Truman in Washington Program: Costs
Just like the cost for enrolling in courses during the semester, students are responsible for the cost of their internships in Washington, DC. Some of the cost will depend on how you choose to complete your internship. This page is dedicated to helping you estimate what a term in Washington, DC will run you.
The way to add up the total cost of interning in Washington, DC is this:
Cost of the Program (see below) + Cost of Housing + Cost of Living in DC = Total Cost
Financial Aid:
We know that interning in Washington is expensive and that many students need financial help. Depending on the type of financial aid you have (scholarships, grants, or loans), you might be able to apply it to the cost of interning in Washington, DC. This is something you should discuss with both the Director of the TWP, Dr. Self, and the Financial Aid office.
Students should also know that the Truman Foundation, depending on donations, usually awards a Washington, DC Intern Scholarship every summer. Student can apply for that scholarship through TruView.
1. The Washington Center Internship:
A student who completes a Washington Center (TWC) internship will earn 11 credit hours during a summer term and 12 credit hours during a fall or spring term. Nine of those credit hours will appear as INDV 473: Washington Center Internship on your transcript and will be graded P/F. The remaining credit hours appear as INDV 373: Washington Center Course (2-hrs in summer terms, 3-hrs in fall/spring terms) and will be graded on the typical A-F scale*.
Students who choose a Washington Center internship do not pay tuition, but rather pay the program cost to the Washington Center through Truman, plus an additional $350 fee to Truman to help cover Truman’s expenses in facilitating the program. The Washington Center bills Truman the cost of the program, then Truman bills the student the cost of the program + $350. These costs do not include the cost of housing. For more information on TWC housing, see our page on housing.
The pricing for the Washington Center internship program changes every year; however, you can find program costs on the TWC website. For example, a Truman student who planned to go through the TWC program during the Summer 2019 session could expect to pay $7450.00 ($7100 to TWC, $350 to Truman) for 11 hours of credit. That bill would be applied to the student’s Truman account.
The Washington Center does offer competitive scholarships to help offset the cost of interning in DC. Any student who applies to a TWC program is automatically considered for a TWC scholarship, though not all students are awarded them.
2. An Internship for Academic Credit:
A student who completes an internship in Washington, DC for departmental credit can earn anywhere from 3-9 credit hours for the internship and 1-3 credit hours for an internship evaluation course. This varies from department to department. Please check with your academic advisor to make sure you follow all policies for earning internship credit in your department.
If a Truman student is interning in Washington, DC during a fall or spring semester, assuming he or she is enrolled in 12-17 credit hours, the student would pay the standard full-time tuition and fees. If he or she is enrolled in less than 12 credit hours, he or she would pay tuition at the per-credit-hour rate as outlined by the university.
If a Truman student is interning in Washington, DC during a summer term, he or she would pay tuition at the per-credit-hour rate as outlined by the university.
Take, for example, an in-state Truman student who completes an internship through his or her department during the Summer 2019 term. Let’s say he or she wants to earn 9 hours of credit for the internship and 1 hour of credit for the evaluation course that accompanies it. He or she could expect to pay $3245.00 ($324.50/cr hr X 10 cr hrs) for the 10 hours of credit. That bill would be applied to the student’s Truman account.
Students who intern in Washington, DC but DO NOT go through the Washington Center program DO NOT pay the $350 fee to Truman.
3. A Non-Credit Internship
Sometimes a student chooses to intern in Washington, DC simply for the experience and not to earn academic credit. If that is the case, then the program cost for that student is zero.
Students who intern in Washington, DC but DO NOT go through the Washington Center program DO NOT pay the $350 fee to Truman.
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We know that budgeting for an internship can be confusing. If you have questions or would like to talk about it more, feel free to set up an appointment with the Director of the TWP, Dr. Jay Self.
*NOTE – If a student wishes to have the internship or the Washington Center class count toward a major or minor, he or she needs to petition the department or committee chair if the course or internship can substitute for the requirement.