According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2025 Internship and Co-op Report, students may face challenges securing internships this year. The survey, which involved 287 employers, indicated a 3.1% decline in intern hiring, with large companies across industries planning to reduce intern positions.
Of the employers surveyed, 47.7% intend to maintain their current intern levels, 23.6% plan to increase intern hiring, and 28.7% aim to decrease it. Despite 71% maintaining or increasing internships, the overall reduction is primarily due to the largest firms trimming intern roles.
Employers favor a hybrid work environment for interns, with about three out of five respondents planning a hybrid experience for the 2024-25 cohort. This blend of in-person and remote work is seen as a good fit for Gen Z. However, hybrid internships show significantly lower offer rates for full-time employment post-internship. NACE data indicate a 56.2% offer rate for hybrid interns, compared to 71.9% for in-person interns in the 2023-24 cohort. The conversion rate from intern to full-time employee was 46% for hybrid interns versus 58.5% for in-person interns during the same period.
The report also highlights a discrepancy in internship demographics. Women, who make up approximately 59% of the student population, held about 41% of internships in the 2023-24 period. Similarly, Hispanic students, nearly 22% of the student population, represented less than 9% of internships.
Additional findings include:
- The average hourly wage for interns is $23.
- 90.5% of respondents stated that intern hiring is driven by organizational needs.
- 22.9% cited the state of the economy as a driver for intern hiring.
- Employers prioritize skills and previous intern experience over academic major and GPA.
- In-person job fairs and on-campus recruiting emerged as more effective tools compared to virtual recruiting, which was deemed effective by less than 20% of employers.
