Deadline: January 25, 2023
Open to: High school seniors, college freshmen and sophomores
Majors/fields: Foreign area studies, computer science, business administration, human resources, public administration, international relations, legal studies, political science, STEM fields, engineering or intelligence analysis
When: May to August over a 10–12-week period. Internship announcements typically open in September or October.
STOKES is a needs-based program offering tuition assistance to students enrolled at accredited colleges or universities, while providing challenging summer work and guaranteed employment in their field of study upon graduation. You will attend classes full-time during the academic year and work at DIA full time during the summer in positions related to your course of study. Once you graduate, you must commit to working at DIA for up to 18 months of continued service for each academic year of the STOKES educational sponsorship. You will also receive other federal and DIA benefits like annual and sick leave, federal holidays, the Civilian Fitness Program, foreign language program and Mass Transit Benefit Program.To be eligible, you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Be enrolled or seeking enrollment in an undergraduate degree program.
- Be a high school student in your senior year at the time of application.
- Have a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale.
- Have exhibited leadership abilities through your extracurricular student activities, civic involvement, volunteer work or part-time employment.
- As a college freshmen or sophomore, you will need to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- All immediate family members have U.S. citizenship.
- Maintain a security clearance. Dual citizenship holders are not eligible to receive a security clearance through this program.
Application tips for high school seniors
Your high school guidance office must review your application prior to submitting it online and must include:
- Your entire high school transcript and a list of scheduled classes for your senior year.
- Your SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or ACT (American College Test) results.
- A completed (DIA form 418A) which includes your gender, ethnicity, race and disability self-identification.
- Your resume, including extracurricular activities during high school (awards, leadership roles, etc.), civic involvement, volunteer work or part-time employment.
- An essay explaining why you wish to pursue a particular field of study and illustrating your leadership ability.
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a copy of last year’s income tax return of your parent(s) or guardians.
If any of the items listed above are missing, we will not consider your application package.
Application tips for college freshmen and sophomore students
You must submit your application online and include:
- Your complete transcript and a list of courses scheduled for the next semester.
- Your resume, including your extracurricular activities, civil involvement, volunteer work and any work experience.
- One signed letter of recommendation from a college professor or employer.
- An essay explaining why you wish to pursue a particular field of study and illustrating your leadership ability