MEA internship 2026 applications open for October term, deadline Sep 27

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has opened applications for its 2026-27 Term II internship programme, which will run during the October 2026 to March 2027 term.

Eligible candidates can apply online through the MEA internship portal until September 27, 2026. The ministry has scheduled the announcement of shortlisted candidates for Oct 7, followed by interviews through videoconferencing on Oct 17. The list of selected candidates is scheduled to be announced on Oct 23.

MEA internship 2026 eligibility

The programme is open to Indian citizens who have completed a bachelor's degree from a recognised university at the time of applying.

Students in the final year of an undergraduate programme can also apply if an internship is a mandatory part of their final-year curriculum.

Applicants must be 25 years old or below as of December 31, 2026.

For the October-March term, the programme covers applicants from Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, along with Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

Stipend and travel support

Selected interns will receive an honorarium of ₹10,000 per month to help meet basic costs.

The ministry will also provide the cost of one round-trip air journey, subject to the prevailing economy-class airfare ceiling between Delhi and the state capital of the candidate's domicile state, or between Delhi and the candidate's college or university.

Interns will have to bear the cost of their accommodation and meals in Delhi during the internship.

How candidates will be selected

The selection process will be conducted online through the MEA internship portal and will have two stages — preliminary screening and a personal interview.

The ministry uses a quota-cum-weightage system for the states and Union Territories covered in each term. Academic performance in Class 12 and graduation is considered during preliminary screening.

The MEA policy states that priority is given to applicants from Transformation of Aspirational Districts Programme districts during preliminary screening and to candidates from SC, ST, OBC and EWS categories during the personal interview stage. It also provides that a minimum of 30 per cent of internships may be filled by women candidates.

A maximum of 30 interns will be selected for each term. The number of candidates called for interviews is capped at three times the number of interns to be engaged.

What the internship offers

During the internship, selected candidates are introduced to different aspects of the functioning of the ministry, its attached offices and its public interface.

Interns may be assigned research and writing work, including preparing reports and analysing developments, depending on the requirements of the concerned division.

At the end of the internship, they are required to submit a detailed report on their work and may also be asked to make a presentation.