Summer Public Service Program 2025

Program Overview

Eligible Students and Organizations

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

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.

Funding

The SPSP award will be $800/week and will not be 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 depending on the fellowship length beginning in May.

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 either (1) the eligible position or (2) unrelated work undertaken during the summer, beyond the funding provided by SPSP. 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 “EXP 080: Internships and Career Experiences,” a UT Austin zero-credit course, to receive funding. There are three assignments (pre-experience self-evaluation survey, final site evaluation, and a final self-evaluation survey) in the course that will be available through the EXP 080 Canvas course. All assignments must be completed or a registration bar will be placed.

Named Fellowships

A separate application is required for named fellowships administered by the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law. Applications are due by March 7. See the Justice Center website for information.

Application Process

Important Dates

Before Submitting an Application:

Application now open