Interns serve as paid staff to legislators, lobbyists, and government offices during the 45-day legislative session starting in late January.
Applications for 2024 Spring Semester due 09/15/23 for priority consideration.
How To Become an Intern
Before we pair you with a legislative internship, you first have to apply to the Hinckley Institute. These are the steps you will need to take during and after you click the Apply Now button to start your application.
Update your résumé, submit a writing sample, and write a cover letter addressed to the Hinckley Institute.
Writing Sample: It needs to be at least 4 pages demonstrating your best writing, such as a school paper. It should NOT be something new.
Cover Letter: Since you won’t have a specific job description to work with, include the following in your cover letter:
-Why you want to do an internship
-How an internship applies to your academic and professional goals
-Your skillset and past experiences that will help you to be a successful intern
Please refer to the Career and Professional Development Center’s website for more information on how to format and write a compelling resume and cover letter.
Students are required to contact the Center for Disability and Access (CDA) if they require special accommodations for field education. Please note that field education may require a CDA letter separate from classroom accommodations, and this process should be initiated as early as possible.
Once you begin the application process, you will be asked to submit:
One Letter of Recommendation (can come from an academic or professional source).
A copy of your transcript. You can obtain this from CIS or the University Registrar
Before your interview, research potential host offices:
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Individual legislators through the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel
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Executive branch: Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor
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Other government offices: Utah System of Higher Education, Howell Group, Utah League of Cities and Towns
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A range of advocacy groups and lobbyists
There’s no need to be nervous, but it will be a professional interview.
Meet with your academic advisor and determine how your internship credit should be applied. You can register for 6 to 15 credit hours.
After you are accepted to the Legislative Intern Program, you will be set up with internship interviews and need to complete the following:
You’ll receive an email with more details. Attendance is mandatory.
Accept interview requests and prepare for them.
Make sure to respond to any requests within 24 hours.
Complete interviews with host offices.
Most of these will be at the host offices. If you are out-of-state or abroad, they can be conducted remotely via phone or video call.
Update and check-in with the Hinckley Institute on your placement process.
Enroll in 6 to 15 HNKLY credit hours.
Attend intern orientation at the Hinckley Institute.
Complete paper work and attend the Legislative Prep Course
Additional Requirements
Student Testimonials
Interns from a diverse range of studies and interests discover the power of legislative work. Motivated and engaged students will gain unique, sought-after skills and springboard their future career paths.
"I completed a legislative internship through the Hinckley Institute and interned for our Senate Minority Whip, Luz Escamilla. This experience was incredible and has furthered my interest in politics as well as encouraged me to become more engaged in our own local community and be informed about policies that effect us. I would recommend anyone to seek information about all the internships the Hinckley Institute has to offer. Even if you're not majoring in Political Science, there's something for every student."
"My favorite part of a legislative internship was helping the Representative I interned for make good changes for Utah. It was very fulfilling work. I also assisted on getting a bill passed to make Juneteenth a state holiday, and worked as my representative's right-hand man helping with her schedule, meetings, and advice. I encourage everyone to get civically engaged."
"As Senator Escamilla’s intern, I researched and created talking points and fact sheets that explained her bills, attended committee meetings, responded to constituents, and ensured that everything ran smoothly so that my Senator was always ready to go. I learned the importance of flexibility, adaptability, and accuracy. I gained valuable research, communication, and leadership skills that will assist me as I continue with my academic journey and beyond. Most importantly, I learned the power that exists in our voices when we as a community speak up about issues that we care about and impact us."
“Having the opportunity to intern during Utah’s Legislative Session offered an unparalleled learning experience. Working closely with a legislator offered me the chance to gain in-depth knowledge of policy making and observe the interpersonal relationships among legislators, constituents, and lobbyists. It was especially exciting to see how the work I did helped my senator pass legislation that directly benefited Utahns. This experience allowed me to view the big picture of how social work skills can be applied on the macro-practice in law making. In addition to applying my learned social work skills, I developed more as a young professional, and gained meaningful personal and professional connections throughout this process. Being a legislative intern during the 2019 Legislative Session was the best possible way to cap my social work education.”
"The Utah Legislative internship. It got me started in my career. I was able to do three different internships my time at the Hinckley Institute and that internship by far gave me the most robust experience. It launched my career, and because of that I will be graduating with a great job out of college. I got a job at the Republican National Committee as their External Support Data Analyst in Washington D.C. I plan on working there for a few years and hopefully working my way up through the RNC."
“Being a part of the Utah House Democrats was exciting, other than tasks specific to my legislator, House Democrat interns worked together on many projects to accomplish goals for the caucus. It was a very fun environment to be a part of but the professional experience, networking opportunities, and application of new skills was unparalleled. My majors are Gender Studies and Economics and the legislator I was paired with ran multiple bills that related to them and I discovered plenty of opportunities to learn how to apply my majors to this internship program.”
“I graduated with a degree in Political Science, and I used knowledge from my Hinckley internships to maximize my understanding of the legislative process. I worked for a U.S. Senator, a Utah Representative, a Parliamentary campaign, and a D.C. lobbying firm. I experienced the many levels of creating legislation, and I enjoyed learning from politicians and organizations on different sides of the aisle.”
"As a biology major, I did my internship at the Utah State Legislature to learn the process of how laws are made in our state. This internship gave me quite a few connections to help me with my future career goals. The Hinckley Institute helped me get the exposure I needed to further my interests in laws concerning science and health."
"In my time at the Utah Legislature, Senator Dabakis mentored me as I transitioned from my undergraduate studies to a graduate program. It was through his counsel that I found the wherewithal and drive to pursue my passion for Finance. He introduced me to numerous connections and invaluable opportunities that led to my current position in Private Equity. The internship prepared me for the challenges ahead and elevated my access to opportunities enormously. After graduation, I pursued a Master's degree in Finance, which was awarded Spring of 2019. I now work in my industry for a Private Equity firm based in Austin, TX.”