Student registration is open through October 4, 2026
The Department of Labor says fall 2026 student registration is open through October 4, 2026. WRP is a federal recruitment database for internships and permanent jobs, not a single internship requisition.
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Registration close | October 4, 2026 |
| Citizenship | U.S. citizen or national |
| Disability hiring authority | Eligible for Schedule A |
| Student route | Current degree-seeking postsecondary undergraduate or graduate student |
| Recent-graduate route | Postsecondary degree conferred on or after April 1, 2024 |
| Eligibility documents | Transcript, resume and Schedule A letter |
| Result of participation | Profile in a searchable federal talent database; not a job offer |
For fall 2026, applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals, be eligible for the Schedule A hiring authority for people with disabilities, and either be current degree-seeking postsecondary students or have received a postsecondary degree on or after April 1, 2024.
Applicants submit eligibility documentation through the official process. Current WRP materials require a transcript, resume and Schedule A letter. Do not place disability certification in a public portfolio or send it through an informal recruiting channel.
Track eligibility review and talent-program opt-in separately
The first stage is the eligibility application. After review, successful applicants receive instructions for the talent-program opt-in. They then complete WRP questions and upload a resume for the profile that federal employers can search.
Use status labels that match actual messages: eligibility submitted, additional documents requested, opt-in invitation received, profile completed, employer contact, and hiring-agency offer. Do not mark yourself hired because the system says you are eligible or searchable.
A WRP profile can remain available to employers for one year. Continue applying to suitable individual roles instead of waiting for database discovery.
Make the resume interpretable to an employer that has not met you
A searchable profile needs enough evidence to show the work you could support. Name the work direction and use examples that reveal what you produced, analyzed, organized or improved.
A campus administration example could describe reconciling event records, identifying missing fields and creating a handoff file. That demonstrates a concrete task; it does not establish qualification for every federal occupational series.
When a federal employer contacts you, evaluate that specific vacancy’s duties, schedule, location, grade, compensation and authorization requirements rather than borrowing generic fields from the WRP announcement.
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Finish the current registration, then keep a second channel active
Create or confirm your USAJOBS account, prepare the required documents, submit before October 4 and complete the later opt-in if invited. Keep a private checklist of what you submitted and any request for a correction.
WRP is one recruiting channel. Search and apply to individual internships and recent-graduate roles in parallel when you meet their conditions.