Application and Selection

Application Requirements

You must submit your internship application through the Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application System (DICAS) online portal. All applications must include the following criteria:

• A verification statement, or "intent to complete" form from an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) issued within five years of the internship start date. Applicants who completed a DPD more than five years before the internship may be eligible if they meet our Recency of Education Policy.
  

• Transcript(s) demonstrating an overall GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  

• Evidence of paid or unpaid work experience(s), including in a food and/or nutrition practice setting. Successful applicants typically have experience in a healthcare environment in addition to other areas.
  

• Three letters of recommendation submitted by professional references through the DICAS portal. At least one letter must be from an academic reference and at least one must be from a work or volunteer supervisor. (Example: one professor and two supervisors from two different jobs.) Select references who know you well and represent different areas of your professional/academic life.
  

• A personal statement addressing the following topics in 1,000 words or less:

  • What personal, academic, and/or professional experiences in your life have had the greatest impact on your decision to pursue a career in dietetics? 

  • Describe specific professional skills that you would like to improve during the internship. 

  • How will your personal and/or professional background and perspectives contribute to the internship class dynamic and to your rotation experiences?

  • Describe the position(s) you see yourself pursuing in your first 1-2 jobs as a dietitian. 

  • What are your top 2-3 reasons for applying to Virginia Tech and specifically to the location(s) you selected?
    

• Documentation of an earned graduate degree or a plan to earn one. Include one of the following with your application:

  • Final transcript indicating graduate degree conferral, or

  • Official graduate transcript indicating credits earned (or letter of acceptance if no credits have been earned), plus Graduate Degree Plan of Study Form, or

  • Intention to Enroll in OMALS Form confirming your plan to enroll in our partner Virginia Tech graduate program. 

Application Processes and Due Dates

Your application will be reviewed once you:

• Submit all required elements through the Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application System (DICAS) online portal. 

• Pay the Virginia Tech Internship Program application fee of $50. This is separate from the fee to register with DICAS. Create an account here to pay the Virginia Tech application fee.

Fall Selection for Early Enrollment: 

Early enrollment is open to applicants who want to pursue our partner Virginia Tech graduate degree and are eligible to begin online graduate courses in January (seven months before the internship begins). Early enrollment candidates will begin the internship in August and will be eligible to take the RDN exam the following summer. 

Candidates Who are Eligible for Early Enrollment:

1. Virginia Tech DPD applicants pursuing dual graduate enrollment in their final undergraduate semester, or

2. Applicants who have already earned or will earn a bachelor's degree before graduate classes begin in January. 

Benefits of Early Enrollment:

• ​Be notified of internship acceptance in November (9 months before the internship begins).

• Have a lighter graduate course load over the summer and/or during the internship.

• Virginia Tech dietetics students who pursue early enrollment will pay undergraduate tuition for graduate level courses during the Spring 2025 semester. 

Early Enrollment Timeline:

• October 15 - Deadline to submit internship application, including location selection(s) and VT internship application fee. 

• November 1 - Receive notification of internship acceptance decision.

• November 15 - Deadline to accept internship offer of admission.

  Our early enrollment application due date has been extended!  Contact alafalce@vt.edu for details.

• December 1 - Deadline to submit VT Graduate School application for guaranteed acceptance. (VT Graduate School application fee is waived.)

• Mid January - Begin online graduate classes.

• Late August - Begin the internship. (Must live in your internship location.)

• May - Finish most internship requirements. 

• August - Earn M.S. degree and become eligible for RDN exam.

View our detailed guide to early enrollment. 

Winter/Spring Selection for Regular Enrollment: 

The regular enrollment option is for applicants who have already earned a graduate degree, applicants who plan to pursue our partner Virginia Tech graduate degree according to the regular timeline (beginning graduate classes in May), and applicants pursuing or planning to pursue a graduate degree that is not our partner program. 

Regular Enrollment Timeline:

• January 15 - Deadline to submit internship application, including location selection(s) and VT internship application fee.

• By March 1 - Receive notification of internship acceptance decision. 

  • Location placement is guaranteed until March 5. 

  • Thereafter, the internship offer remains until March 15 while specific location placement is subject to availability.

• March 15 - Deadline to accept offer of admission.

• After March 15 - Rolling admission for any available positions and locations. 

• April 1 - Deadline to submit VT graduate school application for guaranteed acceptance. (This only applies to candidates planning to enroll in the OMALS graduate degree.) 

• Mid May - Begin online graduate classes. (This only applies to students pursuing the OMALS graduate degree.)

• Late August - Begin the internship. (Must live in your internship location.)

• Late April/May - Interns who earned a graduate degree before the internship will finish all internship requirements and be eligible to sit for the RDN exam.

• May/June/July/August (timeline variable) - Interns pursuing a graduate degree during the internship (other than our partner OMALS program) will finish all internship requirements and be eligible to sit for the RDN exam. 

Mid-August - Interns pursuing the OMALS program will complete all internship requirements, earn their M.S. degree, and be eligible to sit for the RDN exam.

Information Sessions

Please attend a live, online information session to learn more about our application and selection processes as well as how our program can help you achieve your professional goals. Visit our information sessions page for dates and times.

Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) Applicants

The application and selection processes for ISPP interns are different. You may find the ISPP intern specific application and selection processes in the ISPP Policy (PDF).

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