Program Background |
Every spring semester, over 50 junior and senior students from Georgia's public and private universities and colleges intern with the Georgia General Assembly. These students gain first-hand experience in the lawmaking process through the Georgia Legislative Internship Program (GLIP). The GLIP was created in the 1970s under the leadership of then Lt. Governor Zell Miller and is a paid internship opportunity coordinated by the Georgia General Assembly.
Program Highlights |
GLIP participants will:
work directly with these Georgia General Assembly committees and offices: Speaker’s Office, Speaker Pro Tempore, President Pro Tempore, Minority Office, Ways and Means, Rules, Majority Whip, Legislative Counsel, House Media Services, and Majority Leader.
participate in the legislative process with a full-time internship in a standing committee of the Georgia General Assembly during the Georgia legislative session, which starts on the 2nd Monday of January and typically runs through the end of March.
research bills or issues before the General Assembly, work with a legislative committee, monitor the progress of legislation and perform other duties as assigned by their committee.
learn about the inner workings of state government.
make contacts for a future career in public service.
receive 4 to 12 hours of pre-approved internship credit from their school or college/experiential learning.
Earn a weekly stipend of approximately $300 a week.
"Because of the GLIP Program, I was able to work during the 2021 Georgia Legislative Session at the Georgia Capitol with the Senate Majority Leadership Office, .... I learned so much from my time at the Capitol, and I would say my favorite part of my internship was the opportunity to be in the office and speak to the different Senators, Representatives, staff, and lobbyists who come in each day. I was able to pick their brains and hear about their roles within the legislative process!”
- Alexa Hernandez, UGA ‘22
Eligibility Requirements |
Eligibility requirements include:
Status as current resident of the state of Georgia.
Status as junior or senior undergraduate currently attending a college or university in the State of Georgia during the program semester.
Registration for internship course credit during the Spring semester of the internship. Please note that taking additional non-internship courses is prohibited.
Participation in a state legislative process workshop presented by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and the School of Public and International Affairs prior to the legislative session.
Commitment to a full-time internship experience. Internship hours are generally 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., but office hours can fluctuate on a daily basis.
Minimum of 2.5 GPA
Application & Program Specifics |
Students apply for the program and are selected through a process that includes evaluation of their application and an interview session at the Capitol.
Students will apply in the Fall semester prior to the Spring semester in which the legislative session occurs. (For example, students who wish to participate in the 2024 Georgia Legislative Session will apply the Fall semester before, which would be Fall 2023.)
Applications open at the start of every Fall semester and are processed by October. If students are selected by their school or college, they will be scheduled for the next part of the process, the selection interviews. Students will be notified if they have made it to this portion of the process by email by the start of November. Students who are selected for the program will then participate in the placement process, which will help match them to particular offices in the Georgia Statehouse. Placement interviews take place mid-November. Students will be contacted via email to schedule an interview.
Student interns are matched with an office (taking their preferences into account) and generally work 40 hours per week during the session. The length of each work day may vary since the session days will also differ in length. Session work may take place in the mornings, evenings, or times in-between depending upon that day’s session.
UGA Student Application Process |
There is an on-campus application process required for University of Georgia students. The Carl Vinson Institute of Government assists in the selection of UGA students for participation in the GLIP.
Before applying, UGA students should note the eligibility requirements above. UGA students may also contact the Institute of Government by email for more information or Dr. Audrey Haynes, UGA GLIP Coordinator, by email.
Timeline for Applications |
Application Period
Applications open: August/September 2023
Application deadline: To Be Announced
Candidate Interviews: Mid-October
Notice of Decision: Early November 2023
Information for Accepted Applicants
Placement Interviews: Mid November 2023
Orientation: January 2024
First day of Legislative Session
To Be Determined
Application Requirements |
Completed application form
Resume
A 2 to 5-page personal essay that identifies the applicant’s top placement choices and why they were chosen, as well as the applicant’s background, experience and skills that would be brought to the Capitol.
Transcript (non-official is acceptable)
References (3 to 5 letters with at least two being from professors from the applicant’s school or college) - Click here to download reference form.
Interested UGA students should submit their completed applications for consideration, making sure to follow the instructions below:
All application materials (which include the application form AND the other support materials listed above) need to be sent as one .pdf document. This .pdf can be created in Adobe Acrobat. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can download it in Adobe Creative Cloud, which can be found here: https://eits.uga.edu/hardware_and_software/software/adobe/
Open Adobe Acrobat. To combine the single documents into one document:
Select “Tools”
Click “Combine Files”
Application form
Essay
Transcript
Add Files
Click “Combine”
Save Adobe PDF document
Naming convention should be: Last name_First name_GLIP YYYY Application
Email Adobe PDF to internships@cviog.edu and copy polaah@uga.edu
