Last updated: November 2026
The State of Delaware runs several college internship routes, and several of them are open right now. The statewide Intern Pool takes applications until December 31, 2026, and the Delaware Department of State is accepting interns for summer 2027 and the 2027-28 academic year. The best-known paid route is filling fast: DNREC's applicant pool grew from 63 in 2024 to 122 in 2025 to 229 in 2026, for 18 paid interns at $18.50 an hour (DNREC 2026 Internship Report). Its summer 2027 applications open in January 2027. In plain words: the nearest doors are spring 2027 cohorts, and you apply between now and spring 2027 to intern in summer 2027.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Most agencies: the State's Delaware Employment Link (JobAps) board, starting with the 2026 Intern Pool. Agency programs with their own pages: DNREC (sign up for its notice list now), Delaware Department of State, OMB and Office of Defense Services. Governor's Office cohorts are announced on news.delaware.gov. |
| Application window (2027–28) | Intern Pool: 2026 pool open until December 31, 2026; 2027 pool expected early January 2027. DNREC for summer 2027: opens January 2027. Governor's Office: spring 2027 expected late January 2027, summer 2027 expected late April 2027, each about 8 to 10 days. Delaware Department of State: accepting now for summer 2027 and academic year 2027-28. ODS: accepting now for spring 2027. |
| Rolling? | Mixed. The Intern Pool keeps your application on file for the year. Governor's Office windows are short, with a 5 pm deadline. DNREC uses a closed application period and hasn't published a close date. DOC asks for contact at least two months before your semester. |
| Eligibility | College students at any accredited school; most routes also take recent graduates. Intern Pool: all majors, US work authorization without sponsorship. Delaware Department of State: 3.0 GPA. OMB: 2.5 GPA and a finance, accounting or related major. No program page we read requires Delaware residency. |
| Duration | DNREC: 12 weeks in summer, starting May or early June and ending in August. Governor's Office: 14 weeks in spring 2026, 10 weeks in summer 2026. Delaware Department of State: summer (June to August 2027) or academic year (September 2027 to May 2028). ODS: spring, summer or fall semester. |
| Compensation | DNREC: $18.50 an hour, up to 37.5 hours a week. Delaware Department of State and OMB: paid hourly; rates not published on the State's own pages. Intern Pool: "Salary to be determined at the time of the offer", with funded and volunteer placements. ODS: unpaid. Governor's Office: pay not stated; releases point students to academic credit. |
| Return offers | None built in. DNREC's 2026 report describes one 2024 intern as "1 of 6 former interns now employed with the State". Other agencies publish no conversion figures. |
| Locations | Statewide. Delaware Department of State and OMB are in person in Dover. DNREC has offices in all three counties, some with hybrid or flexible schedules. ODS has offices in Wilmington, Dover and Georgetown; DOC Probation and Parole in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties. |
| # Programs | Seven routes: the statewide Intern Pool, the Governor's Office, DNREC, the Delaware Department of State, OMB, DOC Probation and Parole, and the Office of Defense Services. |
The 2026 Intern Pool and the DOC Probation and Parole internship close December 31, 2026; DNREC's summer 2027 applications open in January 2027, and the Governor's Office windows for spring and summer 2027 are expected in late January and late April 2027.
Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, most commonly over 8 weeks. The Juvenile Justice Policy Analyst Externship with CIYJ fits the policy research Governor's Office and ODS interns do, and Health Research & Data Analytics with ARCeH fits DNREC's environmental data tracks. Explore all Externships.
What Is a State of Delaware Internship?
A State of Delaware internship is student work for Delaware's executive-branch agencies, with the State itself as the employer. It isn't Delaware State University, and it isn't Leadership Delaware's Intern Delaware program, which places students with private employers. There's no single program. The State keeps a yearly Intern Pool on its JobAps board, where you apply once and agencies "reach out" when an opening matches your field; funded and volunteer placements both come through it. Several agencies also run their own programs: the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the Office of the Governor, the Delaware Department of State (the Secretary of State's office in Dover, not the U.S. Department of State), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of Correction's Probation and Parole division and the Office of Defense Services (ODS), the public defender. The Governor's Office says it's "looking for folks who understand the importance of public service".
When Do State of Delaware Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
Delaware runs several cohorts a year, each on its own short calendar. The Governor's Office announced its spring 2026 cohort on January 27, 2026 with a deadline of 5 pm, February 6, and its summer 2026 cohort on April 23 with a deadline of 5 pm, May 1, for a 10-week term from early June. That's a lead time of under two months. DNREC opens once a year, in January, for a May or early June start, a lead time of about four to five months. The Intern Pool reopens each January: the 2024 pool opened January 1 and the 2026 pool January 6. DOC Probation and Parole asks applicants to make contact at least two months before their semester.
Open now: the 2026 Intern Pool and the DOC Probation and Parole internship (both until December 31, 2026), the Delaware Department of State for summer 2027 and academic year 2027-28, and ODS for spring 2027 (unpaid). Not open yet: DNREC summer 2027 (January 2027) and the Governor's Office spring 2027 cohort.
The 2026 Intern Pool and the DOC Probation and Parole internship close at 11:59 PM. The 2027 Intern Pool is expected in early January 2027.
DNREC's applications for summer 2027 open in January 2027, for up to 20 interns. Expected: the Governor's Office spring 2027 cohort in late January, with a window of about 10 days, following the January 27 to February 6, 2026 dates.
Expected: the Governor's Office summer 2027 cohort, with a window of about 8 days, following the April 23 to May 1, 2026 dates.
DNREC's 12-week program runs from May or early June to August, the Governor's Office summer term from early June to mid-August, and the Delaware Department of State summer term from June to August 2027. DNREC's report counts six former interns now employed with the State.
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
Delaware's routes are short windows with one hard date. The Governor's Office windows ran 8 to 10 days in 2026 and close at 5 pm on a Friday, and they're announced only through news releases, so a student who waits for a fall recruiting season misses them. DNREC uses what its report calls "a closed application period" and drew 229 applicants for 18 spots in 2026; it hasn't published a close date, so apply in the first days after it opens in January. The Intern Pool's hard date is December 31, 2026, and the Delaware Department of State takes one intern per term.
Which State of Delaware Internship Programs Should You Target?
The routes differ on pay, calendar and who can apply. Governor's Office dates come from the 2026 cohorts, so expect similar 2027 versions.
| Program | Focus | Duration | Key skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| State of Delaware Intern Pool (JobAps) | One application for all agencies and majors: finance, technology, public relations, environmental sciences, healthcare and more; funded and volunteer placements, some telework eligible | Set by the placing agency | Depends on the placement |
| DNREC Internship Program | Environmental finance, engineering and compliance, marketing communications, water quality, permitting, data science and statistics; $18.50 an hour | 12 weeks, May or early June to August | Research, data, field work, communications |
| Office of the Governor | Drafting proclamations, tributes and event memos, answering constituent calls, policy research and attending hearings; pay not stated | Spring (14 weeks in 2026) and summer (10 weeks in 2026) | Writing, research, public service |
| Delaware Department of State | Administrative and communications support in the Secretary of State's office, including social media content and press drafts; paid hourly, one intern per term | Summer 2027 (June to August) or academic year 2027-28 | Writing, Canva, Microsoft Office, organization |
| OMB Internship Program | First State Financial modules: accounts payable and receivable, purchase orders, PCARDs, reporting and research projects; paid, rate by experience | 10-15, 20-37.5 or 30-37.5 hours a week by schedule | Accounting, finance, writing |
| DOC Probation and Parole; Office of Defense Services | Criminal justice: community supervision and court observation (DOC); research, writing and court work at the public defender (ODS, unpaid) | One semester | Research, writing, human services |
The University of Delaware runs the Legislative Fellows program with the General Assembly, so it isn't a State hiring route. FLii, a Delaware Department of State program, is for high-school students. Delaware State Parks, a DNREC division, keeps its own internships page.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
Each route sets its own rules. These come from the program pages and the JobAps bulletins.
• Intern Pool: "currently enrolled in an accredited program at a college or university - All majors welcome!" You must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
• DNREC: current college students or recent graduates; a 2024 release said the program is open to students "whether in-state or out".
• Governor's Office: rising and current undergraduate and graduate students in 2026; the fall 2025 cohort also took recent 2025 graduates.
• Delaware Department of State: current students at an accredited college or recent graduates, with a 3.0 cumulative GPA and reliable transportation; no remote or hybrid work.
• OMB: undergraduate or graduate students at two- or four-year schools, or recent graduates, in finance, accounting or a related major, with a 2.5 GPA; in person in Dover.
• DOC Probation and Parole: students in an accredited post-secondary program in a human-service field, in good academic standing; "Preference for placement is given to Seniors".
• ODS: undergraduates who pass a criminal background check and have their own computer and transportation.
Do You Need to Live in Delaware?
No. None of the program pages we read limits applicants to Delaware residents or Delaware schools, and DNREC says it takes students from out of state. The real limits are practical: the Delaware Department of State and OMB are in person in Dover, and ODS and DOC place interns in county offices. GPA floors are stated for two routes: 3.0 at the Delaware Department of State and 2.5 at OMB.
What Skills Does the State of Delaware Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
We read six State intern descriptions in full: the Delaware Department of State, OMB, DOC Probation and Parole, DNREC, the Governor's Office releases and ODS. Written communication and research lead, each in four: the Delaware Department of State asks for "Strong written and verbal communication skills", and the Governor's Office lists "conducting research on policy matters". Public service comes next, from answering constituent calls to "courteous customer service to members of the public". OMB wants interns who are "Self-motivated, hard-working, and well-organized".
What State of Delaware looks for in interns
Skills across 6 State of Delaware intern & analyst job descriptions · 2026 State program pages and bulletins, projecting 2027
Method: full-text reading of six program-level descriptions: the Delaware Department of State internship page, the OMB program page, the DOC Probation and Parole bulletin on JobAps, DNREC's program page and 2026 report, the Governor's Office cohort releases and the ODS program page. DNREC's per-position descriptions for 2027 aren't posted yet, so counts are small.
How Is Demand for Policy Interns Moving Right Now?
Policy intern postings · Jul–Oct 2026
all internships 2.5×
For State of Delaware applicants: the State posts internships on its own JobAps board, which this card doesn't cover. On November 12, 2026 that board listed two intern recruitments, the 2026 Intern Pool and the DOC Probation and Parole internship, both closing December 31, 2026.
Daily US job-posting counts, Jul–Oct 2026; each bar is that month's daily average. Growth = October vs July; “all internships” = the 48 intern searches tracked across the whole period. Covers under half of US postings; shows direction, not market size.
Build These Skills Before You Apply
Each row ties a duty from a real State intern description to a remote Externship that gives you a finished project to talk about.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Policy research and writing | Governor's Office: "conducting research on policy matters"; ODS: "Research and Writing Projects" | Juvenile Justice Policy Analyst with CIYJ |
| Environmental data and statistics | DNREC: "Data science and statistics" and water quality research | Health Research & Data Analytics with ARCeH |
| Financial processing | OMB: "Accounts Payable", "Purchase Orders" and "First State Financial modules" | Attronica Financial Planning & Analysis |
| Memos, briefings and reports | Governor's Office: "drafting proclamations, tributes, and event memos" | Reggie Stephens Foundation AI Strategy Consulting |
| Social media content | Delaware Department of State: "developing, drafting, and editing social media content" and "Canva or similar platforms" | Social Media Coordinator with Breaking Games |
None of these Externships is connected to the State of Delaware. They help because the Delaware Department of State and the Governor's Office ask for a writing sample, and a finished project gives you something specific to submit and discuss.
What Is the State of Delaware Application and Interview Process Like?
The steps differ by route. These come from the program pages, the JobAps bulletins and the State's news releases. No official page describes the interview stage.
1. Intern Pool: apply on JobAps. Pick your preferred location and field of study, then answer the supplemental questionnaire or upload a resume; the bulletin recommends adding a cover letter on the Other tab. Agencies contact you when an internship fits.
2. DNREC: join the notice list now. Use the sign-up form on DNREC's internships page; positions are posted before the January 2027 window opens.
3. Governor's Office: email your materials by the deadline. The summer 2026 cohort asked for a cover letter, resume and brief writing sample sent to GovInternships@delaware.gov by 5 pm; spring 2026 asked for a resume, writing sample and three references.
4. Delaware Department of State: submit the online form. Add a cover letter, resume, letter of recommendation and a writing sample of at least 500 words; questions go to DOSinternships@delaware.gov.
5. OMB, DOC and ODS: apply to the program directly. OMB links its application from its internships page; DOC applicants send the Application for Student Internship to their county coordinator; ODS applicants email a resume and cover letter to ODS_Interns@delaware.gov, naming the term, availability and county.
If you want pay and a summer placement, the two dates to plan around are the Intern Pool's December 31 close and DNREC's January opening.
What Students on Reddit Say
Reddit has little on State of Delaware internships. We found two first-hand threads, from 2023 and 2025, and here's what commenters said.
A commenter told a student looking for summer environmental work that the State keeps an active internship pool you can apply to, and stressed tailoring your resume to the specific agency and position.
Another suggested skipping the HR route and emailing someone in the section you want, such as the state forester, who sits in the Department of Agriculture rather than DNREC. In their view most state offices answer direct interest and remember it at interview time.
When a parent asked about internships for a communications major, a student pointed to DNREC's program and listed its fields, from marketing communications to data science and statistics.
How Do You Stand Out for a State of Delaware Internship?
First, get into the 2026 Intern Pool before December 31 and reapply when the 2027 pool posts, because agencies search the pool when they have funding. Second, join DNREC's notice list now and apply in the first days of January: its pool nearly doubled each year, to 229 applicants for 18 spots in 2026. Third, keep a polished writing sample ready, since the Governor's Office and the Delaware Department of State both ask for one and the Governor's windows last about a week. The State publishes no acceptance or conversion rates beyond DNREC's report.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
Students applying to the State of Delaware often also look at these public-sector employers in the region and beyond.
- State of Marylandneighboring state government with a paid Governor's Summer Internship ProgramGuide →
- EPAfederal environmental agency, the closest match to DNREC's tracksGuide →
- NOAAfederal coastal and ocean science internshipsGuide →
- GAOfederal policy research and audit workGuide →
- Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphiaregional public-sector employer whose district includes DelawareGuide →
For more public-sector options and their timing, see our government internships summer 2027 guide.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2026 State of Delaware internship?
No. The summer 2026 cohorts have ended; the Governor's Office summer window closed May 1, 2026. What's open now is the 2026 Intern Pool and the DOC Probation and Parole internship, both until December 31, 2026, plus the Delaware Department of State for summer 2027 and ODS for spring 2027. DNREC opens in January 2027.
Does the State of Delaware pay interns?
It depends on the agency. DNREC pays $18.50 an hour for up to 37.5 hours a week. The Delaware Department of State and OMB pay hourly but don't publish the rate. The Intern Pool has funded and volunteer placements. ODS internships are unpaid, and the Governor's Office releases don't state pay.
When do summer 2027 applications open?
It varies by route. DNREC opens in January 2027, and the Governor's Office summer cohort is expected in late April 2027, after the 2026 window ran April 23 to May 1. The Delaware Department of State is already accepting summer 2027 applications, and the 2027 Intern Pool is expected in early January 2027.
Do I need to be a Delaware resident to intern with the State?
No. None of the program pages we read requires Delaware residency, and DNREC takes students from out-of-state schools. The Intern Pool requires authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship. Some roles are in person, including the Delaware Department of State and OMB in Dover, so plan for housing or a commute.
How does the State of Delaware Intern Pool work?
You apply once on the State's JobAps board, choosing your preferred location and field of study. The State keeps your information on file and contacts you when an agency has an internship in your field. The 2026 pool closes December 31, 2026, and a new pool has opened each January.
Is the Delaware Department of State internship the same as the U.S. Department of State's?
No. The Delaware Department of State is the Secretary of State's office in Dover, a state agency. It takes one intern per term, for summer 2027 or the 2027-28 academic year, needs a 3.0 GPA and pays hourly. The U.S. Department of State is the federal foreign affairs agency, with separate programs.
Can high school students intern with the State of Delaware?
Only through specific programs. FLii, run by the Delaware Department of State, is for high-school students. The Intern Pool, DNREC, the Governor's Office, OMB, DOC and ODS routes we read are for college students, and most also take recent graduates, so high-school students should look at FLii instead.
Does a State of Delaware internship lead to a job?
Sometimes, but there's no built-in offer. DNREC's 2026 report describes a 2024 intern now working as an Environmental Scientist II as one of six former interns employed with the State. Other agencies publish no conversion rates, and full-time State jobs are posted on the same JobAps board.
The Intern Pool closes December 31, 2026, and DNREC opens in January. If you want a finished project for your applications before then, a remote Externship runs alongside your classes.
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.
