Get a jump start on your career with professional experience in Washington, D.C. with the Washington Leadership Program (WLP).
During this semester-long program, you’ll live, work, and learn in our nation’s capital—while earning IU credit and gaining valuable professional experience.
Students typically participate in WLP in the fall or spring semester of their junior or senior year. Admission is open to all IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis students.
WLP participants serve as IU ambassadors in the nation’s capital and represent the O’Neill School as a future generation of leaders.
We are currently accepting applications for the Spring 2027, Fall 2027, and Spring 2028 cohorts. The deadline to apply for Spring 2027 is September 11th at 11:59pm. The deadline to apply for either the Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 cohorts is February 19th at 11:59pm.
If you have questions about applying to WLP, email wlp@iu.edu for additional information.
Here is the information you’ll need for the online application:
The WLP class is selected based on academic record (transcripts will be obtained and reviewed for all applicants), student conduct record, the online application including cover letter and resume, and an interview with the selection committee.
As part of WLP, you will intern a full workweek in Washington, D.C. Working as a professional, you will complete substantive and independent assignments while gaining valuable career experience in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors.
You will be responsible for researching and applying for your own internship, but O’Neill is here to help. Use our career services as a resource throughout your search and application process—we can help with any necessary security clearance paperwork, as well as answer questions you may have leading up to and during your Washington, D.C. internship.
WLP students have worked in all three branches of government and the private and nonprofit sectors. Make a consultation with WLP staff today to learn more about what you might do in the program.
Description of the video:
As a member of congress, I had Washington Leadership students that worked in my congressional office. They got to see from the inside how a congressional office operated. In 2013, we went into a government shutdown. I had these Washington Leadership students who were the only staff. Because it was an internship program, I could keep them in the office. They helped me run that congressional office, and they did such a great job that when one of the young guys graduated, we had a job opening, we called and asked him to come work for us. He ended up being a staffer with me for about four years. And so I highly recommend students consider the Washington Leadership Program. It's a great way to kind of test the waters of public service.
You’ll live with your WLP cohort at Crimson Row, the new residence hall of the IU Capital Campus. Located in a vibrant neighborhood just steps from embassies, think tanks, foundations, and institutes, you'll have access to single and double rooms with private bathrooms, shared common areas and kitchenettes, 24/7 security, a fitness center, and learning and workspace options reserved exclusively for IU students.
Once in D.C., your most economical form of transportation is the Metro rapid transit system. Your apartment will be within walking distance of Union Station. As a WLP student, you will not need a car during this semester. If you should occasionally need a car, Zipcar provides a convenient alternative.
Students from schools across the IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis campuses make up our cohort—including the Kelley School of Business, the Media School, the College, and the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Our campus-wide program develops professional skills and leadership.
WLP Alumna 2021
“I interned with an electric vehicle advocacy group and did a lot of hands-on work. The skills I picked up in class went hand-in-hand, and I learned an immense amount about how the legislative process works.”
WLP Alumna 2022
“Being able to go to DC and experience, professionally, how policies affect not only us, but other communities—whether internationally or within the US—was very rewarding.”
WLP Alumnus 2022
“The phenomenal thing about WLP was that everyone in our cohort worked their own jobs—private sector, public sector, nonprofit, consulting—but we were all ultimately tied to the idea of leading for the greater good.”
