Summer Public Service Program 2026

Eligible Students and Organizations

The SPSP is available to rising 2L and 3L JD students at Texas Law. An eligible sponsoring organization is a:

• government office,
• 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization,
• 501(c)(4) tax-exempt social welfare organization,
• international NGO, government office, or intergovernmental organization, or
• legislative office.

Judicial offices, trade associations, unions, and private employers are not eligible. Students with positions in courts may be able to earn academic credit through the Judicial Internship course.

Supervision and Work Expectations

Fellowships will be provided for full-time law-related work (either in-person or remote) at eligible sponsoring organizations for a minimum of five weeks and a maximum of ten weeks. The work must be supervised by an attorney employed by the sponsoring organization or a professional working closely with an attorney employed by the sponsoring organization.

Students will follow the sponsoring organization’s policies regarding the definition of “full-time work” for office staff, including the observance of holidays. Any absences for minor illnesses will be handled by the student with the sponsoring organization. The SPSP staff will address extraordinary circumstances requiring extended absences from work on an individual basis.

A student may split a 10-week fellowship between two organizations, but funding is not available for any position of fewer than five weeks.

Fellowship Type

The SPSP serves as an umbrella for general fellowships and named summer fellowships created through grants and gifts from generous donors. Each student will receive a general fellowship or one of the named fellowships listed here. Students awarded named fellowships will receive special recognition.

Funding

SPSP Award

The SPSP award will be $800/week for unpaid positions. Awards are based on full work weeks and not prorated for partial weeks. If a sponsoring organization or another source within the law school provides funding for an eligible position, the SPSP award will be reduced to adhere to the $800/week funding cap from these sources. For example, if a student receives $300/week from a sponsoring organization, the SPSP award will be $500/week.

Students must disclose all funding awarded for their SPSP-funded position at the end of the summer. If the funding received exceeds SPSP limitations, students must repay some or all of their SPSP funding.

Students should expect funding to be awarded in one or two disbursements beginning in May.

Supplemental Funding from Sponsoring Organization

A student may accept payment from a sponsoring organization for additional weeks of work after completing a 10-week fellowship supported by the SPSP. Additionally, a student may receive up to $1,000 from a sponsoring organization to cover transportation costs to and from the sponsoring organization’s location. This type of transportation stipend will not affect a student’s eligibility for SPSP funding.

Outside Sources of Funding

Students may receive additional funding from outside sources for the eligible position. An “outside source” refers to any third party that is not the sponsoring organization and is outside the law school and the University. For example, the Texas Law Review and Texas Law Fellowships are independent 501(c)(3) organizations that are external to the law school and the University and therefore considered outside sources.

Zero-Credit Course Requirement

Students participating in SPSP must register and be enrolled in “LAW 097Q: Career Experiences,” a zero-credit course, to receive funding. There are two assignments (pre-experience self-assessment and a post-experience evaluation) in the course that will be available through the course website. All assignments must be completed or a registration bar will be placed.

Students enrolled in LAW 097Q must work in their SPSP-funded position for at least 120 hours over a minimum of five weeks during the UT Austin summer semester (June 4-August 17). If you will work fewer than 120 hours in your SPSP-funded position between June 4 and August 17 email spsp@law.utexas.edu for guidance on how to proceed.

Application Process