Funding

Partial / Stipend

Internship•USA

Community College Internships (CCI)

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists

Application Deadline

September 30, 2026

Official Page

Community College Internships (CCI) is a paid program managed by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists with participating DOE laboratories and facilities. Each year, students work at one of 17 participating sites on technical projects that support DOE science and technology missions.

Participants work on site under the guidance of a scientist or engineer and can join professional-development activities, laboratory tours, lectures, and seminars. The usual appointment is 10 consecutive weeks in summer, fall, or spring; a few laboratories may instead spread 400 on-site hours across 16 weeks during fall or spring.

Benefits & funding

  • Participants receive a weekly stipend of $650.
  • A participant whose permanent address is more than 50 miles from the host laboratory may receive one round-trip domestic travel reimbursement; private-vehicle reimbursement is capped at $500 or the lowest commercial airfare, whichever is lower.
  • Housing arrangements vary by laboratory, and an allowance is available at laboratories that do not provide direct housing arrangements.
  • Host laboratories provide required site training and may offer technical writing, presentation, tours, lectures, and seminars.
  • Standard appointments run for 10 consecutive weeks; an optional fall or spring flex schedule at some laboratories spreads 400 on-site hours over 16 weeks, with the stipend prorated and housing support based on 10 weeks.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED by the application deadline and be currently enrolled full time or part time at a community college or accredited two-year college.
  • Applicants must have completed at least one semester as a matriculated undergraduate, at least 6 STEM credit hours, and at least 12 total undergraduate credit hours by the deadline.
  • A cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale is required; applicants below 3.0 must add a GPA waiver statement explaining the circumstances and how the internship would support their academic performance.
  • Applicants must be at least 18 when the internship begins.
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents at the time of application; lawful permanent residents must hold a current Permanent Resident Card.
  • A person may apply no more than three times and may participate in no more than two CCI internships.

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  • Age requirement

    ≥ 18 yrs

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Application process

  1. 1
    Confirm that every academic, enrollment, age, and citizenship or permanent-resident requirement is met.
  2. 2
    Create an account in the CCI online application system and complete the contact, education, citizenship-status, laboratory-selection, research-interest, and essay sections.
  3. 3
    Upload legible PDF transcripts from the current institution and every other undergraduate institution attended as a matriculated student within the preceding five years; remove Social Security numbers and full dates of birth.
  4. 4
    Request at least two recommendations through the online system; up to three may be requested, but only the first two completed letters are included.
  5. 5
    Submit the complete online application, transcripts, and recommendations by September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET; mailed or emailed materials are not accepted.

Program timeline

  1. July 8, 2026

    Spring 2027 application opened.

  2. Application Assistance Workshop.

    August 25, 2026

  3. CCI Office Hours.

    September 9, 16, and 23, 2026

  4. Application and recommendation deadline.

    September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET

  5. Offer notification period begins.

    Around October 15, 2026

  6. DOE expects all offers and notifications to be complete.

    Around December 17, 2026

  7. The 10-week spring internship takes place within this period; exact host dates are not published on the program pages.

    January–May 2027

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