ESPN Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: August 2026

ESPN hires interns three times a year: spring, summer and fall, each through a window that runs days-to-weeks. The summer-2026 Research Intern posting circulated to students on 2 December 2025 and closed 8 December. Six days. Pay is a flat $22.50 an hour, about 32% above the $17.00 median US media employers state for interns.

And right now ESPN is between cohorts: its internships board showed zero open requisitions on August 15, 2026. The nearest window is spring 2027, with applications expected to close around mid-October 2026.

Quick Facts

Three cohorts a year, windows that run days-to-weeks, and $22.50 an hour. Spring 2027 is the nearest open window, with applications expected to close around mid-October 2026, roughly two months from now. Set the alert. ESPN's summer-2026 posting lasted six days.

Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project with a real company. The NASCAR / NY Racing Sports Analytics Externship builds the audience-data evidence an ESPN application needs, and the TikTok Social Media Content & Brand Strategy Externship turns social-platform fluency into a finished content portfolio. Explore all Externships.

What Is an ESPN Internship?

An ESPN internship is a full-time, 40-hour-a-week paid placement inside ESPN, the world's leading multiplatform sports entertainment brand, owner of eight US television networks, ESPN on ABC, and the leading sports app. ESPN runs three separate cohorts: spring (about 16 weeks), summer (about 10 weeks) and fall (about 12 weeks). It posts function-specific requisitions through Disney's careers system, since Disney owns 72% of ESPN (with Hearst at 18% and the NFL at 10%). The postings, teams and managers are ESPN's own.

When Do ESPN Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

ESPN doesn't publish an application calendar.

So you read the timeline from its requisitions, which follow a consistent three-cohort pattern. Spring? Closes mid-October (15 Oct 2025 for spring 2026). Summer applications have historically closed around early December, roughly six months before the internship starts (8 Dec 2025 for a June 2026 start). And fall applications have opened around mid-July and closed by mid-August (fall 2024 closed 5 Aug; fall 2025 closed 14–20 Aug; fall 2026 opened ~mid-Jul and closed by 15 Aug 2026). Every window below is labeled "expected" and bound to its destination cohort.

How to read this page: the dates below come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data, not from the company itself. They're informed estimates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source, so if a role appears there before this page says the window has opened, go by the careers page.

Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open

ESPN's application windows are measured in days, not months. The summer-2026 Research Intern posting was circulating to students on 2 December 2025 and closed on 8 December 2025: six days. The fall-2026 wave lasted about four weeks from mid-July to mid-August. How fast do those spots fill? On Reddit, students report ESPN drawing more than 500 applications within a couple of hours (community-reported, paraphrased).

So there's no version of this where you check monthly and get in.

Which ESPN Internship Programs Should You Target?

ESPN posts function-specific requisitions, not one umbrella program application. And each req has its own close date.

Six functional tracks appeared across the cohorts we reviewed. Which should you target? The one whose skills you can already show.

See the full list when postings go live on the ESPN internships board. ESPN NEXT is ESPN's early-career talent brand for production and content roles. Two of the intern reqs we reviewed report directly into ESPN NEXT managers.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

ESPN's eligibility rules are Disney-wide and appear verbatim in every ESPN intern requisition. No surprises here, but every one of them is a hard gate:

• Enrollment: enrolled in an accredited college/university taking at least one class at time of application, or currently participating in a Disney Internship or College Program. Appears in 9 of 9 reqs.

• Class year: junior or senior standing preferred (8 of 9). The one exception is the Programming Intern for Fall 2026, which specifies senior year only. ESPN's own support article puts it plainly: "If you're of Junior or Senior status in college, then you're eligible!"

• Work authorization: "Possess unrestricted work authorization" in 9 of 9 reqs. No exceptions. Every Prosple listing records US Citizen or US Permanent Resident.

• Hours: these are full-time positions at 40 hours a week, stated in eight of the nine reqs we read. Some roles require nights and weekends. Live sports doesn't run 9-to-5.

• Housing and transport: every Bristol and New York req says you must provide your own. There's no relocation or housing stipend in any ESPN intern posting.

• The 12-month cap: "You may only work for ONE consecutive year (12 months) in any combination of an internship and/or program." Appears in 9 of 9. A real planning constraint if you want to stack spring + summer + fall.

Does ESPN Require a Minimum GPA?

No. Zero of the nine ESPN intern job descriptions we reviewed states a GPA minimum, a GPA preference, or any academic-performance filter. So what actually filters? Deep sports knowledge. Eight of nine postings demand it, and two use the word "elite."

And they want a portfolio of real work. The Creative Studio req asks outright for "examples of creative design work produced." A reel or a graphics set beats a GPA at ESPN.

What Skills Does ESPN Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Nine ESPN intern job descriptions spanning five cohorts and three location types repeat one profile with surprising consistency. Written and verbal communication appears in all nine. Sports knowledge appears in eight, and two use the word "elite." Analytics and performance measurement? Seven of nine.

But the real differentiator is what's absent: no GPA requirement in any of the nine. The tools named are production-floor ones (Premiere Pro, Avid, Photoshop, Comscore), not office-suite generics.

How Is Demand for Media Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

These bars map to remote Externships that end in a finished company project. That's the kind of portfolio evidence ESPN's reqs actually reward.

The NASCAR Externship produces audience analytics in the vocabulary ESPN's Research Intern req uses, and the TikTok Externship delivers a social content portfolio for the roles that dominate ESPN's hiring.

What Is the ESPN Application and Interview Process Like?

So how does the process actually work? ESPN's funnel runs through Disney's careers system but stays ESPN-specific at every stage:

1. Set the alert before the window opens. ESPN's windows run days-to-weeks, so this step decides the outcome. Use the "Watch Our Jobs" form on jobs.disneycareers.com/espn with Job Level = "Internships / Programs" and Location = Connecticut and New York.

2. Apply to the specific requisition, not to "the program." There's no umbrella ESPN internship application. Each req is separate, with its own close date — the fall-2025 cohort alone had four different close dates.

3. Online application through Disney's Workday system. Glassdoor's ESPN intern data reports 55% of interviewees applied online and 25% came through campus recruiting.

4. Phone interview. The most common first stage (37% of reported processes): fit, sports knowledge, availability for the full cohort dates.

5. One-on-one interview (18%), sometimes with a skills test (11%) or group panel (11%). For social and video roles, expect to walk through work you've actually edited and explain your creative choices in detail.

6. Background check and offer. Glassdoor reports an average of 33 days from application to hire for ESPN Intern roles.

Glassdoor rates the ESPN Intern interview "Average" (2.9/5 difficulty) with 86% positive interview experience, well above than ESPN's 66.1% company-wide average.

So the bar is the application window, not the interview.

What Students on Reddit Say

Three threads, from students who've been through it.

How Do You Stand Out When the Window Is Six Days?

Three moves. All of them happen before the posting goes live. First, set the Disney/ESPN job alert now and apply in the first days. ESPN's summer-2026 posting circulated for six days total, and its fall-2026 wave lasted about four weeks. Second, bring the sports knowledge in the JD's own words: eight of nine reqs demand it, and two call for "elite" knowledge of all sports including current athletes, rules and events. Be specific. Name which sports, which leagues and which ESPN shows you actually watch. Third, show edited work, not a transcript. No ESPN req names a GPA, but four name Premiere Pro, Avid and After Effects.

So what do you bring instead? The Creative Studio req answers that: "examples of creative design work." A reel or a graphics set beats a GPA at ESPN.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Here's the competitive set. ESPN's peers are the other US sports-rights broadcasters and media conglomerates with large intern programs.

For more in media, see our Media & Entertainment Internships Summer 2027 Guide.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a fall 2026 ESPN internship?

No. They're gone. ESPN's five fall-2026 intern requisitions were posted around mid-July 2026 and had all closed by 15 August 2026, and ESPN's own internships board showed zero open roles that day. The next windows are spring 2027 (expected to close around mid-October 2026) and summer 2027 (expected to close around early December 2026).

When do ESPN internship applications open for summer 2027?

Expected around November 2026, closing about early December 2026, roughly six months before an early-June 2027 start. That projects the summer-2026 cycle, whose Research Intern requisition closed on 8 December 2025 for an 8 June 2026 start. No official calendar exists. Set a job alert.

Does ESPN only hire summer interns?

No, and this is the most useful thing to know about ESPN. Three separate cohorts a year: spring runs about 16 weeks from mid-January, summer about 10 weeks from early June, and fall about 12 weeks from late September. Fall is the biggest. It had five requisitions in the 2026 wave alone.

Are ESPN internships rolling?

No. Each requisition carries its own published apply-by date and the windows are short. The fall-2025 cohort alone had four different close dates across four postings, and the summer-2026 posting circulated to students on 2 December and closed on 8 December.

So apply the week your role posts.

What GPA does ESPN require for an internship?

ESPN publishes no GPA cutoff, and none of the nine ESPN intern job descriptions we reviewed names one. What they do require is junior or senior standing, unrestricted US work authorization, and strong sports knowledge.

And the bar is specific: eight of nine postings ask for deep, current knowledge of sports, and two call for "elite" knowledge.

How much do ESPN interns get paid?

$22.50 an hour in the 2026 cohorts, up from $22.00 in the 2025 cohorts.

And that rate held across Bristol, New York and remote roles. It's about 32% above the $17.00 median hourly rate employers state for media internships. But interns must provide their own housing and transport.

Where are ESPN internships located?

Mostly Bristol, Connecticut, where ESPN's 120-acre headquarters campus employs 3,600 people. New York City at ESPN's 7 Hudson Square offices is the other main site. Several requisitions each cohort are fully remote within the US, too. Students on Reddit also report Charlotte, though no Charlotte requisition surfaced in this research.

Do ESPN interns get return offers?

ESPN publishes no conversion rate. But what it does say is telling: ESPN NEXT, its early-career brand, oversees the hiring, development and promotion of Production Assistants and Content Associates, and its director calls it "the entry point for aspiring storytellers." Two of the intern reqs we reviewed report directly into ESPN NEXT managers.

ESPN hires three times a year, every window runs days-to-weeks, and the next one, spring 2027, is expected to close around mid-October 2026.

So set the Disney/ESPN job alert now, and spend the runway on proof: a remote Externship turns sports knowledge into a finished project you can point at the minute the window opens.