The best way to offer internship for college credit is to first make sure the student is eligible. They must be a current student at your institution, and they must have completed at least one semester of coursework.
Once you’ve confirmed eligibility, here’s how you can offer an internship for college credit:
- Create an internship program with your academic department
- Advertise your internship program on campus
- Accept applications from students who are interested in interning with your organization or department
- Interview candidates and select an intern based on qualifications, experience level and availability (if you’re hiring multiple interns)
How To Offer Internship For College Credit
Doing an Internship for College Credit
By definition, an internship is a supervised learning experience under the tutelage of a schooled professional. The training received at the office or business site of the internship should be similar to the training/education received in the classroom. Therefore, college credit is often provided to students instead of actual payment. However, it’s not unheard of for interns to receive college credit for completing an internship and to be financially compensated by their employer.
Is There a Limit?
Depending on the school’s policy, students can usually earn between one and six college credits after participating in an internship, but it’s more common to receive one credit point than six credit points. Employers often ask they can provide college credit for interns, but that’s a misconception. The role of the business is singular: It’s to be an on-site teacher and educator operating in the world of business, not academia.
Who Decides?
It’s a big misconception about college credit for internships that the company can decide whether the internship is ‘for credit’ and ‘not for credit.’ Technically, it’s the student’s university or college that can decide if the student is eligible to receive college credit or not. The decision is based solely on school policy as well as the criteria of that student’s major, and whether or not the student has already participated in an internship and received college credit.
That said, if a student is eligible, you as the business professional should do all you can to help the student receive school credit. It’s worth noting that nearly every college and university limits the number of internships that a student can do for college credit. Otherwise, college students would likely spend more time doing internships than attending class.
How to Get College Credit
To receive college credit for an internship, students have guidelines on how many hours they must participate in the internship throughout the semester. For example, at the University of Connecticut, students must intern 300 hours throughout the semester to receive one college credit.
Students work with either the office of their specific major or the general campus career center to learn about and receive internship credit. The specific department within their major or the career center requires the employer to fill out paperwork beforehand that explains the role and responsibilities of the intern at the sponsoring company. The school also requires one or two evaluations to take place throughout the internship. Also, the sponsoring manager needs to fill out paperwork regarding the student’s performance and specifically detail the new skills acquired.
Because internships are considered learning experiences, when students take on unpaid internships, it only makes sense that they seek out college credit as a way to be compensated for the time they’ve spent and the work they’ve performed. Paid interns are also eligible for college credit.
When it comes to gaining job experience for your future career, having an internship can become essential for setting up a successful future. You may have plenty of questions when thinking about getting your internship. Where does one start looking? When is the best time to apply? What kind of internship is right for you and your career?
An internship is essentially a learning experience supervised by a working professional, and it should mirror an experience similar to what you would get in the classroom. Because it mimics a class experience/learning experience, you will get academic credit for it rather than monetary payment. If you’re looking to land an internship for credit rather than financial compensation, here’s all you need to know about internships for credits.
How many credits can you get with internships?
The amount of credits you can get with any one internship depends on the college you are attending. Usually, internships for credit will grant you one to six college credits or units for completing an internship (more often, usually around one to three).
The amount of credits an internship is “worth” also can depend on the amount of hours/effort you are putting into the internship. A standard time commitment is around ten hours each week, which usually grants you one to three college credits. Or, the amount of college credits you can get is determined by the value of the internship. Reach out to your career center or academic counselors to see what options you have and to determine which internships are worth getting college credits for.
How do you know if a company offers college credit?
When you are viewing an internship posting, it will usually say whether or not the company offers college credit. If it’s an unpaid position, they usually do offer college credits for their interns. If it is a paid position, you may be able to switch it out for college credit instead of getting financial compensation. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Usually, you will have to coordinate with the company where you would like to intern, and an academic/faculty member that will ultimately sponsor/monitor your internship. Make sure you fill out all necessary registration and any paperwork before beginning your internship to get the college credit you want. Keep track of all the steps necessary so that you know what needs to be done and what deadlines to meet.
How do you know if you are eligible to get college credit for an internship?
Ultimately, it is actually up to your school whether or not you are eligible for college credit. It’s not just whether or not the company offers it to begin with, but if your school deems you eligible. You can be denied eligibility for a number of reasons. Maybe you have already taken an internship for college credits and have reached the university’s cap for college credits given by an internship.
The internship you are pursuing has to tie into your major or field of study in some way, so if it is completely unrelated to your studies, you will most likely not be able to get college credit for the internship. If you are able to find a way to connect your internship to your education, you can try to petition so that your internship qualifies for college credit.
Your ability to be eligible for an internship for college credit also may depend on what year you are in. You may only be able to get an internship for college credit if you are an upperclassman with junior or senior standing in terms of college credits. Also, some majors and minors will require you to complete an internship or field study as part of your requirement for classes. As such, you will get college credit for completing the internship rather than financial compensation.
How do you know if an internship for college credits is the right choice for you?
As nice as it is to get out of the classroom and still get college credit, it definitely is not the right choice for everyone. If you are getting an internship for college credit, you will most likely not be getting paid for it as it is usually one or the other.
Sometimes you may be looking at multiple internship opportunities and be left completely unsure as to which one to pick. Lay out your options and see which one best advances your career path and gives you the most helpful experience and networking, it may not necessarily be the internship granting you the most college credit.
If you are stretched tight financially, you may not be able to have an internship for college credit. Rather, a paid internship may be the better move for you. Don’t be afraid to weigh your options. Hopefully, with this guide, your decision will be a bit easier and well-informed.
