Summer 2026 Internship Opportunity with the Federal Trade Commission
Posted in Undergrad Opportunities
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now soliciting interest for unpaid Interns in the Bureau of Economics for Summer 2026. I wanted to reach out to let you know about this great opportunity for rising juniors and seniors with coursework in Economics, Statistics, Data Science, or Computer Science.
Below, we provide some application information for any of your students that might be interested in the position. We are open to this position being part of a person’s academic course of study (e.g., used for credit or independent study). The e-flyer included below has more useful information.
· 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:
o Providing economic and statistical analysis in support of antitrust investigations, consumer protection cases, and rulemaking.
o Conducting academic research and developing reports on the functioning of markets in the economy.
· The ideal candidate for this position has
o A strong interest in and intuition for applied microeconomics.
o Proficiency in programming languages widely used in economics, statistics, and/or data science such as Stata, R, or Python.
o Excitement about conducting data analysis on a wide range of datasets in support of consumer protection and competition missions of the FTC.
o Interest and aptitude in working with PhD economists on economics research projects that serve the mission of the FTC.
o A desire to grow and build on skills in data analysis and microeconomics.
· Position details
o Internships will runapproximately from late May/June through mid-August, with exact start and end dates determined based on candidate availability.
o The job location will be on site at the FTC Headquarters Building in Washington DC.
o Candidates should plan to be on-site full-time at the FTC during the duration of the internship.
· How to apply
o Send a resume, cover letter, and unofficial transcript to econ_interns@ftc.gov
o The deadline for applications is 4/12/2026 at 11:59PM EST.
· Tips for the application
o 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.
Bureau of Economics: Intern Recruiting
Being an Intern within BE presents an opportunity to work on an array of projects that deal closely with issues and industries at the forefront of the nation’s attention. These include FTC investigations with a specific law enforcement purpose (e.g., the investigation of a proposed merger or a business practice with the potential to harm consumers), as well as more wide-ranging investigations and research projects that serve the mission of the FTC. Investigations with a specific law enforcement purpose are conducted by teams comprised of economists and other staff from the Bureau of Economics and attorneys in the Bureaus of Competition and Consumer Protection. Other investigations or research projects may be conducted independently or in collaboration with attorneys in the Office of Policy Planning or another FTC office. Interns interact with both economists and legal staff, thereby gaining an understanding of both economic and legal aspects of FTC investigations.
· BE’s Antitrust divisions investigate the competitive effects of proposed mergers and other potentially anticompetitive business practices. Recent projects have included analysis of the potential effects of proposed mergers involving supermarkets, medical devices, hospitals, semiconductors, and apartment search websites.
· BE’s Consumer Protection division investigates unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices. Recent projects have included estimating the harm to consumers from the suppression of negative product reviews, difficult-to-cancel subscription services, and deceptive claims about worker earnings.
· BE’s Office of Applied Research and Outreach focuses on research performed within BE and also in collaboration with other FTC offices. Recent and ongoing projects have included empirical research into the competitive effects of divestitures in horizontal mergers, the effects of Certificates of Public Advantage issued by state governments to replace competition between healthcare providers, and the role of pharmacy benefit managers in the supply chain for prescription drugs and drug benefits.
During these assignments, Interns work closely with economists to compile data from public and private sources, conduct statistical analyses, perform literature reviews, and help design and test survey questionnaires. Interns also work with economists to develop written reports memorializing their findings in order to help inform FTC decision-making.
During these assignments, Interns often:
· Find, identify, and import data from public sources, and process and organize data submissions from parties to an investigation.
· Create graphs, figures, and tables that summarize the results of statistical analyses for Commission memos and reports.
· Write computer programs to compute market shares and market concentrations, calculate consumer harm from fraudulent or deceptive business practices, estimate diversions between products in a market, calculate consumer harm from a merger, or perform other econometric analyses.
· Support economists and investigation case teams during interviews, investigational hearings, and depositions.
· Assist in the preparation of expert testimony in litigations through the creation of demonstratives, calculation of relevant statistics, and drafting questions for expert examinations.
· Conduct research with economists in support of congressionally mandated studies, or to answer questions that arise during antitrust and consumer protection investigations. Interns also conduct research into broader economics questions related to industrial organization, consumer protection, econometric methods, and applied microeconomics.
· Write reports memorializing analysis findings to help inform FTC decision-making. Interns also present the results of their analyses to economists, attorneys, senior agency leaders, and to the FTC Commissioners.
The training and development program is an important component of the Intern experience. Through formal training and on-the-job experience, Interns in BE develop expertise in software packages such as Stata, R, Python, Microsoft Excel, ArcGIS, and other programs. Interns also have the opportunity to attend and participate in economic research seminars hosted by BE.
Recent formal training opportunities have included courses in Python, difference-in-difference methods, and data visualization.
The Intern position is an ideal position for technically inclined recent graduates who would like to gain real-world research and analysis experience before pursuing a Ph.D. or other graduate degree. It also provides highly relevant work experience for those who move on to careers in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.