It may be more difficult for students to secure an internship this year, according to the results of the latest survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers published recently in NACE’s 2025 Internship and Co-op Report.
The survey of 287 employers found that 47.7% said they would maintain internships at current levels; 23.6% would increase intern hiring and 28.7% would reduce intern hiring. Despite 71% saying they would maintain or increase internships, overall hiring is expected to fall 3.1% driven mainly by the largest companies across industries reporting plans to trim intern roles.
The survey also found that employers favor a hybrid work environment for interns. Roughly 3 out of 5 of responding employers plan to provide a hybrid experience for their 2024-25 intern cohort, reflecting the idea that the blend of in-person and remote work fits for Gen Z.
However, data shows that hybrid internship programs correlate with significantly lower offer rates for full-time employment afterward, NACE said. The offer rate for the 2023-24 intern cohort was 56.2% for hybrid interns, compared to 71.9% for in-person interns.
The conversion rate – the percentage of interns who actually are converted to full-time employees – was 46% for hybrid interns and 58.5% for in-person interns in the 2023-24 cohort.
Another key finding is intern cohorts don’t align with the student population. Although women account for approximately 59% of the student population, they held about 41% of internships in 2023-24. Similarly, Hispanic students make up nearly 22% of the student population but accounted for less than 9% of 2023-24 internship positions.
Other key findings from the report:
- The average wage paid to interns is $23 an hour
- 90.5% of respondents said intern hiring is driven by the organization’s needs
- 22.9% of respondents said intern hiring was driven by the state of the economy
- Most employers surveyed prioritize skills and previous internship experience over academic major and GPA when recruiting interns
- In-person job fairs and on-campus recruiting are viewed as more effective recruitment tools and were used by two-thirds of respondents. Less than 20% of employers view virtual recruiting as an effective tool in hiring interns.
