2027 Beach AI Fellowship

About the Beach AI Fellowship

The Beach AI Fellowship is an official California State University, Long Beach program run through the Hung Family College of Engineering in partnership with OpenAI. Fellows are embedded with academic colleges and departments across campus to design, build, and deploy practical AI tools that save time for faculty and staff and improve the experience of every student at The Beach.

Our first cohort begins in August 2027. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the final deadline is December 31, 2026. Have questions? Check out the Fellow FAQ.

About the Role

Each fellow is placed with a CSULB college for the full academic year. No two weeks look the same: one week you might be interviewing faculty about a slow, paper-heavy process, and the next you might be shipping a tool that automates it. We're looking for students who are curious, adaptable, and comfortable working with real constraints, limited budgets, and imperfect data.

Responsibilities

• Find the problem: You will be partnered with faculty, teachers, and staff across CSULB's colleges, including the College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts, College of Business, College of Education, College of Health & Human Services, College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics, and College of the Arts. You'll learn how each department works, identify repetitive tasks, and automate several of them with the guidance of a senior engineer.
• Build the solution: Design, prototype, and deploy tools using modern AI models and APIs. You will explore a wide range of AI tooling, including AI coding assistants such as ChatGPT and Cursor, agent-building frameworks, and workflow automation platforms, and learn which tool fits which problem.
• Teach the team: Run workshops so staff can use and maintain what you build, and assist in teaching a class on applied AI tools alongside a CSULB faculty member.
• Document everything: Leave clear guides and handoff notes so your work outlasts your fellowship.
• Use good judgment: Not every problem needs AI. Fellows are expected to evaluate when AI is the right solution and when a simpler approach works better, protect student and faculty data in line with university privacy policies (including FERPA), flag risks early, and make responsible decisions about how and where AI tools are deployed on campus.

Prerequisites

The Beach AI Fellowship is a selective program. To be considered, applicants must meet all of the following requirements:

• Be currently enrolled at CSULB with sophomore standing or above.
• Have completed, be currently enrolled in, or commit to taking the following courses. Fellows who have not yet completed them must take them during the semesters they are in the fellowship:
  • CECS 105: Introduction to Computer Engineering and Computer Science
  • CECS 174: Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving
  • ENGR 350: Computers, Ethics and Society
• Have at least one completed software project you can show us (class, personal, or work).
• Show a commitment to serving your campus or community.

Students in the fellowship program will be provided early registration in order to compensate for time constraints.

Who Should Apply

• Currently enrolled CSULB students, sophomore standing and up.
• Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and other College of Engineering majors are preferred, but students from every major are encouraged to apply.
• Students who want to move into mission-driven tech work.

You May Be a Good Fit If You

• Have built and shipped a real project, even a small one, that other people actually used.
• Are motivated by public service and want your technical skills to make a direct impact on your campus.
• Can explain technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences and enjoy teaching others.
• Take initiative and follow through without waiting for step-by-step instructions.
• Stay productive when requirements are unclear, resources are limited, or plans change.
• Are currently enrolled at CSULB and will be based in the Long Beach area for the full fellowship year.
• Nice to have: experience working with LLMs, AI APIs, or agent frameworks. This is not required.

What You'll Get

• $3,500 monthly stipend for the duration of the fellowship.
• Early registration every semester you're in the program, so your class schedule works around your fellowship.
• A dedicated pipeline to OpenAI through our partnership, with consideration for internships and post-graduate roles.
• Industry exposure to major AI and technology companies such as Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and NVIDIA through speaker events, site visits, and networking.
• Career fair referrals to computer science and engineering job fairs, plus resume and interview prep.
• Mentorship from a senior engineer and CSULB faculty throughout the year.
• A two-week onboarding bootcamp covering AI tools, automation, and responsible deployment before you're placed.
• Access to professional AI tools used in industry today.
• A cohort of fellows to learn, build, and grow with.
• Real, deployed projects for your portfolio, plus a letter of completion from the College of Engineering.

Application & Interview Process

Short application → Take-home project → First-round interview → Final interview

The Beach AI Fellowship is administered by the CSULB Hung Family College of Engineering in partnership with OpenAI.