NITI Internship Scheme
Unpaid policy internship at NITI Aayog · 6 weeks to 6 months · 25 sectors
The NITI Internship Scheme gives students and research scholars from recognized universities a 6-week to 6-month unpaid internship inside NITI Aayog — India's apex policy think-tank — where they assist in research, data analysis, and policy-writing across 25 sectors including agriculture, energy, health, and technology. Applications are accepted only online between the 1st and 10th of each month at workforindia.niti.gov.in. A completion certificate is issued to successful interns.
About This Scheme
The NITI Internship Scheme gives students and research scholars from recognized universities a 6-week to 6-month unpaid internship inside NITI Aayog — India's apex policy think-tank — where they assist in research, data analysis, and policy-writing across 25 sectors including agriculture, energy, health, and technology. Applications are accepted only online between the 1st and 10th of each month at workforindia.niti.gov.in. A completion certificate is issued to successful interns.
Full official description
An Internship Scheme named "NITI Internship Scheme" seeks to engage students pursuing Under Graduate / Graduate / Post Graduate Degrees or are Research Scholars enrolled in recognized University/ Institution within India or abroad, as "interns". These 'interns" shall be given exposure to various Verticals/ Divisions/Units within NITI Aayog and would be expected to supplement the process of analysis within NITI Aayog through empirical collection and collation of in-house and other information. The internship will be on unpaid basis. This will allow short term exposure of "selected candidates" with the different Verticals/Divisions/Units of NITI Aayog, Government of India as 'Interns". Following are the domains/areas for which Internship is invited:-
Agriculture
Data Management and Analysis
Economics
Education/Human Resources Development
Energy Sector
Foreign Trade / Commerce
Governance
Health , Nutrition, Women & Child Development
Industry
Infrastructure connectivity
Mass Communications and Social Media
Mining Sector
Natural Resources, Environment & Forests
Programme Monitoring and Evaluation
Project appraisal and management.
Public Finances/Budget
Public Private Partnership
Rural Development and SDGs
Science and Technology
Skill Development & Employment
Social justice and empowerment
Sports and Youth development.
Tourism and culture
Urbanization / smart city.
Water Resources.
The period of Internship shall be at least six weeks but not exceeding six months. Interns will be required to have their own laptops. NITI Aayog shall provide them working space, internet facility and other necessities as deemed fit by the concerned Heads. Objectives The Scheme has the following objectives:
To allow young academic talent to be associated with the NITI Aayog's work for mutual benefit.
The "intern" shall have an opportunity to know about the Government functioning and Developmental Policy issues in Government of India and contribute to the Policy formulation by generating policy inputs such as empirical analysis, briefing reports, policy papers, etc.
Benefits
- Internship completion certificate issued by the Adviser of the concerned division
- Direct exposure to policy-making at India's apex planning body
- Opportunity to contribute to policy research across 25 sectors: agriculture, health, science, energy, urban development, and more
- Duration: 6 weeks to 6 months (unpaid — no stipend provided)
💡 Why Startups Should Care
A NITI Aayog internship is the fastest way for a policy-curious founder to understand how India's central government thinks about economic development across 25 sectors — the network and exposure to policy documents make it a career-defining stint even without a stipend.
Who Can Apply (Eligibility)
- Undergraduate students must have completed 2nd year (4th semester) and secured at least 85% in Class 12
- Graduate/PG students must have completed 1st year of PG or be pursuing research/PhD with at least 70% in graduation
- Recent graduates waiting for higher study admission may apply if they have 70%+ cumulative marks and apply within 6 months of final result
- Must maintain 75% attendance throughout the internship
- Must own a personal laptop; NITI Aayog provides working space and internet
Exclusions
- The internship is unpaid
- UG students must have minimum 85% marks in 12th class; PG students must have minimum 70% marks in graduation
- Application must be made within 6 months of the declaration of the final exam result
How to Apply
- Visit workforindia.niti.gov.in/intern/InternshipEntry/PCInternshipEntry.aspx and read all instructions before starting
- Fill in your details and select ONE area of interest from the 25 available domains
- Click Preview to verify all details — correct if needed, then click Submit
- Applications are accepted online only from the 1st to the 10th of each month for the desired internship month
- Check your application status at the check-status link on the portal; if selected, produce original marksheets and your institution's NOC at the time of joining
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will I get a stipend for this internship?
No, it is an unpaid internship.
2. What is the minimum and maximum duration of the internship?
The minimum duration for the internship is 6 weeks and the maximum duration is 6 months.
3. Can I apply offline for the internship?
No, the application is only available online.
4. I want to apply for the internship in the month of April, when should I apply?
For starting the internship in April, you should apply before the month of February (2 months in advance), you can apply as early as October (6 months in advance).
5. Can I apply in the first year of my graduation course?
No, you can apply only after you have appeared for the exams of 4th semester or 2nd year of your graduation programme.
6. Who can I contact if I face web-related problems during the application?
For any web-related issues while filling out the application, you can contact nic-niti@gov.in
7. On what bases can my application be rejected?
If you don't fulfill the eligibility criteria as mentioned, your application will be rejected automatically. However, since your selection will be dependent only on the discretion of the selectors, your application might get rejected in the process for other reasons.
8. Will I be informed if my application is rejected?
No. Only those who are selected will be contacted for further process.
9. When can I apply again for the internship if my application gets rejected once?
You can re-apply for the internship when you have met all the requirements as mentioned in the eligibility criteria.
10. Can I apply for the internship again if I have already done the internship once?
Yes, you can, if it is not in the same financial year as your previous internship. You are allowed to do the internship only once in a financial year (01st April of a year to 31st March of the next is called the financial year).
Ready to apply?
Visit the official government portal to apply for this scheme.
Apply on myScheme.gov.inDocuments Required
- Marksheets of class 10th and 12th
- Marksheets of all semesters/years of graduation and PG (along with degree, if applicable)
- NOC from college in the specific format mentioned in the application guidelines