Students and recent graduates can apply for a summer internship at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, working on real peace, health, or operations projects. Applications for the summer session close on 1 March at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, and the session starts on 18 May. You meet the basic eligibility test if you are an undergraduate junior or senior, a graduate student, or graduated within the past 24 months.
This is a working internship at a well-known international organisation, not a classroom course. The Carter Center says its educational programmes have run for more than 40 years and have welcomed nearly 4,000 interns and graduate assistants from around the world.
What this internship actually involves
Interns join one of the Center’s programmes and take on real tasks in its mission of advancing peace and health worldwide. The official page describes three broad areas: peace initiatives, health initiatives, and operational work that keeps the organisation running. Your exact tasks will depend on the team you join.
The Center looks for strong candidates who show solid academic ability and who have academic, professional, or personal experience and interests connected to its programmes. That wording matters: grades alone are not the whole story, and a student who has volunteered, researched, or followed an issue closely can show a genuine connection to the Center’s work, even without a long CV.
The key details at a glance
| Organisation | The Carter Center |
| Programme | Summer Internships |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
| Work areas | Peace, health, and operations |
| Application deadline | 1 March, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time |
| Session start date | 18 May |
| Who can apply | Undergraduate juniors and seniors, graduate students, and recent graduates (graduated within the past 24 months) |
| Stipend | Not stated on the official page |
Who can apply — and a quick self-check
The eligibility rule is short and clear: you must be an undergraduate junior or senior, a graduate student, or a recent graduate who finished within the past 24 months. First-year and second-year undergraduates do not meet the rule yet, and should wait for a later session rather than apply early and be rejected.
Use this quick check before you spend time on an application:
- You are a junior, senior, graduate student, or recent graduate within the past 24 months.
- You can be based in Atlanta for the summer session.
- You have a real interest in peace, health, or operations work, and you can show it.
- You can meet the 1 March deadline.
The official page does not state nationality or residency requirements, or work authorisation rules. If that question applies to you, check the application form and contact the Center before assuming anything.
Peace, health, or operations: which area fits you?
Choosing the right area shapes how convincing you sound. Peace work covers democracy, elections, conflict resolution, and human rights; health work covers fighting disease and improving health in communities; and operations work covers the practical side of running a large organisation, such as communications, finance, or programme support. Ask yourself what you have already spent time on: if your studies, volunteering, or part-time work connect to one of these areas, that is your strongest choice.
How to make your application stand out
Because the Center looks for academic ability plus related experience and interests, your application should connect those two things clearly. Do not just list your courses or jobs. Explain, in simple sentences, how one experience prepared you for the kind of work the team does — one clear example beats a long list of unrelated activities. Read about the Center’s current work first, and be specific about your skills: if you can research, write clearly, organise information, work with data, speak another language, or support events, say so with a short example.
The money question you must plan for
The official page does not state a stipend, and the key-details table above says so plainly for that reason. Treat this as a budgeting question, not an assumption: before you accept any offer, confirm pay, hours, and any help with travel or housing in writing.
If funding is limited, you can still plan. Ask your university whether it offers internship grants, course credit, or hardship support, and check whether Atlanta housing through a university, a friend, or a short let is realistic for a full summer. A clear plan makes a summer in Atlanta possible; an untested assumption makes it stressful.
How to apply
The application is online. Use this order:
- Open the official Carter Center educational programmes page and find the summer internship listing.
- Check the programme area that fits your background best before you start the form.
- Complete the online application, including any essays or uploads it asks for.
- Submit before 1 March at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, and keep a copy of your submission.
For comparison, see our guides to the OCA Summer Internship in Washington, DC, the UNHCR Internship Programme and the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI).
Questions applicants often ask
Q: I am in my first year of university. Can I apply?
A: Not yet. You need to be a junior, senior, graduate student, or a graduate within the past 24 months. First-year and second-year undergraduates should wait for a later session.
Q: Do I have to be based in the United States?
A: The official page does not state a nationality or residency rule. Check the application form and contact the Center if this affects you.
Q: Is there a stipend?
A: The official page does not state one. Confirm pay, hours, and any support in writing before you accept an offer.
