Last updated: November 2026
Every State of Hawaii internship program we found is limited to Hawaii residents, so check that first. If you qualify, two doors are open today: the Department of Labor's Hele Imua program says it's "currently accepting applications", and the Department of Transportation (HDOT) hires part-time student workers during the school year on a rolling basis. The main college route, HDOT's paid Summer Internship Program, isn't open for 2027 yet. Its summer 2026 deadline was April 15, 2026, so applications for summer 2027 are expected to open around January 2027 and close around mid-April 2027. In plain words: you apply between now and April 2027, you intern in summer 2027.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | HDOT Student Employment Program (Microsoft Forms application on the page) and DLIR Hele Imua (email your county Workforce Development Division office). The State's NEOGOV job board carries no internships, so bookmark the two program pages instead. |
| Application window (2027–28) | HDOT summer 2027: expected to open around January 2027 and close around mid-April 2027 (the summer 2026 deadline was April 15, 2026). HDOT school-year part-time jobs: open now, rolling. Hele Imua: open now, rolling. |
| Rolling? | Hele Imua and HDOT school-year jobs, yes. HDOT's summer program, no: it had a fixed deadline of April 15, 2026 for summer 2026. |
| Eligibility | Hawaii residents only. HDOT: at least 16 by the first day, currently enrolled in school, residency within 30 days of the start date. Hele Imua: 16 or older, enrolled in a public high school or accredited college, or graduated within the past year, with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher. |
| Duration | HDOT summer: full time (40 hrs/week), May through September. HDOT school year: up to 19 hrs/week, September to May. Hele Imua: up to 12 consecutive weeks, with possible extension. |
| Compensation | HDOT 2026 hourly rates: Student Intern II $24.35 (three years of college documented), Student Intern I $22.50 (two years), Student Helper II $20.70, Student Helper I $16.00. Hele Imua is paid through DLIR payroll; the rate is not published on the State's own pages. |
| Return offers | No conversion rate is published. DLIR reports that its four 2025 Hele Imua award winners were hired into State positions, and one hospital host hired three of its four interns. |
| Locations | In person. HDOT: all major islands, with housing and transportation your responsibility. Hele Imua: Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui and Kauai through county WDD offices. |
| # Programs | Two college routes (HDOT student employment and Hele Imua) plus two high-school programs (the Lieutenant Governor's internship and HIDOE student internships). |
Hele Imua and HDOT's school-year jobs take applications now; HDOT's summer 2027 program is expected to open around January 2027, and every route needs Hawaii residency.
Externships are short, remote programs where you finish a real project for a real company, most commonly over 8 weeks at 5 to 10 hours a week. They're open to students anywhere, which matters here because the State's own programs need Hawaii residency. The Juvenile Justice Policy Analyst Externship with CIYJ builds public-sector analysis skills, and the Reggie Stephens Foundation AI Strategy Consulting Externship fits the AI and automation work HDOT interns presented in 2025. Explore all Externships.
What Is a State of Hawaii Internship?
A State of Hawaii internship is paid student work inside the Executive Branch of Hawaii state government. Two departments run the programs college students can use. The Department of Transportation (HDOT) hires students year-round into its Administration, Highways, Harbors and Airports divisions, and its first Summer Internship Program in 2025 took in "more than 120 student interns" for 12 weeks. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations runs Hele Imua, which places students and recent graduates in State departments for up to 12 weeks, with pay through DLIR. Two high-school programs also exist. The City and County of Honolulu is a separate employer with its own programs, and they aren't covered here.
When Do State of Hawaii Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
There are three calendars. HDOT's summer program had one documented cycle: the 2026 program was on HDOT's page by January 22, 2026, applications were due "no later than April 15, 2026", and the summer ran from May. That puts the lead time at about 4 months from opening to start, so applications for summer 2027 are expected to open around January 2027 and close around mid-April 2027. HDOT's school-year jobs and Hele Imua are rolling and open now. The two high-school programs had spring windows in 2026: HIDOE's ran March 30 to April 10, and the Lieutenant Governor's closed April 15.
Open right now for Hawaii residents: Hele Imua (rolling) and HDOT's part-time school-year jobs (rolling, up to 19 hrs/week). HDOT's summer 2027 program isn't open yet.
Get your documents ready: digital transcripts that prove your years of college (they set your HDOT pay tier), proof of Hawaii residency, and for Hele Imua a resume and a 250 to 500-word cover letter.
Expected: HDOT updates its page and opens applications for the summer 2027 program. The 2026 program was on the page by January 22, 2026.
Expected: the HDOT application deadline for summer 2027 (it was April 15 in 2026). High-school applicants: the 2026 HIDOE and Lieutenant Governor windows closed April 10 and April 15.
HDOT's summer program runs full time from May through September, with mentorship, workshops and a final presentation. Hele Imua placements of up to 12 weeks continue year-round.
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 modes differ by route. HDOT's summer program is a hard deadline: the 2026 page said applications were due "no later than April 15, 2026", so treat mid-April 2027 as the expected cutoff for summer 2027 and apply soon after the page updates. Hele Imua and HDOT's school-year jobs are rolling, which sounds relaxed but isn't. A Reddit applicant who applied to Hele Imua in June 2024 didn't hear back until September, so an early application is what gets you placed before your schedule fills up.
Which State of Hawaii Internship Programs Should You Target?
The two college routes are paid; the high-school programs are labelled below, and one is unpaid.
| Program | Focus | Duration | Key skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDOT Summer Internship Program (college and graduate students) | Paid project work in Administration, Highways, Harbors or Airports; Student Intern I $22.50/hr, Student Intern II $24.35/hr (2026) | Full time, May through September | Work in your major, presenting to stakeholders |
| HDOT school-year student employment | Part-time Student Helper and Student Intern jobs, rolling applications | Up to 19 hrs/week, September to May | Clerical and project work |
| HDOT High School Summer Cohort (high school) | Summer cohort listed on the 2026 HDOT flyer | June to August | Entry-level project work |
| Hele Imua (DLIR) | Paid placements in State departments for students and graduates of the past year; rate not published | Up to 12 consecutive weeks, possible extension | Office and department duties |
| Lieutenant Governor's High School Internship (high school, unpaid) | Cohort of six at the State Capitol, Tuesday and Thursday mornings | June 15/16 to July 16 in 2026 | Office and public-service skills |
| HIDOE student internships (HIDOE high school students only) | Summer internships for students in Hawaii public high schools and adult schools | Summer; 2026 window March 30 to April 10 | Varies by placement |
Details sit on the HDOT Student Employment Program page, which still shows the 2026 program, and the Hele Imua page. High-school details are on the Lieutenant Governor's internship page.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
Residency comes first. These are the rules on each program's own page.
• Residency: Hawaii residents only. HDOT asks for residency within 30 days of your start date, so Hawaii students at mainland colleges can apply.
• Age: at least 16 by the first day (HDOT) or 16 or older (Hele Imua).
• Enrollment, HDOT: currently enrolled in school. Your pay tier depends on documented years of college: two years for Student Intern I, three for Student Intern II.
• Enrollment, Hele Imua: enrolled in a public high school or an accredited college or university, or earned a diploma or degree within the past year, under Act 251 (2025).
• Other Hele Imua rules: not a registered apprentice or journey worker, and a background check.
• Logistics: HDOT's flyer says you must have your own housing and transportation.
Is the GPA a Hard Cutoff?
For Hele Imua, yes: a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher is part of the eligibility rules DLIR lists under Act 251. HDOT's 2026 flyer names no GPA. Its 2024 engineering intern flyer asked for a minimum 2.0 GPA and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, so check the 2027 flyer when it posts.
What Skills Does the State of Hawaii Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
There's no skill chart here because the State publishes no per-role internship job descriptions: its NEOGOV board lists no intern titles, and HDOT and DLIR don't post separate JDs. What the official pages do say is specific. HDOT's 2024 flyer says "Assignments will be given in student's major or a closely related field", and the 2026 flyer promises paid, project-based work with mentorship and skill workshops. The 2025 interns presented projects on a reef laboratory, eVTOL aircraft, the Aloha Tower centennial and "Automation Utilizing Intelligent Document Processing". Hele Imua says interns may do the same duties as a department's current employees.
Note: The State of Hawaii doesn't post internship job descriptions, so this page has no skill-frequency chart. The skills above come from HDOT's flyers, the Governor's office post on the 2025 projects and DLIR's Hele Imua page.
How Is Demand for Civil Engineering Interns Moving Right Now?
Civil engineering intern postings · Jul–Oct 2026
all internships 2.5×
For State of Hawaii applicants: The State doesn't post internships on its NEOGOV board, which listed about 444 openings and no intern titles on 11 November 2026. HDOT and DLIR take applications through their own pages, so check those directly.
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 work named on the State's own pages to a remote Externship that gives you a finished project to talk about.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| AI and document automation | HDOT Highways 2025 project: "Automation Utilizing Intelligent Document Processing"; program included AI workshops | Reggie Stephens Foundation AI Strategy Consulting |
| Public-sector analysis | Hele Imua aims to address vacancies in state government positions; interns do duties like current employees | Juvenile Justice Policy Analyst Externship with CIYJ |
| Project work and presenting to stakeholders | 2026 HDOT flyer: "Paid, project-based work experience" and "Present your work to stakeholders" | Institute of Mental Health Healthcare Operations & Consulting |
| Government IT and risk | Highways, harbors and airports run on public systems that need risk review | vCISO Cybersecurity Risk Assessment |
None of these Externships is connected to the State of Hawaii. They help because a finished project gives you something concrete to describe in a cover letter or an interview.
What Is the State of Hawaii Application and Interview Process Like?
The steps come from the HDOT Student Employment Program page and DLIR's Hele Imua page.
1. Confirm residency. Every State program found requires it; HDOT asks for it within 30 days of your start date.
2. HDOT: gather documents. Prepare digital files of your transcripts, since documented years of college decide whether you're a Student Intern I or II.
3. HDOT: apply online. Complete the Student Helper and Intern Application Form (Microsoft Forms) linked on the HDOT page; school-year applications are rolling, and summer ones have a deadline.
4. Hele Imua: email your county office. Send the Employment Application for Non-Civil Service, a current resume and a 250 to 500-word cover letter to the WDD office for Oahu, Hawaii Island, Maui or Kauai, then submit the online interest form.
5. Interview and placement. Hele Imua matches you with a State department; interns join DLIR payroll.
HIDOE high school students apply through HIDOE's Workforce Development Branch, not through DLIR.
What Applicants on Reddit Say
There are no HDOT intern threads on Reddit. One r/Hawaii thread from January 2025 has first-hand Hele Imua accounts; it predates the 2025 eligibility change, when the program was open to non-students.
One commenter applied to Hele Imua in June and didn't hear back until September. They described the work as mostly office tasks, depending on the placement, and said you have to keep following up by email because the offices are short-staffed.
Another applicant, not a student, applied in October and was due to start about two weeks later. They were told a permanent position after the internship isn't guaranteed, but that interns move into full-time roles often.
How Do You Stand Out for a State of Hawaii Internship?
First, apply early on the rolling routes and follow up politely, since a Reddit applicant waited about three months to hear back from Hele Imua. Second, send HDOT complete transcripts: the extra documented year moves you from $22.50 to $24.35 an hour on 2026 rates. Third, treat the internship as the step into State work it's meant to be. Hele Imua exists to fill State vacancies, DLIR says its four 2025 award winners were hired into State positions, and Hilo Benioff Medical Center hired three of its four interns. The State publishes no acceptance or conversion rate.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
Students looking at Hawaii state government often also look at these public-sector employers.
- U.S. Department of Transportationfederal transportation agency, the national counterpart to HDOT's highways, harbors and airports workGuide →
- City of San Diegocity government with paid Employ & Empower internships posted by departmentGuide →
- NOAAfederal ocean, weather and fisheries science agencyGuide →
- FEMAcivilian federal agency for disaster response and recoveryGuide →
- NASAfederal science agency with spring, summer and fall sessionsGuide →
For more federal, state and city options, see our government internships summer 2027 guide.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2026 State of Hawaii internship?
No. HDOT's summer 2026 deadline was April 15, 2026, and that program has run. Hawaii residents can apply now to Hele Imua or HDOT's part-time school-year jobs, both rolling. Applications for HDOT's summer 2027 program are expected to open around January 2027 and close around mid-April 2027.
Do I have to live in Hawaii to get a State of Hawaii internship?
Yes. Every State program we found requires Hawaii residency. HDOT asks for residency within 30 days of your start date, which lets Hawaii students at mainland colleges apply for summer. If you aren't a Hawaii resident, a remote Externship or a federal or city program elsewhere is the realistic alternative.
How much do State of Hawaii internships pay?
HDOT's 2026 hourly rates were $24.35 for Student Intern II (three years of college documented), $22.50 for Student Intern I (two years), $20.70 for Student Helper II and $16.00 for Student Helper I. Hele Imua is paid through DLIR payroll, but the rate isn't published on the State's own pages.
When do HDOT summer 2027 internship applications open?
Applications for HDOT's summer 2027 program are expected to open around January 2027 and close around mid-April 2027. That projection comes from one documented cycle: the 2026 program was on HDOT's page by January 22, 2026, with a deadline of April 15, 2026. Check the HDOT Student Employment Program page from January.
Is the Hele Imua internship open right now?
Yes. On 11 November 2026, DLIR's page said it's currently accepting applications for Hele Imua, a paid placement of up to 12 weeks in a State department. You need Hawaii residency, a 2.5 GPA, and current enrollment or a diploma or degree earned within the past year. Applications are rolling.
Does a State of Hawaii internship lead to a full-time job?
It can, but no conversion rate is published. DLIR says its four 2025 Hele Imua award winners were hired into State positions, and one hospital host hired three of four interns. The usual entry route after graduation is the Professional Trainee civil-service job, posted on the State's NEOGOV board.
Can high school students intern with the State of Hawaii?
Yes, through separate programs. HDOT listed a High School Summer Cohort for June to August on its 2026 flyer. The Lieutenant Governor's High School Internship is unpaid, takes a cohort of six, and closed April 15 in 2026. HIDOE internships are only for students in HIDOE high schools and adult schools.
Does the State post internships on its NEOGOV jobs site?
No. On 11 November 2026 the State's NEOGOV board listed about 444 openings and none was an internship, student or co-op title. HDOT takes applications through a Microsoft Forms link on its own page, and Hele Imua by email to county Workforce Development Division offices, so watch those pages instead.
Hele Imua and HDOT's school-year jobs are open now, and HDOT's summer 2027 window is expected around January to mid-April 2027. If you want a finished project on your resume before then, or you aren't a Hawaii resident, a remote Externship fits around classes at 5 to 10 hours a week.
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.
