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Institutional Application for the 2026-27 Student Research Internship Program

The RP Group is pleased to announce that applications are open to institutions in the California Community Colleges (CCC) system for our community of practice focused on building institutional research, planning, and effectiveness (IRPE) career pathways for CCC students. The Student Research Internship Program directly advances The RP Group’s 2024–28 Strategic Plan by deepening equity-driven impact, investing in IRPE workforce development, and fostering professional learning communities. This program has been designed to build pipelines of future IRPE professionals by supporting paid, hands-on research experiences for students—particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds.

The program will span the 2026-27 academic calendar year. The RP Group does not have funding for Student Researcher employment compensation. The RP Group does have limited scholarship funds to support registration and travel expenses for Student Researchers to attend RP Conference 2027 in Burlingame (SFO Airport). Please complete this application by Friday, October 16, 2026 to join the pool of interested CCC college and district IRPE offices.

Application Timeline:
  • Institutional application opens: Monday, September 21, 2026
  • Informational session (PIER to PIER): Thursday, September 24, 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm
  • Institutional application process closes: Friday, October 16, 2026
  • Institution selections and notifications: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Onboarding training will take place in November 2026 on a date and time that works best for participating institutions.
1.Which California Community College/District is applying to participate in the Student Research Internship Pilot?(Required.)
2.Title of participating office:(Required.)
3.Project lead contact information:(Required.)
4.Approximately how many CCC student researchers has your office employed over the past 3 years?(Required.)
5.How many CCC student researchers does your office plan to employ during the 2026-2027 academic calendar year?(Required.)
6.Which types of IRPE office projects have CCC student researchers participated in the past and/or do you anticipate CCC students working on in the future?(Required.)
7.Is your office interested in establishing sustainable systems to incorporate CCC student researchers into traditional IRPE office research and/or planning functions?(Required.)
8.What are your primary goals and objectives for participating in this project?(Required.)