Home to Texas™

Home to Texas™ is a scholarship-funded summer program that connects first-year students with internship opportunities in their hometown communities.

Students from many Texas communities attend UT Austin but often don’t return home after graduation, especially from small and mid-sized towns. This talent loss impacts local leadership and professional growth. To address this, Career Success offers the Home to Texas program, where first-year undergraduates complete a full-time summer internship in their hometown and engage in community research. The program aims to build early professional skills, strengthen ties to home communities, and prepare future local leaders. 

Priority application deadline is February 15th. If you would like to learn more about the program and to prepare your best application, please attend one of our information sessions listed below.

Apply Now

What’s In It For You

  • Gain real-world, paid experience early in your UT journey.
  • Explore new career paths and local industries.
  • Build your network, professional connections and mentor relationships.
  • Enhance your resume with meaningful community impact.
  • Strengthen ties to your hometown or region.

Participating students receive funding to participate in the summer program. Students in unpaid internships will receive a $5,000 scholarship, and students in paid internships will earn a minimum of $5,000 for the summer. Watch how UT Austin student LiLi Xiong worked with Bat Conservation International through the Home to Texas program, gaining real-world experience in her hometown.

Program Snapshot

There are four main components that selected students participate in:

  • Internship: Work a full-time, nine-week internship with an employer in or near the student’s hometown
  • Community Innovation Challenge: Opportunities to conduct hands-on research within their Home to Texas community
  • Course: Take a summer professional skills course that meet’s weekly, focused on skills such as networking, workplace communication, and developing your LinkedIn presence
  • Community Celebration: Attend an end-of-program event in or near the student’s hometown that brings together the various Home to Texas stakeholders

Information Sessions

Click on the link of the program you would like to attend to RSVP on your 12twenty@Texas account.

How to Apply & Eligibility

Apply Now

Application deadline is 2/15/26.

Home to Texas Summer 2026 Target Communities (updated 11/21/25):

  • Beaumont area (Beaumont & Port Arthur)
  • Boerne
  • Brownsville
  • Corpus Christi
  • Del Rio
  • Eagle Pass
  • El Paso
  • Laredo
  • Lubbock
  • McAllen area (includes Alamo, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, Weslaco)
  • New Braunfels area (new Braunfels & nearby San Antonio ties)
  • Odessa
  • Smithville
  • Tyler

*Edits will be made as communities confirm participation in the program. All first-year students are encouraged to apply.

Students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be:

  • A currently-enrolled first-year UT Austin student who will be starting their second year in the fall after participating in the program; sophomores who apply to participate between their second and third years at UT may be considered if space is available in the program
    • Note: Transfer students who are in their first year at UT Austin are welcome to apply and will be considered if H2TX spots are available in their community. However, the preference will go to students who are wrapping up their first year on a college campus. Students participating in the Coordinated Admission Program (CAP) are eligible to apply.
  • Available to work 35 hours per week during the entirety of the program.
  • From one of the summer 2026 participating Home to Texas communities (or from a community that is within a 30-minute driving distance from these cities). See community details above.

Internship Placement

A variety of placements are expected for summer 2026, including internships with public organizations, such as city government departments, economic development offices, school districts or airports; private companies, such as corporations and startups; and nonprofit organizations in areas such as the arts, media or humanities.

Once a student is selected into the program, a list of participating community employers and internship descriptions will be provided to the student, and they will rank their internship preferences. However, applicants should be open to taking any internship that is offered through the program. Since Home to Texas takes place early during a student’s time at UT, participating employers typically offer broad professional development opportunities related to teamwork, time management, office communication, etc. While it is possible that a student’s placement will align with their academic major or career interests, we can’t guarantee that it will. For students interested in a more tailored internship experience, we encourage you to check out other internship postings via the 12twenty@Texas job board.

*Note that some of the summer 2026 communities may only have one internship placement from which to select.

Student FAQs

What is the typical program timeline?

Application Deadline: February 15

Interviews for Select Candidates: February and March

Selection Status Notification: Rolling acceptances starting March 11

Orientation: March 28

First Home to Texas Class Meeting: May 26

Internship Dates: June 1 – July 31

What will my day look like during my internship?

That really depends on the specific internship, but employers are encouraged to tailor the internship to a student’s interests where possible and to allow the student to participate in activities that are typical of a full-time staff member.

In general, students are expected to work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the program (with an hour for a lunch break), but those hours may shift depending on the organization. Students may be asked by their employer to participate in the occasional evening or weekend event, but significant evening or weekend work is not expected.

Does the H2TX professional development course fulfill any of my academic requirements?

Participants are enrolled in a zero-credit course, EXP 000. While students do not receive credits for this course, it does show up on their transcript. There is no cost associated with this course.

What about that family vacation I had planned?

Students interested in this program should be willing to commit to the entire length of the program. Nine weeks is not a lot of time, so we want to ensure students are getting the most from their Home to Texas experience. As such, please schedule any summer vacations for May or August so that that they can take place before or after the program.

How were the communities for Home to Texas chosen? Why are there no Home to Texas™ internships in my community?

For summer 2026, Home to Texas communities are being selected based on community needs and student interest, as well as funding availability. We hope to expand this program into other communities in future years depending on funding.

Employers & Communities

Learn about the program and how your community, company or organization may participate by clicking the link below.

Employers & Communities

 

Questions about Home to Texas? 

Contact Krishna Garza-Baker | Senior Administrative Program Coordinator, Home to Texas 

hometotexas@austin.utexas.edu  

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