Legislative Fellows began as a collaborative initiative between Texas State Representative Ruth Jones McClendon and The University of Texas at San Antonio. Coordinated by the UTSA Honors College, the program provides undergraduate and graduate students with the opportunity to serve as interns in the Texas House of Representatives during regular legislative sessions. Students in this program also participate in the University of Texas System Texas Legislative Interns Program.
Contact
Assistant Dean for Special Programs, Director for UTSA Top Scholar Program, Terry Scholars Coordinator at UTSA, Archer Fellowship Campus Coordinator, Citymester Coordinator, Assistant Professor of Practice
Honors College
kristi.meyer@utsa.eduProgram Information
The UTSA Legislative Fellows Program begins with several days of orientation prior to the opening of the Texas Legislative Session. UTSA Legislative Fellows receive a stipend and are responsible for their own housing, transportation, and other expenses while residing in Austin.
Academic Credit
UTSA Legislative Fellow Interns must be enrolled at UTSA for a minimum of 6 credit hours and receive academic credit for their internship experience. Interns are responsible for ensuring that they are enrolled in appropriate internship and independent study courses for the semester at UTSA.
Responsibilities
Interns are assigned to work in the offices of members of the Texas State Senate and Texas House of Representatives at the Texas State Capital throughout the session. The internship requires the ability to perform and manage a number of diverse activities, including writing a variety of documents, analyzing proposals, performing research, and corresponding and meeting with stakeholders. Good judgment, independent thinking, and a high degree of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and professionalism are critical to the successful management of an intern’s responsibilities. Interns must live in Austin during the legislative session.
Eligibility
UTSA students from any academic major may apply for the UTSA Legislative Fellows Program. To be eligible for the UTSA Legislative Fellows Program, students must:
- have completed at least 60 undergraduate hours,
- be enrolled at UTSA for the fall semester prior to the beginning of the Legislative Session,
- have exceptional skills in writing, composition, and computer literacy,
- have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Application Requirements and Deadline
*Note: Only active UTSA students may submit the UTSA Legislative Fellows Program application. If you encounter issues when attempting to start the application, please visit Microsoft Office and ensure you are signed in with your UTSA account (firstname.lastname@my.utsa.edu).
UTSA Legislative Fellows Program Application
Applications are currently closed and will open for the 2025 Legislative Session in fall 2024. Following an application review, candidates will be invited to an interview before final decisions about who will be accepted into the program.
For questions about the UTSA Legislative Fellows Program, email Ms. Kristi Meyer.
Opportunities within the Honors College
The Honors College offers students the opportunity to participate in a number of different programs to further expand knowledge, especially in the realms of professional development, leadership development, and public service. Special programs are fully integrated into the Honors College curriculum, making credit transfer simple and ensuring that students are working toward Honors requirements.
