Founded in 1965, Cal in the Capital (CITC) trains and prepares 55 UC Berkeley students annually for summer internships in Washington, D.C. Cal in the Capital interns come from all majors, backgrounds, and areas of interest. As of its 61st year in 2026, 4,380 Cal in the Capital interns have contributed 1,860,129 hours of service in over 400 professional settings, including Congressional offices, federal and other government agencies, think tanks, nonprofit organizations, media centers, private companies, and research institutions, preparing them for careers in public service.

Supporters

Cal in the Capital (CITC) has benefitted from the generous support of the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service, the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC), the Cal Alumni Club of Washington, D.C., and the benevolent support of individual alumni donors.

For CITC Alumni, please fill out our Alumni Questionnaire to stay in touch.

To give to Cal in the Capital, you can support students interning this summer by giving to our CITC Program Fund. If you’d like to support the long term sustainability of Cal in the Capital and ensure that future generations of students have access to this extraordinary opportunity, please consider giving to the CITC Endowment Fund.

• Donate to CITC Program Fund
• Donate to CITC Endowment Fund

Check out our CITC Summer Blog to learn more and read more stories!

Check out this Berkeley Life article highlighting one of our CITC participants!

CITC Summer 2025 Cohort with CITC Founder, Dr. Michael McGinnis

Matsui Center’s Pathways to Federal Public Service Fellowship Program for CITC Students

CITC applicants are eligible to apply for the Matsui Center’s Pathways to Federal Public Service Fellowship Program. The Pathways Fellowship is a collaboration between the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service and CITC. It is designed to provide students who represent the diversity of American society – particularly first-generation and low-income students – with the resources, support, training and experience needed to create a pathway into federal changemaking spaces.

For more information, please contact matsuicenter@berkeley.edu.

Rebekah Becerra, Pathways Student Director 

Rubin Rubin, Pathways Program Manager, rubinrubin@berkeley.edu

Important Dates

To learn more about CITC program requirements and eligibility, click here. 

To learn more about financing a summer in Washington, D.C. (e.g., budget breakdown), click here.

Fall 2026 Dates

To stay up-to-date with our application, info sessions, and application workshops, please fill out our interest form!