 internships have ended. What's open now is the next cycle: EOPSS takes summer 2027 applications until 22 November 2026, four MassDOT summer 2027 postings are live, and spring 2027 roles are on MassCareers. The AGO and Governor's Office summer 2027 windows open in February 2027.

Are Commonwealth of Massachusetts internships paid?

Many are. EOPSS pays $20 an hour to undergraduates and $30 to graduate students, MassDOT's summer 2027 postings pay $20 to $25 an hour, and the Comptroller paid $20 in 2026. The Governor's Office is paid but publishes no figure. EEA, MassDEP, many DCR roles and the Legislature are unpaid.

When do Massachusetts state internship applications open for summer 2027?

It depends on the agency. EOPSS opened on 11 September 2026 and closes on 22 November 2026. MassDOT's summer 2027 postings are live now. AGO undergraduate and graduate applications run 1 February to 1 March 2027, and the Governor's Office is expected to open in early February 2027.

Where do I apply for a Massachusetts state internship?

Most Executive Branch agencies post on MassCareers, the state's Taleo job system, so search "internship" and "co-op" there. The Attorney General's Office uses BambooHR, the Governor's Office a mass.gov application, and legislative offices take email. Commonwealth Corporation, UMass and the MBTA hire separately.

Do I need to live in Massachusetts to get a state internship?

Usually not. Among the program pages we read, only the Treasury requires a Massachusetts school or Massachusetts residency. EOPSS, MassDOT, the Governor's Office and the AGO state no residency rule, though most roles are in person in Boston or nearby, and housing is your own responsibility.

Can high school students apply?

Only to a few programs. The Treasury accepts high school students who attend a Massachusetts school or live in the state. The Governor's Office and DPH don't take high school students, and EOPSS requires college, university or trade school enrollment and an age of 18 by the start date.

Is there a background check for a Massachusetts state internship?

For several programs, yes. EOPSS interns must pass a CORI background check and may be fingerprinted. DPH asks for CORI paperwork, and the Department of Revenue's Criminal Investigations Bureau runs tax, child-support, CORI and fingerprint checks. Other postings state their own requirements in the job description.

Does a Commonwealth of Massachusetts internship lead to a job?

Not automatically. Interns are hired as contracted student interns, not on a conversion track, and no agency publishes a conversion rate. MassDOT and Comptroller interns finish with a final presentation, and EOPSS places students across 14 public safety agencies, so the work you show there is what you take to later state applications.

EOPSS closes for summer 2027 on 22 November 2026, and the AGO and Governor's Office windows follow in February. If you want a finished project to bring to those applications, a remote Externship fits around classes.