Acceptance Process

To complete the first step, applicants must be verified as eligible for the program. This includes reviewing an applicant’s transcript, resume, essays, citizenship status, GPA, and other eligibility requirements, which can be found on the About Page of this website. All eligibility requirements must be met to move to step two.

Once an applicant is deemed eligible, they move to the next step, Mentor Application Review. Mentors from participating facilities will review applications and conduct interviews with potential interns. Please note that not every applicant will receive an interview, and not all applicants who are interviewed are guaranteed acceptance.

Mentors recommend program acceptance and will have the potential intern sign a Mentor/Student Agreement Letter (MSA). Please note that applicants should sign only one MSA. If two mentors provide an MSA for one student, the MSA the program administrator receives first will be considered the mentor moving forward with that student.

The mentor must submit a signed MSA to the program administrator for an applicant to move to step three.

Once an applicant has completed steps one and two, he or she can begin onboarding as an intern and start his or her background investigation. Through collaboration with the Army security office and Army SPARK program security personnel, interns will be guided through the process of obtaining fingerprints and completing the security forms. If the intern does not receive a favorable background check, they cannot advance in the program. Please note that some background investigations take longer than others.