Whenever our career advisors meet with 1st and 2nd Years, students often want to know if employers hire 1st and 2nd Years as interns (and if not, how do other Engineers spend their summers). Let's review several summer programs designed specifically for you, along with additional ideas for how to spend your summers.Do employers hire 1st and 2nd Year Engineers?
Some employers hire 1st Years as interns, but most prefer to hire 3rd Year students (and many hire 2nd Years as well) as they've completed more coursework, which is often relevant to the job.
If you'd like to explore internship opportunities for Summer 2023:
Visit the Jobs section in Handshake and select Filters > open the Employer Preferences drop-down menu > select the School Year box. Select other filters such as Internship to find potential opportunities.
For upcoming career fairs, view the list of employers and select your School Year to see a list of employers who expressed an interest in connecting with 1st Years or 2nd Years.
Gather more ideas of how 1st and 2nd Years have spent their summers in the past with this list of "Internship Locations for 1st and 2nd Year Students 2018-2021".
Talk to family, friends, professors, and mentors you currently know (i.e., your network) about your interests and goals. Update them as your interests and goals evolve. They may be able to refer you to people in their networks whose companies hire interns. Learn more about networking, which is a common way underclassmen have reported finding an internship.
Internships & Opportunities for 1st and 2nd Year Engineers
Tech internships and opportunities
Explore Microsoft | Info Session: Wed., Oct. 19
Explore Microsoft is a 12-week summer internship program specifically designed for 1st and 2nd Year students and provides the opportunity to experience the main phases of the product development cycle: Design, Build and Quality.
Twitter Academy
Applications opening October/November
Twitter Academy is a paid 12-week summer internship program designed for second-year students interested in gaining hands-on and real-life experience in the tech industry. This program is for historically underrepresented (black, Latinx and/or Native American) students in Tech.
Google STEP Intern
Deadline Oct. 31
STEP is an internship for 1st and 2nd Year undergraduate students with a passion for Computer Science.
Meta University
More info coming soon
Meta University for Engineers is a paid eight-week training program designed to provide mobile development experience to current 1st and 2nd Year students who are historically under-represented in computer science.
Amazon Future Engineers
Application opens in November
Our software development internship program provides hands-on learning and building experiences for college freshmen and sophomores who are making an early commitment to computer science.
Palantir Path
Deadline Oct. 3
Palantir Path is an internship for students who are early in their journeys as technologists. Path aims to help students bridge the gap between what you learn in school and what's necessary to solve the real world's ambiguous, complex problems.
Civic Digital Fellowship
Application likely to open in spring for Summer 2023
Civic Digital Fellows are mission-driven software engineers, data scientists, product managers, and designers who spend their summers innovating at the intersection of technology and public service. As a Fellow, you'll receive a $4,000+ stipend, housing, and travel to and from Washington, D.C. The nation's capital will be your home for 10 weeks—from the first week of June until mid-August. Fellows must be U.S. citizens (due to federal hiring regulations), enrolled full-time in an accredited institution of higher education and must be returning to school after the internship.
Google Summer of Code (Open Source Projects)
No info for 2023 available yet
Students contact organizations they want to work with and write up a project proposal for the summer. If accepted, students spend a month integrating with their organizations prior to the start of coding. Students then have three months to code, meeting the deadlines agreed upon with their mentors.
Code2040 Fellow Program
Deadline Summer the year prior
The Fellows Program is an intensive career accelerator for Black and Latinx college and graduate-level computer science students. For 9 weeks between June and August, you'll intern at a top tech company and engage in racial equity advocacy work. You'll participate in a series of learning experiences designed to give you the tools and resources you need to navigate the tech industry, build a lasting career, and advocate for yourself and your community.
OutReachy
Deadlines: Summer internship (late Feb), Winter internship (late Sept)
Outreachy is a paid, remote internship program. Outreachy's goal is to support people from groups underrepresented in tech. We help newcomers to free software and open source make their first contributions. Interns are paid a stipend of $5,500 USD for the three month internship. Interns have a $500 USD travel stipend to attend conferences or events.
Additional programs for 1st and 2nd Years
Deloitte Programs and Conferences
Deloitte offers multiple opportunities to gain experience and learn more about the organization.
Accenture Student Empowerment Program
This multi-year, career development program brings together 1st and 2nd Year female students and those students from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Capital One Summits
More details available in February
Capital One hosts various summits for 1st and/or 2nd Year students, including ones for Developing Leaders, Software Engineering, Women in Business, Finance, and Human Resources. Contact our team and we'll connect you with a recruiter from Capital One to learn more about the timelines for summits.
Pathways Internship Program
Deadlines vary
Learn about federal internships and opportunities for students of all years.
Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program
Applications open and ongoing
CSIIP connects STEM students to paid summer opportunities with companies in Virginia. The program requires that students have completed at least 30 credits before the internship begins.
UVA IGem
No info for 2023 available yet
We are a student-run research team and synthetic biology interest group. Every year, we select a new team from our pool of applicants; those applicants will participate in the International Genetic Engineering Machine competition through Spring semester, Summer and Fall. Team members work together to discover problems that can be solved using synthetic biology, design and engineering solutions to those problems, and implement functional prototypes of those solutions that will be presented in October during the iGEM Conference in Boston.
P&G Standout Emerging Leaders Camp
The Standout Program is designed to give students immersive experiences in a culture where diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking are valued and included to make a meaningful impact from Day 1. Our desire is to have a diverse group of top candidates for this program. Underrepresented students including, but not limited to, female and/or Black or African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, or two or more races are strongly encouraged to apply.
Opportunities for 2nd Years
UVA Engineering Policy Internship Program
Deadline: Nov. 23
Are you ready to apply your skills to real-world problems like energy, sustainability, innovation, health care, information technology, and national security? The Policy Internship Program (PIP) is a unique combination of coursework that focuses on communication and policy analysis skills and real, hands-on internships with top science and technology policymakers in Washington DC. Students must be enrolled as a second or third year student in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Inquiries about the program can be directed to the Program Director Rider Foley at rider@virginia.edu.
Citibank Sophomore Leadership Program
No info for 2023 available yet
Citi's Sophomore Leadership Program was developed to provide exceptional sophomore students with a ten-week summer internship in New York City. The program will offer interns training; mentorship and exposure to different Institutional Clients Group (ICG) businesses during the internship.
Credit Suisse Sophomore Internship
Deadline Sept. 30
Join us as an intern and you'll learn, grow and contribute to one of the world's leading financial companies. We offer programs globally and in nearly every business area. All of our programs combine exceptional training with real-world work experience.
Bank of America Sophomore Summer Analyst Program
Deadline Nov. 1
As a sophomore summer analyst, you will be supported with extensive training and exposure to our most experienced leaders throughout this program. Your role during the internship will provide you with a valuable analytical based work experience focused on the financial markets that will give you true insight into life as an investment banker or markets professional. You will also have the support of a mentor and buddy who can help you navigate the workplace and ensure you are best positioned for success.
Abercombie & Fitch Sophomore Summit (Spring 2023)
Details will be announced in the spring
The Sophomore Summit provides a unique opportunity to explore a variety of internships and full-time career paths in corporate retail at A&F Co.; it invites students from across the country to learn about our business, hear from former interns, interact with company leaders and team up to complete a hands-on case study that brings our roles to life.
Federal Reserve Bank of NY Sophomore Career Exploration Internship
Deadline: early Fall
Over the course of the 8-week Sophomore Career Exploration Program, interns will develop personal and professional skills to support their success in the workforce. In addition to their daily responsibilities, interns will experience a cohort-model of learning, while receiving a mentor pairing with a more experienced professional at the New York Fed. They will also have the opportunity to learn more about and be considered for the junior-level intern program for rising seniors which serves as a recruitment pipeline for the New York Fed's entry-level hiring.
AllianceBernstein Sophomore Summer Leadership Program
This program is for undergraduate students who have successfully completed their sophomore year of college. It's designed to provide firsthand exposure to careers in finance to a select group of students from underrepresented populations (women, people of color, LGBTQ). The nine-week, paid internship program includes one week of training, and rotations through two different departments. Each project-based assignment lasts four weeks. This program runs from June through August.
Additional ways to gain experience
If these programs aren't the right fit for you, or you'd like to learn about summer research and other smart ways to spend your summer, check out our tips on other ways to gain experience.
When you're ready, make an appointment with one of our career advisors to chat about your summer plans!