2025-06i: Paid Undergrad Internship

Are you a rising undergraduate senior with a strong interest in learning about social programs, policies, and research? Are you curious how program evaluations can inform social policy? Are you considering graduate education or a career in social policy?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may be an ideal candidate for the Gueron Scholars Program's paid summer internship at MDRC. Teaming up with The Policy Academies, MDRC has designed the internship to provide professional opportunities for rising seniors to get "hands-on" exposure to social policy research, gain insight into employment options beyond the academic and public sectors, and benefit from the guidance and support of MDRC's staff. The internship is open to all interested rising seniors.

In summer 2026, MDRC will offer rising seniors a paid eight-week internship in New York City. Up to two slots are available for applicants who apply through this open-call process. Students selected for this opportunity will be exposed to multidisciplinary teams that develop and evaluate programs focused on current social policy issues. Interns will have the opportunity to engage in assigned hands-on tasks within one or more of MDRC's five policy areas, two centers, or one of its research policy support units:

• Economic Mobility, Housing, and Communities Policy Area
• Family Well-Being and Children's Development Policy Area
• K-12 Education Policy Area
• Postsecondary Education Policy Area
• Youth Development, Criminal Justice, and Employment Policy Area
• Center for Applied Behavioral Science
• Center for Data Insights
• Data Collection Unit

As part of their project onboarding experience, interns will be matched with project staff, including near-peer MDRC team members, on each of their assigned projects. These MDRC staff will be available to answer project inquiries and serve as the project's primary points of contact.

Field Exposure and Skill Building

Through hands-on work experience, the paid internship exposes undergraduates to the field and supports individual skill building. Interns will:

• Learn about contemporary social and educational programs, policies, and research practices through hands-on and shadowing assignments, seminars and training, field visits, peer-to-peer learning, and weekly reflections.
• Experience professional mentorship by working with MDRC experts engaged in research, evaluation and technical assistance in several policy areas, including education, housing, criminal justice, youth development, and economic mobility, among others.
• Explore how innovations in data science and artificial intelligence are affecting research practices, program improvement, and social and educational interventions.
• Network with MDRC staff to discuss potential career paths in social policy and related fields and meet with external guest speakers, some of whom are national figures in the field of social policy. These professional relationships can support ongoing career development.
• Participate in professional development activities that support their communication skills (for instance, written assignments and oral presentations) and help them set professional goals. Interns also receive resume coaching from MDRC's People and Culture department.

Qualifications

• Must be in good standing academically and on track to be a college senior in the Fall of 2026 or Spring of 2027.
• Must be interested in social policy issues as evidenced by coursework in criminal justice, economics, education policy, political science, psychology, public administration, social policy, sociology, or related fields. Internship or extracurricular experience working on social policy topics is a plus.
• Must be interested in learning about how MDRC designs and conducts social science research.
• Must possess basic understanding of qualitative or quantitative research methods or data science.
• Must be able to self-motivate and manage multiple workplace tasks with excellent attention to detail.
• Must be comfortable working in a team-oriented, fast-paced professional workplace.
• Must be comfortable with and interested in learning to use new business software and technology.
• Must be comfortable collaborating in a professional manner in a hybrid workplace.
• Must be committed to learning and continuous improvement.
• Must possess strong oral and written communication skills.

Deadline and Notification

• Applications are due by 11:59 pm (ET) on Monday, January 12, 2026. Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed.
• The application review process will begin after the application deadline.
• Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.
• Interviews (when scheduled) will be conducted via video conferencing.
• Please see "What to expect from MDRC's recruitment process" for more information.

How to Apply

Instructions: Complete applications must include:

• A resume, including relevant academic and work experience.
• A personal statement (up to two single-spaced pages), which must include the following: (1) your specific interest in social policy issues and research, (2) your immediate career interests and goals after graduating from college, (3) how you expect this internship, coupled with your academic pursuits and/or prior experiences, will contribute to your professional growth, and (4) how your background, academic studies, and life experience have impacted your professional pursuits and why they make you a strong candidate for the Gueron Scholars Program undergraduate internship. In addition, applicants who intend to receive academic credit for the internship must state this in their personal statement.
• A copy of your unofficial college transcript(s), which must document your status as a registered student in good academic standing.
• The names, email addresses, and phone numbers of two academic or professional references.
• Please note: Applications that do not include all the required materials will be deemed incomplete and removed from consideration. This includes personal statements that do not explicitly address in detail the four points outlined above under the second bullet.

Important Things to Know

• Interns will be expected to begin their internships in June of 2026 and participate for the full 8 weeks through mid-August 2026.
• Interns are paid $18.00 per hour.
• Interns are expected to work 35 hours per week.
• Interns will be required to work in the New York office five days a week to participate in all program activities.
• This position may require minimal local travel for site visits and professional networking.
• To learn more about the internship experience at MDRC, watch this video: Meet David Alvarracin, 2023 Gueron Undergraduate Intern | MDRC.
• Direct questions about the internship to HRQuestions@mdrc.org.