Updated November 2026
TL;DR
The United States Senate Page Program is a paid job for high school students, who work on the Senate floor while living and, during the school year, studying on Capitol Hill. The catch: a senator from your state has to sponsor you, and there are only 30 page positions for all 100 senators. Pages earn an annual-rate salary of $38,547, prorated for the session, minus $1,380 a month for the residence. Spring 2027 runs January 24 to June 4, and two summer 2027 sessions are set for June and July. Deadlines are set office by office, so start on your own senators' websites.
Reading about government and watching it work are very different things. The Senate Page Program is one of the few ways a high schooler sees the Senate from the inside, carrying bills and amendments on the floor while the chamber is in session. This guide focuses on how you actually get in, which is the part most students miss, plus eligibility, pay and what daily life looks like.
Building a wider list? Our guides on how to get into a competitive internship and how to find internships that aren't posted online are worth reading alongside it.
How much do Senate Pages earn, and when are the 2027 sessions?
Senate Pages are paid on an annual salary basis of $38,547, prorated for the weeks they serve, and school-year pages pay $1,380 a month for the residence, deducted automatically from their pay. That fee covers housing, two meals a day and field trips. The program runs four sessions a year, and you commit to the whole session you're selected for.
|
Detail |
What you need to know |
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Run by |
U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms, Washington, D.C. |
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How you get in |
A senator from your state must sponsor you |
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Positions |
30 page positions for the 100 senators |
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Pay |
$38,547 annual rate, prorated for your session |
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Residence |
$1,380 a month (housing, two meals a day, field trips), deducted from pay |
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2026-27 sessions |
Fall 2026: September 7 to January 22; Spring 2027: January 24 to June 4; Summer I: June 2027 (TBA); Summer II: July 2027 (TBA) |
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Eligibility |
Semester: juniors aged 16 or 17; summer: rising juniors or seniors; 3.0 GPA; U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
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Acceptance rate |
Not published |
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Deadline |
Set by each senator's office |
Who can be a Senate Page?
Semester pages must be high school juniors who are 16 or 17 on or before the date of appointment, and 18-year-olds can't be appointed. Senators' offices, such as Senator Markey's, say summer pages may be rising juniors or rising seniors. The Page Program's apply page lists the rest:
GPA: a minimum cumulative 3.0, verified to enroll in the Page School.
Citizenship: U.S. citizen or permanent resident, with a Social Security number.
Health: a general health assessment from a licensed physician, a certification of immunization and health insurance.
Sponsor: a senator from your state willing to appoint you.
The Senate Page Program is extremely small: 30 positions serve the whole Senate, and the program doesn't publish an acceptance rate. Not every senator sponsors a page in every session. If citizenship rules you out or your senator isn't sponsoring, Ladder Internships takes high school students worldwide for remote start-up internships, including in policy-adjacent fields such as consulting and nonprofits.
What do Senate Pages actually do?
Pages carry correspondence and legislative material around the Capitol and Senate office buildings, prepare the chamber for sessions and work on the floor during votes and debates. They're employees of the Senate Sergeant at Arms, so the same conduct rules apply to them as to staff. Pages report to work one hour before the Senate convenes or at 10:00 a.m., whichever is earlier.
When the Senate is in session, half the group is excused at 6:00 p.m., and the other half stays later; on recess days, pages are done at 4:00 p.m. It's real work on a real schedule, and much of it is logistics, early mornings and long days, which is exactly what tells you whether a career in government fits.
7 things to know before you apply to the Senate Page Program
1. A senator has to sponsor you for the Senate Page Program
You don't apply to the Page Program itself; you apply to your own senator. The program says it "does not have a list of senators who sponsor pages" and asks students not to send it application materials. Check both of your senators' websites for a page program section.
2. The Senate Page Program has strict age and grade rules
Semester pages must be juniors aged 16 or 17 on the appointment date, and no one who is 18 can be appointed. Summer sessions open the door to rising juniors and rising seniors. Read these rules literally before you apply.
3. Senate Pages need a 3.0 GPA
You must verify a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA to enroll in the Senate Page School. Treat it as a floor: senators' offices also review your full transcript.
4. The Senate Page Program runs four sessions, and you commit to the whole one
Fall 2026 runs September 7 to January 22, spring 2027 runs January 24 to June 4, and the two summer sessions are set for June and July 2027. Summer dates are still to be announced. Once you're selected, the program expects you to serve the entire session.
5. Senate Pages are paid, but housing comes out of the check
The $38,547 annual salary is prorated for the time you serve, and school-year pages pay $1,380 a month for the residence. School-year pages must live in the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence on Capitol Hill, sharing furnished rooms with three to five roommates. Summer pages may commute from home with written parental approval.
6. Semester Senate Pages start school before sunrise
The Senate Page School begins classes around 6:00 a.m., and a sample schedule runs from 6:15 to 8:55 a.m. before work. The school sits in the lower level of the page residence, offers the courses most typical of junior year, and lists every course as Honors on your transcript. It doesn't offer credit for world languages, so ask your counselor how your semester credits will transfer. See the Page School page for details.
7. Senate Page deadlines are set office by office
There's no national deadline: each senator's office sets its own, and some post them on their application portal. Senator Markey's office, for example, asks for a statement of interest of up to 500 words and a full high school transcript, and encourages students to apply as early as possible. Check your senators' sites now, because offices often close applications months before a session starts.
Is the Senate Page Program worth it for college applications?
Yes, because very few applicants have worked on the Senate floor, and you'll leave with specific stories to write about. Admissions readers respond to detail more than titles, so one particular day, vote or problem you handled will do more than the line on your activity list. It's still one experience, and it doesn't guarantee an admissions edge.
Because only 30 pages serve each session, plan as though it might not come through. Ladder Internships places high school students in remote, eight-week start-up internships, where they work on a real project with a company coach, with full financial aid available, so you can build real work experience whether or not your senator has a slot.
How do you apply to the Senate Page Program?
Apply through your senator's office, not through the Page Program. Find both of your senators' websites and look for their page program section; many post their process online, but not all sponsor pages every session. Offices commonly ask for:
A statement or letter of interest on why you want to serve (Senator Markey's office caps it at 500 words).
Your full high school transcript.
Letters of recommendation, at some offices.
If you can't find anything online, call or email the office and ask whether it expects to sponsor a page in the session you want. If selected, you'll complete the health assessment, immunization record and insurance steps before you start.
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Session |
Dates |
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Fall 2026 |
September 7, 2026 to January 22, 2027 |
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Spring 2027 |
January 24 to June 4, 2027 |
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Summer I 2027 |
June 2027 (dates TBA) |
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Summer II 2027 |
July 2027 (dates TBA) |
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Fall 2027 |
Usually early September to mid-January |
Common questions about the Senate Page Program
What if my senator isn't sponsoring Senate Pages this cycle?
Ask the office when it next expects to take applications, and apply for a later session. You can also check your state's other senator, since each office decides on its own.
What does a Senate Page do on the floor?
Pages prepare the chamber before sessions and work on the floor during votes and debates, carrying bills, amendments and messages. They also deliver correspondence and legislative material around the Capitol and Senate office buildings.
Can Senate Pages use their phones or post on social media?
Not freely. Pages don't have access to their cell phones except for weekend travel and vacations, and they can't post anything about the Senate on social media during their session.
I'm not a U.S. citizen. Can I be a Senate Page?
No. Pages must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a Social Security number. Ladder Internships accepts high school students worldwide for remote, eight-week start-up internships, at 5 to 10 hours a week, with a company coach and full financial aid available. The next deadline is November 15, 2026, for the Winter I cohort starting December 7, 2026.
Contact us at contact@ladderinternships.com if you have any questions!