Last updated: October 2026
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) pays its interns. Its summer 2027 legal internship posting has already closed, and SPLC hasn't published the pay rate or deadline on its own pages, so we state neither. As of 16 October 2026, the SPLC's Greenhouse job board lists 14 open requisitions and none is an internship. SPLC's student programs page says it runs three cohorts a year (summer, fall and spring), and every internship carries its own deadline. In plain words: watch the board. Apply inside the deadline each posting lists, because none is rolling.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | splcenter.org/careers/jobs (Greenhouse-powered) · use the board's "Create alert" and ask your school's career services office, where SPLC also posts |
| Application window (2027–28) | Summer 2027 legal (law students): posting closed; SPLC hasn't published its dates on its own pages. Non-legal summer 2027, fall 2027 and spring 2027 internships: no dated posting published. Next legal posting: watch the board |
| Rolling? | No. SPLC says all internship applications have deadlines listed in the posting |
| Eligibility | Enrolled in a post-secondary program; law students (at least first-year) for legal internships. GPA and work authorization not published |
| Duration | Summer: June to August. Fall: August to December. Spring: January to May |
| Compensation | Internships are paid. The hourly rate isn't published on SPLC's own pages we could reach; check each posting. Externships are unpaid and for credit |
| Return offers | Not published |
| Locations | Legal: Atlanta, Jackson, Miami, Montgomery, New Orleans, Washington DC. SPLC says remote opportunities are available |
| # Programs | 3 routes: legal internship, programmatic and operations internships, and for-credit externships |
The key facts: paid internships in three cohorts a year, a hard deadline on every posting, and no internship open on 16 October 2026. The summer 2027 legal internship posting has closed. Dates for other internships aren't published, so a saved job alert is the main tool.
Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project with a real company, and most run 8 weeks. They're different from SPLC's own for-credit "externships." The Center for Improving Youth Justice Data Analytics Externship builds data and policy skills, and the Pinterest Gen Z Consumer Behavior Externship builds audience-insight skills for communications roles. Explore all Externships.
What Is a Southern Poverty Law Center Internship?
A Southern Poverty Law Center internship is a paid student placement at a nonprofit with offices across the South and in Washington DC. SPLC's student programs page describes it as a chance to "advocate for racial justice in the South and beyond" while working in partnership with communities. Interns are paid; students who need academic credit can take an unpaid, one-semester externship instead. SPLC also reviews applications with names, locations, school names and graduation years redacted before hiring managers see them.
When Do Southern Poverty Law Center Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
SPLC runs three cohorts a year: summer (June to August), fall (August to December) and spring (January to May). Postings go up throughout the year, each with a deadline. Only one summer 2027 posting has been documented so far, the legal internship, and its requisition on SPLC's Greenhouse board has closed. SPLC hasn't published that posting's dates on its own pages. For other tracks we found no dated posting at all, so their lead time is unknown and we don't project one.
No SPLC internship is open. The summer 2027 legal internship posting has closed, and the board lists 14 requisitions, none an internship. Set a job alert on the board now and ask your career services office to forward SPLC postings.
Spring cohort territory: SPLC says spring internships start at the beginning of January and run to May. We found no dated spring posting, so a spring internship may appear on the board with little notice. Check weekly.
Non-legal summer 2027 internships (programmatic and operations roles in departments such as Policy, State Offices and Information Technology) have no published dates. Whenever they post, each will carry its own hard deadline.
Summer 2027 cohort, starting at the beginning of June per SPLC. The legal posting listed 40 hours a week; pay isn't published on SPLC's own pages. SPLC lists weekly supervisor check-ins, professional development and virtual social activities.
SPLC hasn't published when the summer 2028 legal internship will post. Start watching the board in late summer 2027 and read the deadline in the posting itself.
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
Every SPLC internship application has a deadline listed in the posting, and the summer 2027 legal internship posting has closed with no sign of a late window. That's a hard-deadline pattern, not rolling review. The practical risk is the unpublished calendar: with no announced dates for most tracks, a posting can appear and close before you've checked the board. A saved alert and a ready resume are what let you apply inside the window.
Which Southern Poverty Law Center Internship Programs Should You Target?
SPLC has no single internship application. It posts separate roles by track, and each carries its own deadline and requirements.
| Program / Track | Focus | Duration | Key skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer legal internship (law students) | Advocacy and Litigation Impact Teams; six offices (Atlanta, Jackson, Miami, Montgomery, New Orleans, Washington DC) | June–Aug, 40 hrs/wk | Law-student status; transcript with the application (summer 2027 posting) |
| Programmatic and operations internships | Departments such as Policy, State Offices and Information Technology | Summer, fall or spring cohort | Some postings require a specific field of study |
| Fall cohort | Programmatic and operations roles; start at the beginning of August | Aug–Dec | Per posting |
| Spring cohort | Programmatic and operations roles; start at the beginning of January | Jan–May | Per posting |
| Externships (for credit) | Assigned staff supervisor; unpaid, academic credit | One semester | Credit arranged through your school |
The full cohort description is on SPLC's student programs page, and open roles are on its jobs board.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
SPLC's student programs page sets these requirements:
• Enrollment: you must be enrolled in a post-secondary program for an internship or externship. Programmatic and operations internships are open to students in two-year, four-year or post-graduate programs.
• Legal internships: "at least a first-year law student," per the student programs page. The summer 2027 posting was titled for second-year (2L) students, so read each legal posting for its class year.
• Field of study: SPLC notes that certain internships may require a specific field of study.
• Work authorization: not published on the pages we could read; check each posting.
• Location: legal roles are in six offices, and SPLC says remote opportunities are available. Which roles are remote isn't published.
Does SPLC Have a GPA Cutoff?
No GPA figure appears on the student programs page or in the postings we could read. The summer 2027 legal posting asked for an unofficial transcript with the application, so grades are visible to reviewers, but SPLC publishes no minimum. Its process redacts names, locations, school names and graduation years from resumes before hiring managers review them.
What Skills Does the Southern Poverty Law Center Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
No internship posting is live, so there are no job descriptions to read and no skills chart yet. What SPLC does publish is about process and support: weekly check-ins with a supervisor, professional development and technology provided, plus a requirement on some postings for a specific field of study. Because hiring managers see resumes with school names and graduation years removed, your skills and experience carry the review. Expect the posting itself to list the tools and subject knowledge, and match your resume to that list line by line.
Note: Skill chart not shown: SPLC has no live intern postings on 16 October 2026 (its Greenhouse board lists 14 open requisitions, none an internship), and the closed summer 2027 legal posting couldn't be re-read in full. This section will add a chart when new internship postings appear.
How Is Demand for Legal Interns Moving Right Now?
Legal intern postings · Sep vs Aug 2026
vs 322 in August
For Southern Poverty Law Center applicants: SPLC's board lists no internship on 16 October 2026 and its summer 2027 legal posting has closed, so set a job alert now and keep applying to other legal programs while you wait.
Daily US job-posting counts, Sep 1–30 vs Aug 1–31, 2026. Covers under half of US postings; shows direction, not market size. Pay = median of employer-published ranges only (76 postings in September, 30 in August).
Build These Skills Before You Apply
SPLC hasn't published a skills list, so this table pairs the work areas it names with open remote Externships that build adjacent evidence.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Data analysis for justice and policy work | SPLC lists Policy among its intern host departments (student programs page) | Center for Improving Youth Justice Data Analytics |
| Communications and audience insight | Programmatic and operations internships span SPLC departments (student programs page) | Pinterest Gen Z Consumer Behavior |
| Technology risk and security basics | SPLC lists an Information Technology Department among intern hosts (student programs page) | vCISO Cybersecurity Risk Assessment |
None of these replaces a posting's own requirements. They give you finished, remote project work to point to when SPLC posts its next internship.
What Is the Southern Poverty Law Center Application and Interview Process Like?
SPLC describes a four-stage process on its student programs page:
1. Find the posting. Open roles are on SPLC's jobs board, powered by Greenhouse. SPLC also sends postings to campus career services offices. Use the board's "Create alert" so you hear about new internships.
2. Apply by the deadline. Submit a resume and any required documents. The summer 2027 legal posting also asked for an unofficial transcript.
3. Preliminary recruiter interview, then redacted resume review. Hiring managers see your resume with names, locations, school names and graduation years removed.
4. Hiring manager interview, then offer. SPLC says applicants hear back within a few weeks after the deadline, by email, so check your spam folder.
SPLC doesn't publish interview formats or question types for interns.
What Students on Reddit Say
We found no first-hand SPLC intern accounts on Reddit. The one recent thread about working at SPLC was general discussion rather than an intern's experience, so we haven't quoted it.
How Do You Stand Out for an SPLC Internship?
SPLC doesn't publish applicant counts or an acceptance rate, so the advice here comes from its own process. First, treat the board as the schedule: dates aren't announced for most tracks, so a saved alert beats a calendar guess. Second, write for the redacted review. With school names and graduation years removed, what remains is your experience, so put concrete projects, research and responsibilities first. Third, match the posting. Some internships name a required field of study, and the department determines the work, so tailor your resume to the one department you're applying to. Law students should note that the summer 2027 legal posting has closed and plan to watch the board for the next one.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
Students weighing the SPLC often compare it with other legal and advocacy nonprofits.
For more in this space, see our Nonprofit & Social Impact Internships Summer 2027 Guide.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2027 Southern Poverty Law Center internship?
Not for the legal internship, because its posting has closed. SPLC hasn't published that deadline on its own pages. As of 16 October 2026, SPLC's job board lists no internships at all. Watch the board for non-legal summer postings, which have no published dates, and for the next legal posting.
Does the Southern Poverty Law Center pay interns?
Yes. SPLC's student programs page says its internships are paid, but the hourly rate isn't published on SPLC's own pages we could reach, so read it in each posting. Externships are different: they're unpaid, run for one semester and are meant for students who need academic credit.
When are SPLC internship cohorts?
SPLC runs three cohorts a year: summer from the beginning of June to August, fall from the beginning of August to December, and spring from the beginning of January to May. Postings appear throughout the year, each with its own application deadline, so there's no single annual window.
Who can apply for an SPLC internship?
Students enrolled in a post-secondary program. Legal internships need at least a first-year law student, and the summer 2027 posting was titled for second-year students. Programmatic and operations internships accept students in two-year, four-year or post-graduate programs, and some require a specific field of study.
Can I do an SPLC internship remotely?
SPLC says remote opportunities are available, but it doesn't say which roles. The summer 2027 legal internship was based in six offices: Atlanta, Jackson, Miami, Montgomery, New Orleans and Washington DC. Check each posting's location line before you apply, since it states whether remote work is possible.
How does SPLC review internship applications?
In four stages: a preliminary recruiter interview, a redacted resume review, a hiring manager interview and an offer. In the redacted review, names, locations, school names and graduation years are removed before hiring managers see your resume. SPLC says applicants hear back within a few weeks after the deadline.
Where do I find SPLC internship postings?
On SPLC's jobs board at splcenter.org/careers/jobs, which runs on Greenhouse. You can create a job alert there. SPLC also says it sends internship postings to campus career services offices, so ask yours to forward them. No internship was posted on 16 October 2026.
What is the difference between an SPLC internship and an SPLC externship?
An internship is paid. An externship is unpaid, lasts one semester and is for academic credit, with an assigned staff supervisor. SPLC's externships aren't Extern's remote Externships, which are short company projects that most commonly run 8 weeks. SPLC says to check its careers page for externship updates.
No SPLC internship is open today, and the summer 2027 legal posting has closed. Create a job alert on the SPLC jobs board, and use the wait to build proof: a remote Externship gives your next application a finished project to point to.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
