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Congressional internship education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a congressional internship. Congressional interns usually study political science, business, or international relations. 80% of congressional interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,559 real congressional internship resumes to see exactly what congressional internship education sections show.

The most common colleges for congressional interns are the American University and the American University.

There are also many online congressional internship courses to help get the education required to be a congressional internship.

What education do you need to become a congressional internship?

What degree do you need to be a congressional internship?

The most common degree for congressional interns is bachelor's degree, with 80% of congressional interns earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 8% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 80%
  • Master's, 8%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Doctorate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a congressional internship?

You should major in political science to become a congressional internship. 44% of congressional interns major in political science. Other common majors for a congressional internship include business and international relations.

Most common colleges for congressional interns

Congressional interns often get their degrees at American University, George Washington University, The, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for congressional interns in the US based on their resumes.
Congressional internship common collegePercentages
American University12.26%
George Washington University, The11.63%
University of Maryland - College Park6.34%
University of California - Davis6.34%
Howard University6.13%

Best majors for congressional interns

RankMajorPercentages
1Political Science43.9%
2Business6.0%
3International Relations5.6%
4History5.2%
5Communication4.5%

Best colleges for congressional interns

The best colleges for congressional interns are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Northeastern University.

A congressional internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for congressional interns. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become congressional interns.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

20 best online courses for congressional interns

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Top 10 most affordable universities for congressional interns

The most affordable schools for congressional interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for congressional interns are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for congressional interns.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

7. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for congressional interns

The hardest universities for congressional interns to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for congressional interns are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for congressional interns based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

9. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for congressional interns

The easiest schools for congressional interns to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and saint joseph's college of maine.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a congressional internship without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for congressional interns.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

4. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average congressional internship salary by education level

According to our data, congressional interns with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $47,013 annually. Congressional interns with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $42,537.
Congressional internship education levelCongressional internship salary
Master's Degree$47,013
Bachelor's Degree$42,537

Congressional internship education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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