Internships are evolving. Here’s what you need to know.
Internships have always been an important step in the college-to-career journey, and that’s true now more than ever. Today’s students rely on internship experience not only to stand out in a competitive job market, but also to explore potential career paths and build the skills they’ll need to succeed in their first job and beyond. And for employers seeking to embrace a proactive, long-term talent strategy, internship programs are a way to build brand awareness, nurture a robust pipeline of students and recent graduates, and identify best-fit future hires.
Understanding the evolving landscape of internships is crucial for students, career services professionals, and employers looking to maximize the impact of these experiences. Based on a survey of more than 6,000 students and recent graduates—combined with job creation and application data from the career network for Gen Z—Handshake has identified five internship trends to watch in 2025.
Key takeaways
Competition for internships has increased sharply in the last two years.
Internship postings on Handshake declined by more than 15% between January 2023 and January 2025, while internship applications surged—as of January 2025, 41% of Class of 2025 students had applied to at least one internship through Handshake, compared to 34% of Class of 2023 students at the end of their undergraduate career.
Internship hiring timelines vary by employer size and industry.
Although September and January are generally peak months for intern recruiting on Handshake, smaller employers are more likely to recruit year-round, as are larger employers in certain industries.
Fair pay matters.
In 2025, the vast majority of internships are paid—but students are taking note of whether pay is truly meaningful, or just a token gesture. 82% of interns who felt fairly compensated would likely accept a full-time offer from their internship employer, compared to just 63% of those who didn’t feel their pay was fair.
Students are relying on internships to shape their long-term career goals.
72% of students seek out internships to help them figure out what types of jobs they’d like to pursue in the future, and 59% say participating in an internship will be an essential step toward clarifying their career goals.
Internships are a powerful tool for building talent pipeline.
Among students who’ve completed an internship, almost 80% say the experience had a moderate or significant impact on their level of interest in working full time for their internship employer—and a majority would probably or definitely accept a full-time offer.
