Supreme Court Internship 2027–2028: Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: October 2026

The Supreme Court of the United States pays its undergraduate interns, but you only get a two-week window to apply, and it can close early. The Supreme Court Internship Program opens applications on USAJOBS for two weeks beginning 22 May for fall, 12 September for spring and 15 February for summer. Nothing is open today: Spring 2027 closed on 26 September 2026. The next door is summer 2027, expected to open on 15 February 2027, and every announcement caps applications at 200. The 2026 Clerk's Office summer posting closed six days after it opened. In plain words: you apply in February 2027, you intern in summer 2027. Recent announcements pay $22.41 an hour. Law students and graduate students can't apply.

Quick Facts

Nothing is open today; summer 2027 is expected to open on 15 February 2027 for about two weeks, and the 200-applicant cap can close it sooner.

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. The Center for Improving Youth Justice Data Analytics Externship gives you justice-system data work to describe, and the Beats by Dre Creative Advertising Strategy Externship builds audience-communication practice. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Supreme Court Internship?

A Supreme Court internship is a paid, full-time placement in one of the Court's administrative offices in Washington, DC. The Court says the program has run for more than 40 years to help students build a working knowledge of the role, functions and history of the Court. Interns do administrative and public-facing work, such as answering inquiries and processing records, and their responsibilities are wholly distinct from the Court's case work; they don't work directly with the Justices. Special enrichment includes attending Court sessions and seminars organized by the Supreme Court Fellows.

When Do Supreme Court Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

The Court runs a fixed annual calendar. Its program page says applications are open on USAJOBS for two weeks beginning 22 May (fall), 12 September (spring) and 15 February (summer). USAJOBS records match: summer 2026 ran 15 February to 1 March. Fall 2026 ran 22 May to 7 June, and spring 2027 ran 12 to 26 September. Start dates aren't published, so the lead time can't be stated. The next summer window is about four months away.

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

This is a short window, not a rolling review. Every announcement says the vacancy "has a limit of 200 applicants" and will close automatically when the limit is reached. The Clerk's Office summer 2026 announcement opened on 15 February. It closed on 21 February, though the scheduled close was 1 March. Incomplete applications aren't considered. Have your cover letter, transcript and two recommendations ready before the window opens, and apply on the first day.

Which Supreme Court Internship Programs Should You Target?

The program is one application process with seven offices, each posted as its own USAJOBS announcement.

Office descriptions sit on the program page, and the Curator's Office has a detail page on its positions. The Supreme Court Fellows Program is a separate post-graduate program with its own application, due 15 November 2026 for 2027–2028, and isn't covered here.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

These rules come from the Court's program page and its USAJOBS announcements.

• Citizenship: open to the public: U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

• Education: at least two semesters of undergraduate study completed, plus one of three conditions: actively enrolled in a bachelor's program for the entire term, returning to a bachelor's program right after the term, or joining a federal fellowship program afterward.

• Not eligible: law students and graduate students.

• Time commitment: preference for 8-hour days, 5 days a week; some offices accept at least 4 days. The Counselor's Office takes only full-time students.

• Screening: offers depend on a security background check, and men born after 31 December 1959 must certify Selective Service registration.

• Location: onsite in Washington, DC. Interns can seek academic credit through their schools.

Is There a GPA Requirement?

No minimum is stated. The Court asks for academic achievement and calls the program competitive, and it requires a transcript, preferably in a format that shows instructor names. One of your two letters must come from a course instructor, so choose a professor who can speak to your work.

What Skills Does the Supreme Court Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

The Court publishes qualities more than a skills list: strong academic achievement, the ability to work closely with others, flexibility, self-sustaining motivation, and "impeccable trustworthiness, discretion, and maturity." Office duties add written communication (correspondence, news summaries), phone and public-facing service (Clerk, Public Information) and public speaking (Curator tours). The Curator's Office lists collections software such as The Museum System as preferred.

Note: No skills chart: the Court publishes office duties and personal qualities rather than skill requirements, and every internship announcement was closed when we checked, so there is nothing to count honestly.

How Is Demand for Policy Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each row ties a duty from the Court's program page to a remote Externship that gives you a finished project to describe.

None of these Externships is connected to the Supreme Court. They help because your cover letter has one page to show what you can do, and a finished project is a concrete example.

What Is the Supreme Court Application and Interview Process Like?

The steps below come from the Court's program page.

1. Prepare the package. A one-page cover letter, résumé, college transcript, two letters of recommendation (at least one from a course instructor) and the USAJOBS questionnaire. Recommenders can upload letters or email them to internships@supremecourt.gov.

2. Apply inside the window. Submit everything through USAJOBS during the two weeks. Incomplete applications won't be considered.

3. Interviews. Interviews follow for select candidates.

4. Offer and screening. Offers depend on a security background check. You might get a request for an original official transcript with a provisional offer.

The Court doesn't publish a decision date. Applicants to the summer 2025 round reported rejection emails from USAJOBS on 10 and 14 April 2025, roughly five to six weeks after the window closed.

What Students on Reddit Say

Only one thread had first-hand applicant detail, so these two cards both come from it.

How Do You Stand Out for a Supreme Court Internship?

First, be ready on day one. The 200-applicant cap closed one 2026 posting in six days, so finish your cover letter and recommendations before 15 February. Second, apply to more than one office. Each is a separate announcement with a few openings, usually 1 to 3. Third, make the letters count. One must come from a course instructor, and the Curator's Office wants preferred project areas named. The Court doesn't publish applicant counts or an acceptance rate.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Students applying to the Supreme Court often also target these federal and cultural institutions in Washington.

For more federal options and USAJOBS timing, see our government internships summer 2027 guide.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Supreme Court internship?

No. The summer 2026 window ran from 15 February to 1 March 2026, and the Clerk's Office posting closed early on 21 February. Nothing is open today either, since Spring 2027 closed on 26 September 2026. The next summer window is expected to open 15 February 2027.

When do Supreme Court summer 2027 internship applications open?

The Court's page says summer applications open on USAJOBS for two weeks beginning 15 February, so we expect 15 February 2027, as in 2025 and 2026. Fall 2027 should open 22 May 2027. Spring 2028 should open 12 September 2027. Any posting can close earlier if it reaches 200 applicants.

Is the Supreme Court internship paid?

Yes. The program page says it's paid, and recent announcements list $22.41 an hour for full-time work. That wasn't always true: the spring 2025 round was an unpaid student volunteer program, and paid internships began with summer 2025 at $22.19 an hour. The Court offers a transit subsidy but no parking benefit.

Who is eligible for a Supreme Court internship?

U.S. citizens, nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S. who have completed two semesters of undergraduate study and are enrolled in, or returning to, a bachelor's program. Law students and graduate students aren't eligible. Offers depend on a security background check, with no clearance required.

Which Supreme Court offices take interns?

Seven offices post internships: the Counselor to the Chief Justice (spring and fall only), the Clerk, the Curator, Public Information, the Marshal, the Library and Information Technology. Each is a separate USAJOBS announcement with a small number of openings, usually one to three, so applying to more than one office can help.

How long is a Supreme Court internship?

Fall and spring terms run 16 weeks. Summer interns work at least 8 weeks and no more than 90 days, and the Court prefers 8-hour days, 5 days a week, though some offices accept four. Interns work onsite in Washington, DC. Exact start dates aren't published.

Do Supreme Court interns work on cases?

No. The Court says interns have responsibilities wholly distinct from its case work and don't work directly with the Justices or on pending cases. Duties are administrative and public-facing, such as answering phones, responding to public inquiries, processing records and conducting tours, depending on the office.

Is the Supreme Court Fellows Program the same thing?

No. It's a separate post-graduate program that began in 1973, with its own application. Applications for the 2027–2028 fellowship are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on 15 November 2026. The internship program covered here is for undergraduates, and law and graduate students can't apply to it.

Nothing is open until summer 2027 applications start, expected 15 February 2027, so use the time to line up recommenders and a USAJOBS alert. If you want a finished project to describe in your cover letter, a remote Externship fits around classes at 5 to 10 hours a week.