Skip to main content

Career Center

Identifying Internships

There are two primary sources of internship opportunities: opportunities that are published on websites and in print resources and those that are never made public. For that reason, it is important that you perform a balanced search that involves tapping your network and using online resources.

On-Campus Recruiting

As part of your search, we encourage you to participate in the Career Center’s on-campus recruiting activities. These events offer four types of opportunities for you to connect with employers offering internships and full-time positions in a variety of career fields: on-campus interviews, Industry Career Days, employer information sessions, and employer internship and job postings (via Handshake). To participate in campus recruiting, you will need to upload a resume to your Handshake account before you can apply to any positions.

Internship Orientation. Take a look at our Internship Orientation Guide. Here is an accessible version of the Internship Orientation Guide. If you’re applying for the Summer Internship Subsidy, you’ll need to complete the quiz which can be found on the last page.

Vanderbilt Programs & Speaker Series

There are many opportunities to intern through Vanderbilt programs, including:

Interning Abroad

So you want to intern abroad? This can prove to be a more challenging task than interning in the United States, but that does not mean it is impossible. There are normally two methods of obtaining an internship abroad:

  1. Doing your own search. Doing your own search will require you to find housing, determine what international work permits or VISAs are required, and identify potential workplaces. To learn how best to do your own search, schedule an appointment with your Career Coach on Handshake.
  2. Utilizing an international internship agency. To intern through an international agency, students must pay a fee (often dependent on location), but this fee will cover housing, insurance, VISA assistance, work placement, and possibly more. While deadlines for these programs vary, it is recommended to begin your search during the December prior to your planned summer internship. We have listed such international agencies below for your convenience:

For more information on these international agencies, look at the International Internship Agency Infosheet.

Academic Credit for Internships

Many internship programs require you to apply for and receive academic credit. To begin the process of applying and receiving academic credit, read below and then contact the Associate Dean of your college/school.

Summer Internship Subsidy

Vanderbilt provides a subsidy to waive the cost associated with the academic credit required for internships. Here are the highlights of the subsidy program:

  • Open to any VU undergraduate who is required by an employer or by immigration regulations to earn academic credit
  • Designed to cover/waive the majority of tuition and fees for the academic component of a one-credit summer internship
  • The subsidy is processed through your college or school while course registration may be through any of the four undergraduate schools
  • Student fee to enroll in one-credit summer course required for an internship is currently $200 plus applicable summer fees

To be eligible for the subsidy, you’re required to review the Internship Orientation Guide and complete the quiz focusing on workplace law and workplace etiquette. You will then print your results page and submit the required application form to your Associate Dean’s Office. For complete details of the application process visit the Summer Internship Subsidy page.

Students who choose not to apply for a summer internship subsidy may continue to use the regular tuition process to enroll in designated summer internship courses. Details are available through the Dean’s office of your college/school.