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Washington Semester Program 4801 Mass Ave, NW, 4th Floor Washington, DC 20016 United StatesWSP Summer Program
American University’s Washington Semester Program (WSP) Summer is an opportunity for students to spend a summer in DC, work in a DC internship, and earn academic credit. Now in its 76th year, WSP has enabled 50,000+ students from hundreds of domestic and international universities to live, work, and study in Washington, DC.
The WSP motto “DC Is Our Classroom” highlights the unique value of the program—combining experiential learning from a nationally ranked university with structured and supervised internships at some of DC’s most prestigious and dynamic institutions.
Summer Program:
- 8-week program
- Internship: 4 days a week
- Course: 1 day a week
- Housing: TurnKey luxury apartments
- American University Services + Resources
Summer 2024 Requirements
Dates & Deadlines
Summer 2024
Top 3 Reasons to Apply by or before Priority Deadline?
- competitive internships require early applications!
Ex. Fed agencies like State Department and prestigious organizations like Woodrow Wilson Center - internships that require secruity clearnces require applications as early as Nov 15
- scholarship consideration
- housing preference
App Deadlines | Summer 2024 |
---|---|
Priority | Feb 16 |
Regular | Mar 31 |
INTL Schools | Not Eligible |
Scholarship | Mar 15 |
Program Timeline | Summer 2024 |
---|---|
Move-In Window | May 10 - 29 |
Internship + Class Start | Jun 4 |
Internship + Class End | Jul 26 |
Move-Out Window | Jul 26 - Aug 9 |
Eligibility
Eligibilty
enrolled in a 2 or 4 year college or university OR graduated with a bachelor's in the past year |
completed at least two semesters (or 24 credits) |
possess a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA |
International students studying at U.S. universities are welcome to apply. We do not provide visa support for our summer program. |
How to Apply
To Apply:
- Create an account.
- Check with your home school advisor or study off-campus office on credit transfer.
- After you have created an account, complete the application.
- After you have submitted the first portion of your application, you must return to your account and complete supplemental items (once you refresh the page, supplemental items should be an option).
Note: Your application will not be considered until you have submitted the required supplemental items.
Supplemental Items
- Official transcript from your home institution
- Resume
Please submit all supplemental items electronically. Your certified electronic transcript should be sent to ogisdocuments@american.edu through your home institution. If your institution cannot issue an electronic copy, please let us know at washsem@american.edu.
WSP Summer 2024
Where Will You Intern?
You’ll have access to hundreds of internship openings and thousands of internship leads in our program online database. There are a wide variety of sectors where WSP Summer students find internships, including:
The Arts
Business
Digital Media
Education
Environment
Foreign Policy
Government/Politics
Healthcare
IT
Journalism
Law
Social Justice
Internship Search and Supervision: We'll support you every step of the way!
- Step 1: “DC Ready” resume & cover letter development
- Step 2: Interview Training
- Step 3: WSP Internship Database support
- Step 4: Getting you to yes
Experienced WSP faculty and administrators work with you and your internship supervisors to help you have a great internship experience.
Internship Success Training
We’ll help you develop the skills you need to be successful in your internship and future job—skills like communication, professionalism, teamwork, and conflict resolution—through a mix of career exploration workshops, professional skills building sessions, alumni and employer networking events, and advising with our dedicated internship coaches and professional faculty.
Internship Course | choice of 1 or 3 credits
Embark on a dynamic learning experience with our summer internship courses. Our courses are designed to give you credit for your internship! You have the opportunity to select from a 3 or 1 credit internship class.
While all courses share identical career readiness content, the distinguishing factor lies in your choice of site visits and guest speakers.
All courses integrate essential career readiness content, including:
goal-setting, workplace communication, diversity awareness, reflection on projects, and mentorship.
Select one course from the list below:
-
Internship Course (Politics + Law)
- Credits: 3
- Modality: Hybrid
- Hours at Your Internship: Minimum of 210
- Career Readiness Content: 3 classes
- Site Visits + Speakers: 4 (Politics + Law)
-
Internship Course (International Affairs)
- Credits: 3
- Modality: Hybrid
- Hours at Your Internship: Minimum of 210
- Career Readiness Content: 3 classes
- Site Visits + Speakers: 4 (International Affairs)
-
Internship Course (Varied Areas of Interest)
- Credits: 3
- Modality: Hybrid
- Hours at Your Internship: Minimum of 210
- Career Readiness Content: 3 classes
- Site Visits + Speakers: 4 (Various Interests)
-
Internship Course (Varied Areas of Interest)
- Credits: 1
- Modality: Hybrid
- Hours at Your Internship: Minimum of 70
- Career Readiness Content: 3 classes
- Optional Site Visits + Speakers: 4 (Various Interests)
-
Internship Course (100% Virtual Option)
- Credits: 1
- Modality: 100% Virtual (Ideal for remote internships outside of DC)
- Hours at Your Internship: Minimum of 70
- Career Readiness Content: 3 classes
- Site Visits + Speakers: Not applicable due to modality
Tuition, Housing + Costs
Description | Amount |
---|---|
3-credit Internship + Internship Course 1-credit Internship + Internship Course (100% online, hybrid, or in-person) |
$4,400 $2,625 |
Program fee | $30 |
Note: Washington Semester Program does not sponsor visas for students in the summer program.
Apartment Options | Rate |
---|---|
Double Occupancy 2 Bedroom + 2 Full Bathroom Apartment 2 students per bedroom | 4 students per apartment |
$4,475 |
Single Occupancy 2 Bedroom + 2 Full Bathroom Apartment 1 student per bedroom | 2 students per apartment |
$8,950 |
Description | Amount |
---|---|
Summer coverage only1 May 1, 2023 – July 31, 2023 |
$549 |
1 Health insurance is required. Students may provide their own coverage or choose the AU summer health insurance plan. Students must be taking 6 credits to enroll in the AU summer health insurance plan.