Guide to Finding an International Student Internship in the USA was originally published on US News
As an international student from India, Rounak Agarwal started looking for internships during his sophomore year at Pace University in New York, where he is majoring in economics with a minor in business analytics. Agarwal, a rising senior, has had two internships so far in the financial services industry, as a finance intern at Playfair Planning Services and mortgage analyst at Emigrant Bank.
He says his internship at the bank, where he has worked as a paid intern since September 2018, has been a good opportunity since he wants to start his career in the financial services industry. “This internship provided me with great knowledge into the mortgage and lending areas,” Agarwal says.
As prospective international students search for and apply to U.S. colleges, they may want to start thinking about internships. For students who have not yet enrolled, here are some things to know about how internships work in the U.S.
Eligibility. Experts say eligibility for internships is based on the visa status a student plans to get.
“F-1 students are eligible to intern off campus, which is called Curricular Practical Training, CPT, after two full academic semesters at the university, not including summer sessions,” says Phyllis Mooney, executive director of career services at Pace University.
Mooney says if a student has completed a previous degree in the U.S. and has already been issued an F-1 visa for that degree, he or she does not have to wait two academic semesters to start an internship. She says students transferring in from another college do not have to wait either, unless they enter Pace with only one semester from a previous institution, in which case they would only wait for one semester versus one full academic year.
Mooney says for those who are on a J-1 exchange visitor visa, eligibility works slightly differently.
“If J-1’s happen to land an internship opportunity if they are here for more than one semester, under what is called Academic Training, their internship employer would have to provide an offer letter and documentation to our International Students and Scholars Services team for approval and processing,” Mooney says.
Experts say internships can be planned anytime but may be more beneficial between junior and senior year as students will likely have a better idea of what field they would like to go into.
“We encourage students to seek out opportunities early and often. This obviously will depend on field of study and where they hope to intern as some industries and/or employers prefer upperclassmen for certain roles,” says Anna Kenney, assistant director of internships at the University of Miami.
How to find an internship. When seeking an internship, the first stop should be the international student services office or the career center, experts say, but international students should also plan to explore opportunities on their own.
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