Mobile App Development Intern

Mobile Application Development Internship

Calling all emerging technologists!

Interested in real-world experience in mobile app development? Citizens is dedicated to opening doors for students and encouraging new ideas that drive impact.

Join the 10‑week summer internship program and contribute to mobile app development efforts that power the college planning platform in our Student Lending ecosystem.

Experience during the program 

Interns can expect to spend their time collaborating with other interns, colleagues, and business partners to work on a real-world project. The intern will play a key role in developing new features and enhancements for the Citizens digital platform, with a focus on integrating innovative college planning tools that support students in making informed financial and academic decisions. The role offers hands-on experience with modern web technologies, agile development practices, and cross-functional collaboration with product managers, designers, and engineering teams. Interns will have the opportunity to work on real-world projects that directly impact user experience and operational efficiency. 

Interns must be available to work in person at our Iowa City Office

This Internship has a start date in Late May 2026

As an Application Development Intern, you can expect to:

• Work with business partners and mentors to review the business question, project objectives, available data, and to gather requirements to understand the best approach

• Develop full-stack, integrated software solutions including mobile apps that help the next generation of college students and their families succeed in their journeys

• Troubleshoot and resolve data quality and software performance and integrity issues in a timely and proactive manner

• Work hands-on to enhance Citizens’ robust college planning software platform 

• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather feedback and refine solutions to maximize business impact

• Assist in improving high quality, data-intensive tools and recommendations to support college-going students and their families 

• Explore the data and technical landscape of the organization, through structured meetups, informal conversations, and collaborative sessions with analytics experts across business units

• Participate in exclusive sessions with senior leaders, offering interns direct exposure to executive insights, strategic thinking, and leadership philosophies that shape the organization

• Participate in development opportunities, including training sessions, workshops, and mentorship designed to build core competencies and prepare interns for future career success

• Present your findings and recommendations to peers and business leaders as part of a capstone presentation.

What you’ll need to apply

Basic Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, or other technology-related degrees

• Expected graduation date between December 2026 and Spring 2027

• Minimum GPA of 3.0

• Proficiency with programming languages / tools: C#, Java, Swift, SQL, Python

• Familiarity with cloud computing environments (e.g., AWS), REST APIs, database design, and working with structured data formats like JSON

• Experience working with raw as well as prepared datasets

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, or other technology-related degrees

• Software development experience, especially with Visual Studio, Android Studio, and Xcode. 

• Technical Familiarity with full-stack development: Exposure to or interest in writing native mobile code including Android Studio and Java for Android, and XCode and Swift for iOS. For the backend, desired experience includes Visual Studio and ASP.NET framework as well as MySQL for the database. It will be helpful to understand basic networking and how mobile apps can connect to a REST API.

• Team Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to thrive in a team environment and collaborate effectively with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and business units

• Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to successfully communicate analytic results, business insights, and business impact to a non-technical audience

• Analytical Thinking: Solid analytical reasoning and problem-solving skills, with the ability to break down complex problems using logic and quantitative methods

• Curiosity & Initiative: A strong sense of curiosity and ownership, with a proactive approach to asking thoughtful questions, researching unfamiliar topics, and seeking clarity on project goals

• Resilience & Drive: Demonstrated persistence and tenacity—willingness to work through challenges, adapt to feedback, and stay focused on delivering results

• Familiarity with data architecture concepts such as data pipelines, cloud storage, and how data is structured and integrated within an organization and awareness of data modeling concepts

• Learning Mindset: Eagerness to learn from mentors and business partners, and to grow technical and business acumen through hands-on project work