Summer 2026 Internship Opportunity with the Federal Trade Commission

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now soliciting interest for unpaid Interns in the Bureau of Economics for Summer 2026. This is a great opportunity for rising juniors and seniors with coursework in Economics, Statistics, Data Science, or Computer Science. This position is part of a person’s academic course of study (e.g., used for credit or independent study).

Duties

In this role, you will gain real-world experience by working alongside PhD economists to protect consumers and promote competition in the US economy. Interns work with economists to support FTC matters, including:
- Providing economic and statistical analysis in support of antitrust investigations, consumer protection cases, and rulemaking.
- Conducting academic research and developing reports on the functioning of markets in the economy.



The ideal candidate for this position has

- A strong interest in and intuition for applied microeconomics.
- Proficiency in programming languages widely used in economics, statistics, and/or data science such as Stata, R, or Python.
- Excitement about conducting data analysis on a wide range of datasets in support of consumer protection and competition missions of the FTC.
- Interest and aptitude in working with PhD economists on economics research projects that serve the mission of the FTC.
- A desire to grow and build on skills in data analysis and microeconomics.



Position details

- Internships will run approximately from late May/June through mid-August, with exact start and end dates determined based on candidate availability.
- The job location will be on site at the FTC Headquarters Building in Washington DC.
- Candidates should plan to be on-site full-time at the FTC during the duration of the internship.



How to apply

- Send a resume, cover letter, and unofficial transcript to econ_interns@ftc.gov
- The deadline for applications is 4/12/2026 at 11:59PM EST.



Tips for the application

Cover letter: A strong cover letter will include the following:

- A discussion of your interest in economics and the FTC.
- Details on your experience with statistics, econometrics, and programming, including through coursework, class projects, employment, or any other experience.
- Details about your interest and experience with economic research, including any noteworthy projects, employment, or oral presentations.
- Details about your interest and experience in public policy, including in any topics related to antitrust or consumer protection, though these are not required.
- Any other relevant experience or interest.