All students applying for the program MUST apply using this online procedure in Handshake. The application process has FOUR steps.
The deadline to submit all application materials for the Winter 2026 Extern Program is 9:00 am on October 20th for the first round of applications. The deadline to submit application materials for the second round of applications is 9:00 am on October 27th.
Students are assigned first-come, first-served. Preference will be given to round one applicants. Matches are determined by strength of application. Students must remain in good academic and disciplinary standing to attend the externship.
Any unassigned applicants from round one and applicants from round two will be considered for unmatched opportunities.
The details are outlined below and are found in the Handshake Application.
We recommended that you have a trusted friend, professor or the Center for Writing and Speaking to review your essay responses. Write a one to two page, double-spaced essay.
Prepare an essay answering the following two questions:
Why are you interested in doing an externship and what do you hope to gain from the experience?
How do you plan to prepare for and make the most of the externship(s)?
Save the essay as a PDF and name it in this format: UC USERNAME and 2026ExternEssay (ex. JOSMITH2026ExternEssay).
Save your resume as a PDF and name it as follows: UC USERNAME and 2026ExternResume (ex. JOSMITH2026ExternResume).
Your essay will need to be uploaded on Handshake. Click the account icon in the upper right-hand corner of Handshake, then click “My documents.”
Use the New Document tab to upload both the resume and essay. Name your documents with the same file names created by the directions in step 1.
Select Resume to upload your resume and Other Document to upload your essay.
On the Job page select All Filters, then under labeled by your school, enter winter 2026 externship. The filtered results will include the externship descriptions and the Extern Program application for your exploration.
The application is listed as #TBD Winter2026 Extern Program (APPLY HERE)
Complete the Application form in Qualtrics. In pop-up window complete the survey, including identifying your top three choices and housing information.
After completing the Qualtrics application. In Handshake, click on the APPLY button on the #TBD Winter 2026 Extern Program (APPLY HERE)
Select your resume in Resume drop box and your essay in Other Document drop box.
Hit SUBMIT button.
You will be notified by email if you have or have not been assigned an externship.
