RAND Corporation

RAND is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization focused on improving policy and decision making through high-quality research and objective analysis. Our research is enriched through diverse, multidisciplinary teams that draw on a range of experiences and perspectives. We are committed to striving for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Research and analysis is enriched by diversity of talents, experiences, and perspectives. We encourage students from different racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds, abilities, ages, gender, gender identity/expression, and other underrepresented groups to apply.

RAND’s Summer Associate Program introduces outstanding graduate students to RAND, an institution that conducts research on a wide range of domestic and international social policy issues and matters of national security. The program receives several hundred applications each year; approximately 40–50 students are placed in each cohort. The selection process matches potential Summer Associates with mentors and projects based on their skills, interests, and expertise. Summer Associates work on currently funded projects that have the capacity to support a Summer Associate’s work.

The program runs in the summer months only. Summer Associates work at RAND full-time for a 12-week period. Our summer 2023 program will be a hybrid model including in-person work at one of RAND’s four offices with remote flexibility or working fully remote from where you live. Positions will only be available for students residing in the U.S. (excluding U.S. territories) for the duration of the summer associate assignments. In-person positions are typically available in RAND’s major U.S. offices—Santa Monica, CA; Washington, DC; Pittsburgh, PA; and Boston, MA. Office placement decisions depend on the availability of in-person mentorship. Students receive bi-weekly compensation and are given the opportunity to conduct research that can be completed during the summer they are at RAND. The summer earnings for 2023 will be approximately $14,000 (before taxes) for the 12 weeks of full-time research.

Eligibility
The program is designed for full-time students who have completed at least two years of graduate work leading to a doctorate (e.g., PhD, EDD, DRPH, SciD, etc.) or professional degree (e.g., law or medical degree, professional engineer certificate). Students must be enrolled full-time in a graduate degree program during the spring and fall of 2023 to be considered for the program. Students graduating prior to September 2023 are encouraged to look at our full-time positions at www.rand.org/jobs.

For the 2023 Summer Program, students must reside in the U.S. throughout their RAND summer assignment. International students who are planning to live in the U.S. during the summer of 2023 are eligible to apply. Any applicant who does not plan to live in the United States during the summer is not eligible for hire in the 2023 cycle.

U.S. citizenship is not necessary except when required for certain types of project work (e.g., the project contract requires it or the project work itself requires a security clearance).

Most of RAND’s professional hiring is at the PhD or doctoral level, so our summer program is oriented toward individuals who are generally within a year or two of completing their doctorates. Exceptions are made for master’s students applying for our engineering and computer or information science positions.