As the General Assembly convenes this spring, 68 students will step into legislative offices across the Virginia Capitol, marking the largest cohort in the history of the Virginia Capitol Semester Program.
Administered by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, the program places students directly inside the policymaking process during session. This year’s interns will be hosted by 64 offices, including 19 Senate offices, 44 House of Delegates offices, and two placements in the office of Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi, representing the program’s first placements in the lieutenant governor’s office.
Each intern receives a $1,250 stipend, a combined $85,000 investment in hands-on public service learning during a period when major policy decisions are debated and decided.
Nearly all participants are enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, with one student from Appalachian State University participating in the Spring 2026 cohort.
Most students in the Spring 2026 cohort are in the later stages of their undergraduate careers. The average cumulative GPA is 3.45, with juniors accounting for 60.3% of participants and seniors for 33.8%.
Political science and criminal justice majors make up the largest share of the cohort, alongside students studying homeland security and emergency preparedness, international studies, urban and regional studies, computer science and public relations, fields that increasingly intersect with state policymaking.
Students in the program come from more than 40 communities across Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region, from Richmond and Hampton Roads to Northern Virginia, Central Virginia and Southwest Virginia.
The cohort reflects a broad range of racial, ethnic and gender identities. Women make up nearly two-thirds of participants.
Capitol Semester interns work full time in legislative offices during the General Assembly session. Their work includes legislative research, constituent services, committee support and observation of the policymaking process in real time. Program administrators say the Spring 2026 cohort underscores sustained student interest in hands-on policy experience and early exposure to public service careers.
