The New York Times Student Journalism Institute offers the best and brightest student journalists an opportunity to work with prominent news professionals in a newsroom environment. All expenses for students are paid, including transportation, and students receive a stipend during the Institute.

The Institute is a cooperative program between the New York Times Company and various organizations for the benefit of their student members.

The next Institute will be held the last two weeks of May in New Orleans for students who are members of the National Association of Black Journalists or who are enrolled at a historically black college or university that is represented by the Black College Communication Association. The 2009 Institute will be in session May 17 through 30, and the postmark deadline to apply is Feb. 27, 2009. Students will be notified whether they have been accepted no later than March 28, 2009. This Institute accepts up to 30 students.

In the first two weeks of January the Institute is offered for student members of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The January Institute alternates between Miami and Tucson. The next Institute for NAHJ student members will be held in Tucson Jan. 2 to 12. The postmark deadline to apply is Oct. 24, 2009, and students will be notified whether they have been accepted no later than Nov. 21, 2009. This Institute accepts up to 20 students.

(For either Institute, students who wish to attend but may have academic conflicts should contact the director of the Institute, Don R. Hecker, to determine if special arrangements can be made.)

Students are competitively selected by a panel of journalists at The New York Times. Applicants must submit an essay of up to 500 words; six published writing or editing clips, or portfolios of their work if they are submitting visual material; and a resume of their experience in journalism.

Graduates of the Institute have interned at or now work at some of the most prestigious news organizations in the United States, including The Washington Post, the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe and, of course, The New York Times itself, along with many other newspapers and news organizations.

Supervised by veteran journalists from The Times, The Boston Globe and the Times Company’s Regional newspapers in a newsroom environment, the students cover events in the cities where the Institutes are held. At previous Institutes, the students’ work has explored issues across the entire spectrum of American life. They have interviewed a Presidential candidate, covered Presidential speeches and explored a variety of national political issues. And they have spotlighted the plight of the homeless in wealthy communities, shown the challenges to immigrants both legal and illegal, and produced dozens of other stories that give voice to both ordinary and extraordinary people.

Download application forms:
New York Times Student Journalism Institute in New Orleans (May 2009)
New York Times Student Journalism Institute in Tucson (January 2010)

For further information, contact Don R. Hecker at hecker@nytimes.com or (212) 556-1576.