Hosting Interns

Fresh Ideas, New Trends, and Latest Technology

University students often see the world through a different lens. They can bring innovation and creative thinking to the workplace, questioning processes and offering suggestions. Accustomed to teaching themselves new technologies quickly, they will likely have learning strategies to offer.

Ready Talent 

Interns bring skills and a desire to use their abilities to further the mission of the company. After initial training, interns can take on a project they can work on autonomously, often creating a valuable deliverable. Their work can free up other employees to pursue new endeavors.

Talent Development and Discovery

• Eight out of 10 employers surveyed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers said that internships provided the best return on investment as a recruiting strategy, compared to career fairs, on-campus visits, panels or other activities. (Higher Ed, 2024) 

• Interns give current employees an opportunity to mentor future leaders in the field, which can motivate employees, reinvigorate their passion or work ethic, and increase effective leadership within the team (Indeed Career Guide, 2023.)
• And, of course, hiring interns is also a great way to strengthen your ties with the University.

Employee Retention

• 50 - 60% of eligible interns convert to full-time employees.
• 75% of converted interns are still with the organization after their first year on the job compared to 51% of non-intern employees (NACE 2023 Internship & Co-op Report, 2023.)

Position Description with Clear Goals

A position description (PDF) with clear responsibilities, specific projects, clearly defined learning goals, and required/desired qualifications. Consider consulting resources on the most inclusive hiring practices.

Direct Supervision

A direct professional supervisor with relevant expertise who provides productive feedback, guidance, and the resources and equipment necessary to successfully complete the assignment.

Compensation

As a matter of equity, UVM strongly recommends that employers compensate interns for their work.  Competitive internship wages range from $18-$25/hr depending on the sector. Additional benefits like housing allowances, mileage reimbursement, employee discounts, professional development trainings, etc. can help compensate for lower wages.  

Credit is not a substitute for wages. While credits may be valuable, students cannot pay their rent with credit.  In fact, students pay for credits - making them an added expense, not a financial benefit.  Students CAN earn credit and get paid, one does not negate or replace the other.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

See Internship MOU section for details.

US Department of Labor (Fact Sheet #71) requires that interns must be paid minimum wage unless the intern is determined to be the “primary beneficiary” of the intern-employer relationship.

Vermont State minimum wage: $14.42/hr as of Jan 1, 2026. 

UVM envisions internships as mutually beneficial and therefore urges all employers to fairly compensate their interns.  However, if you are deeply invested in providing a rich learning experience for your intern with robust mentorship and low expectations of what the intern will provide to your workplace in return, then you may consider offering an unpaid internship.  If you have questions about the Department of Labor’s guidance, we recommend you consult your attorney.

Students CAN earn credit and get paid. If a student wishes to earn credit for their internship, they enroll in a course with a UVM faculty member who manages the credit granting process. The employer will be asked to review and sign a learning contract and the UVM Internship MOU. 

Additionally, pay provides real benefits, including:

• Diversifying your Workforce. Women, Black, and Hispanic students are significantly underrepresented as a proportion of paid interns. Providing more paid internships for underrepresented populations will lead to greater access, opportunity, and success for participating students; help fill critical roles throughout the employment landscape; and lead to needed diversification of the workforce. (NACE, 2023)
   
• Deeply engaged interns.  Paid interns do their best work and can be more fully present because they don’t have to work side jobs to manage their living expenses during the internship.
   
• More Applicants. Handshake data shows that paid internship postings attract an average of 43 more applicants per job than unpaid ones. (Forbes, 2023).
   
• Setting them up for success. NACE research has found that students who take part in paid internships receive more job offers and garner higher starting salaries than those who participate in unpaid internships (NACE 2022 Student Survey, 2022).

See NACE's Position Statement on Unpaid Internships for more on this topic.

Make a Plan

• Think through
  • Your goals for the internship
  • Supervision
  • Inclusive hiring practices
  • Hours and duration of the internship
  • Compensation

Develop a robust and engaging Position Description / Program

• UVM's Internship Coordinator is here to help!  She can review PDs, collaboratively envision projects/programs and offer tips on how to make the position most appealing to a strong field of applicants (PDF).

Post your internship

• Register and post your internship on Handshake. UVM students access these postings and will contact you directly, allowing you to interview and select the student(s) who are the best fit for your position.
• Handshake problems? Contact careers@uvm.edu for assistance
• Use this Handshake Onboarding Guide to walk you through the process.
• Your post will now be visible to all UVM students and students at any other participating college you select.
• Consider consulting our guidance on building inclusive workplaces.

Promote your internship to qualified students

• UVM alums can post about the position on our networking platform: UVM Connect
• Let the UVM Career Center know your posting is up by emailing Kristen.andrews@uvm.edu
  • Tell us the specific majors/interest areas you’d like to see among your applicants, and we’ll alert UVM department newsletter managers and Career Center Interest Group leaders of the opportunity
  • We can highlight your post on our platform UVM Connect under specific interest groups

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a legal documents that defines responsibilities for each party (the host, UVM, and the intern), and address safety and liability issues.

Every intern site must have a fully executed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on file with UVM. (Except in the event that the intern is being fully on-boarded and paid as an employee by an employer who, consequently, does not execute internship MOUs, in which case an Internship In Place Acknowledgement is an acceptable alternative.) Internships that physically take place outside of the US require an International Internship MOU. 

UVM requires all Intern Sites to maintain policies of insurance (or funded self-insurance). During the MOU process, you will be asked to provide a certificate of insurance (COI) evidencing compliance with UVM standard insurance requirements for US-based placements:

• Commercial General Liability - $1,000,000 per occurrence 

• Automobile Liability - as required by state law (only if students will drive or ride in Intern Site vehicles)

• Professional Liability (malpractice) - $1,000,000 each claim and $1,000,000 annual aggregate (only if Internship Site's business requires professional licensure)

MOUs and COIs are executed through Ironclad.  The Intern Supervisor should start the process using the appropriate link below and enter some pertinent details about your organization including the name of someone who is authorized to sign legal documents on behalf of your organization. This will generate an MOU for review and execution by said authorized party who -for purposes of authentication- will receive an email with a unique access code. The initiator (supervisor) and executor (signer) are often not the same person. 

If you wish to propose an amendment to the MOU or do not presently have insurance in the required amount, you should still initiate the process and then click the "Decline to Sign" button in the top right-hand corner. This will enable you to submit comments or propose alternate language. UVM's General Counsel will review your comments and work with you to come to a mutual agreement in support of our students and your organization. 

Domestic MOUs are not student specific, they cover all UVM students placed at the Internship Site for a period of three years.  Read UVM's Standard Academic Internship MOU (pdf).Initiate a standard / domestic Intern MOU (Ironclad)

International MOUs (for internships that physically take place outside of the US) are student-specific and end when the student completes the internship. 

Initiate an INTERNATIONAL Internship MOU (Ironclad)

Internship in Place - refers to a student receiving academic credit connected to their regular work duties at their place of employment. In these cases, the employer is not required to execute the standard MOU, but instead, will be asked sign the Internship in Place Acknowledgment.

Sign the Internship In Place Acknowledgement (Ironclad

Questions or concerns? Contact career@uvm.edu