Summer Internship Scheme of DGFT

What is the Summer Internship Scheme of DGFT?

The Summer Internship Scheme of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is a short internship programme under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Under the scheme, DGFT engages students with a background in economics, finance, management, law or public policy as interns for a short period during the summer, giving them exposure to India's foreign-trade policy and its administration while drawing on their analytical work.

According to DGFT's internship advertisement, interns work on assigned trade-policy topics for the duration of the internship and receive a completion certificate. For the 2025-26 batch, the advertisement provided a consolidated token remuneration of Rs 10,000 per month, which it expressly clarified is not a salary.

This is a niche, competitive, limited-intake internship. It is not a job, not a scholarship, and not open to the general public. It exists to give a small number of qualified students structured exposure to trade-policy work.

Who is eligible for the DGFT Summer Internship?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian national, residing in India or pursuing studies abroad.
• You hold a graduation degree in public policy, economics, finance, management or law with at least 60% marks from a recognised institution (National Schools of Law, Central Universities, AICTE-recognised finance or economics institutions, recognised national management institutes, foreign universities or other institutions of excellence).
• Candidates pursuing or holding a postgraduate degree in economics, finance, management or law are preferred.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not an Indian national.
• You do not meet the 60% marks threshold or are not from an eligible discipline/institution.
• You are looking for a salaried job. This is not employment and creates no employer-employee relationship.

Meeting the eligibility does not guarantee selection: DGFT shortlists interns against slot availability and the consent of the concerned division.

What are the benefits?

The main benefit is the exposure and the completion certificate. Interns work on trade-policy topics inside DGFT, which is valuable for students intending to work in trade, economics, public policy or law.

On payment, the position varies by year. The official 2025-26 advertisement offered a token remuneration of Rs 10,000 per month, described as a consolidated token amount and expressly not a salary. Because this figure and whether any payment is made can differ between batches, applicants should treat the current year's advertisement as the authority for that batch.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the DGFT Summer Internship

1. Watch for the internship advertisement. DGFT issues a summer internship advertisement on its website (dgft.gov.in), typically in the months before the summer window. Note the application dates in that notice.
2. Confirm your eligibility. Check that you are an Indian national with an eligible graduation degree (60%+ marks); a relevant postgraduate qualification improves your chances.
3. Fill the online application form at the link given in the advertisement, usually a web form.
4. Attach the required documents: CV, photograph and the declaration of secrecy, plus a permission/no-objection letter if you apply during coursework.
5. Submit before the deadline stated in the advertisement.
6. Await the shortlist and offer. A committee reviews applications and sends offers by email based on slot availability, division consent and approval. The committee's decision is final. If selected, report as directed and complete the internship to receive your certificate (and any token remuneration notified).

Points to keep in mind

The internship gives no claim to any appointment in DGFT or the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and creates no employer-employee relationship. Application windows are short — for the 2025-26 batch the window was only a few weeks, so applicants should watch the DGFT website closely rather than relying on a fixed annual date.

Because the stipend/token remuneration and the exact duration have varied between batches, treat the figures here as reflecting the 2025-26 notice and confirm the current terms in the live advertisement. Internship queries can be directed to DGFT using the contact details in its advertisement (for example dgftedi@nic.in), while 1800-111-550 is DGFT's general helpline rather than an internship-specific line.

How to check your application status

This internship does not run on a scheme portal with a login and a status tracker, so there is no ID or dashboard to check online. Status updates happen entirely through the selection process laid out in DGFT's internship advertisement:

1. Confirm your application was received. If the online form gives an acknowledgement message or auto-reply email on submission, keep it; that is your only proof of having applied, since there is no application number system to look up later.
2. Wait for the shortlisting committee. DGFT's internal committee reviews all applications against slot availability and division consent before issuing any communication. There is no interim "under review" status to check during this period.
3. Watch your email for the offer. Selected candidates are informed by email, not by SMS, portal notification or phone call. Check the inbox (including spam/promotions folders) you used on the application form.
4. Treat silence past the stated window as non-selection. Since DGFT does not issue individual rejection letters for this internship, if you have not heard back within a reasonable time after the advertised shortlisting period, you were most likely not selected for that batch.
5. For a genuine query on your specific application, write to the contact address given in that year's advertisement (for example dgftedi@nic.in) rather than calling the general helpline (1800-111-550), which handles DGFT's trade and IEC queries and is not equipped to look up internship applications.

Because each batch is a fresh, short-lived advertisement rather than a standing scheme, there is no way to track a past batch's application after its window has closed; you would need to reapply against the next advertisement.

Common reasons for rejection

• Not an Indian national. The internship is open only to Indian nationals, whether residing in India or studying abroad. Foreign nationals, including those of Indian origin without Indian citizenship, are not eligible; this cannot be fixed for the current cycle.
• Below the 60% marks threshold. Applicants whose graduation degree does not meet the 60% aggregate cut-off are screened out regardless of institution reputation. Check your marksheet's aggregate percentage against the notified threshold before applying, not just your impression of your academic standing.
• Degree or discipline mismatch. The scheme is restricted to graduates (or postgraduates) in economics, finance, management, law or public policy from a recognised institution. A degree in an unrelated discipline, or from an institution not covered by the advertisement's list of recognised categories, is a common cause of rejection. Read that year's list of eligible institution types carefully rather than assuming your college qualifies.
• Missing or incomplete documents. Applications submitted without a complete CV, a proper passport-size photograph, or the signed declaration of secrecy are typically dropped at the screening stage rather than being sent back for correction, since there is no resubmission window. Assemble all required documents before starting the online form.
• No permission/no-objection letter while still enrolled. Candidates applying during ongoing coursework who do not attach a no-objection letter from their supervisor or head of department risk rejection on this technical ground alone, even if otherwise eligible.
• Missing the application deadline. The window for each batch is short, often only a few weeks, and DGFT does not accept late applications or grant extensions for individual applicants. Track the advertisement's exact closing date rather than a general "summer" expectation.
• No slot or division consent, despite eligibility. Even fully eligible candidates can be turned down simply because the concerned division did not have a suitable slot or did not consent to host an intern that cycle. This is a capacity constraint, not a fault in the application, and reapplying in a future batch is the only recourse.
• Applying outside the notified window using an old advertisement's link. Because each year's internship is a fresh advertisement with its own form link and terms, using a previous year's application link or assuming the same terms apply can result in a submission that is never reviewed. Always apply from the current advertisement published on dgft.gov.in.