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Funding

Salary

Program dates

May 24, 2027

Graduate Student Summer Associate Program

InternshipRemote

RAND Corporation

Application Deadline

December 1, 2026

Official Page

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

“Current graduate students (2nd year or later) enrolled in doctoral or professional degree program; some exceptions for certain types of master's degrees—see detail below. Residency in the U.S. (excluding U.S. territories) is required for the 2027 program. … For the 2027 Summer Program, students must reside in the U.S. throughout their RAND summer assignment. International students who are planning to live in the U.S. during the summer of 2027 are eligible to apply.” Eligibility

  • Education required

    Master Enrolled · PhD Enrolled

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The Graduate Student Summer Associate Program is RAND’s summer research placement for graduate students. Each associate is matched with a mentor and an ongoing, funded RAND project; nobody proposes their own topic.

Associates work full-time for 12 weeks in summer 2027, either at a RAND office (Santa Monica, Washington DC, Pittsburgh or Boston) with remote flexibility, or fully remote from home in the U.S. Each closes the summer with a short seminar on their findings.

Benefits & funding

  • About US$15,000 before tax for 12 weeks (60 workdays) full-time, paid bi-weekly; approved shorter stints (minimum 10 weeks) are pro-rated.
  • Mentoring, RAND seminars and networking, plus access to RAND research facilities.
  • No relocation assistance in 2027; housing and its cost are your own.
  • After an offer, RAND supplies documents so your university’s international office can arrange work authorisation.

Eligibility

  • Full-time graduate students with at least two years completed toward a doctorate (PhD, EdD, DrPH etc.) or professional degree (law, medicine, professional engineering); first-year doctoral students with strong research experience are occasionally considered.
  • Master’s students typically only in engineering, computer/information science and operations research.
  • Enrolled full-time in spring and fall 2027; graduating before December 2027 bars you.
  • Any nationality; U.S. citizenship only for some projects (contract or security clearance).
  • Must live in the U.S. (not U.S. territories) for the whole assignment, remote roles included.
  • 2027 priority: doctoral students in policy-relevant fields such as political science, engineering, computing, international relations, life sciences, economics, health and education policy; others may still apply.

Application process

  1. 1
    Apply online by 1 December 2026, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time with a CV, cover letter and three short answers (250 words each). One application per person; extras are randomly withdrawn.
  2. 2
    Name two recommenders (professors or advisers); letters are requested only at interview stage, typically late January–early February.
  3. 3
    Shortlisted applicants have phone or video interviews from early February into March and meet their potential mentor; a writing sample may be requested.

Program timeline

  1. Applications open

    15 Oct 2026

  2. Application deadline

    1 Dec 2026

  3. Interviews

    Early Feb–Mar 2027

  4. Offers

    Mid–late Mar 2027

  5. Program starts

    24 May or 14 Jun 2027 (tentative)

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