Graduate Student Summer Associate Program
Graduate Student Summer Associate Program supports graduate students in mentored policy research at RAND Corporation to improve policy and decisionmaking on social policy and national security.
Funder: RAND Corporation
Due Dates: October 15, 2026 (Applications open) | December 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (Application deadline) | May 24, 2027 or June 14, 2027 (Tentative starts)
Funding Amounts: Approximately $15,000 before taxes for 12 weeks of full-time research, paid biweekly
Summary: Paid summer research positions match graduate students with RAND mentors and funded projects addressing social policy and national security.
Key Information: Participants must reside in the United States, excluding U.S. territories, throughout their summer assignment.
Description
RAND’s Graduate Student Summer Associate Program provides graduate students with mentored, project-based experience in policy research. RAND is a nonprofit institution focused on improving policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. Associates join currently funded projects, with assignments matched to their educational backgrounds, skills, interests, and available project needs rather than independently proposed projects.
The program spans domestic and international social policy and national security. Past projects have examined behavioral health during public health emergencies, lessons from the war in Ukraine for space, and potential misuse of artificial intelligence to plan biological attacks. Mentors guide research and career development, while seminars, networking activities, and research support services introduce students to RAND’s multidisciplinary research environment. Each associate delivers a short presentation summarizing their research at the end of the assignment.
