The competition for internships is tight. Career development site Handshake reported an average of 109 applications per internship posting in 2025. That’s almost double the average from the previous year.
Why? Both employers and smart students realize Internships play a critical role in shaping the next generation of business leaders by bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world experience. Through internships, students gain hands-on exposure to workplace dynamics, decision-making processes and professional expectations that cannot be fully replicated in academic settings. They learn how organizations operate, how teams collaborate and how leaders respond to challenges and opportunities.
Here are a few good reasons why internships matter:
68% of interns are offered full-time roles, with an 81% acceptance rate.
An internship doubles the odds of a graduate having a job waiting for them.
Paid interns secure nearly twice as many job offers (1.61) compared to unpaid interns
Employers say the number #1 factor in hiring a college graduate is whether they did an internship.
Graduates with paid internship experience earn an average of $15,000 more in their first job compared to those who did not intern.
Last fall, U.S.News & World Report conducted a survey of interns and aspiring interns, asking for their motivations in seeking internships.
The largest group – 27 percent – want to gain practical work experience. The remaining responses were:
16%: Develop specific skills
13%: Explore a career path/industry
13%: Secure a full-time job offer
11%: Network with professionals
8%: Financial compensation/academic credit (that broke down to 4% in each category)
6%: Build a resume
5%: Other
The survey also revealed that the era of working remotely has been replaced by a desire for hands-on experience and in-person mentorship.
Sergeant Robert Hurst, Recruitment & Retention, Duluth Police Dept.
At the Duluth Police Department, we have two internship opportunities. Our first one is the more “traditional” internship. This is an unpaid internship giving law enforcement and criminal justice students an opportunity to work with our Major Crimes Unit. Students get the opportunity to job-shadow, get hands-on experience, and see how our investigators work through criminal cases. The police department can typically accommodate around three interns per semester and gives preference to our local universities like the University of Minnesota – Duluth and the University of Wisconsin – Superior.
Our second internship opportunity at the Duluth Police Department is the Community Service Officer (CSO) – Intern position. This is a unique internship that is a paid position and allows law enforcement and criminal justice students to work around 35 hours per week. Not only do our CSO staff get paid, but they also earn money for school. For every 500 hours they work, $250 is paid directly to their school.
The Community Service Officer – Intern position staffs our front desk at the police department, where they assist individuals in person and answer the phones. Beyond staffing the front desk, they take minor reports on things like fraud, minor thefts and damage to property, and are out in the community using our CSO squads.
Jana M. Kayser, Director of Business, Duluth Airport Authority
Internships in aviation management provide students with exposure to all of the different paths they could take in their future careers. Many students pursuing a degree in aviation management who have not completed an internship yet are unsure which roles they are interested in. An internship provides crucial exposure to different roles, helping guide them toward the position they want to pursue. We view our internship program as a means of giving back to our industry and helping prepare students for careers at DLH and at airports across the country.
Jill Johnson, Principal/Owner, Isola Design
In the course of a work day, Interior Designers meet with several other design and engineering disciplines, coordinate with contractors and plan reviewers for permitting, and work on budgets, procurement and lead times. Experiencing a typical day, week or month as an intern provides necessary insight into how a successful design project is created and managed. Interior Design is a highly collaborative process in which team members need to be agile, creative and flexible to deliver the best outcomes for our clients.
Mary Anderson, Director, Career Services, The College of St. Scholastica
Career Services staff have the unique privilege of serving as a bridge between students and opportunities, At The College of St. Scholastica we value our partners and continuously ask for feedback that informs the advice and preparation we provide our students.
Employers today are increasingly vocal that students who have completed an internship or relevant work experiences are ready to hit the ground running. Gone are the days of hiring interns to make copies and get coffee. The most robust and successful programs provide valuable learning opportunities for students, and the students in turn effectively contribute to projects and the team.
For some organizations, internships are dedicated standalone learning experiences; for others, they serve as a vital talent pipeline for the next generation of leaders. Regardless of motivation, employers report appreciation for fresh perspectives and sincere interest in learning and applying classroom knowledge.
As I work with Scholastica students, I see the benefits are equal for the student. Through hands-on experience, students gain clarity on career paths while sharpening workplace readiness skills — professionalism, critical thinking, and communication and collaboration.
The College also sees the value – students return to the classroom with workplace examples to connect to theories and ideas learned in the classroom. Internships are really a win-win-win: preparing students for meaningful work in future, strengthening the future workforces and supporting the College’s mission to prepare students for meaningful work.
Jill Hinners, Executive Director, Mentor North
As the leader of Mentor North, I see every day how transformative one-on-one relationships can be in shaping a young person’s path. An internship is, at its best, a career-focused mentorship — offering real-world experience alongside individualized guidance, encouragement, and accountability.
Internships give young adults the opportunity to apply their skills in non-classroom settings. Students build confidence not just by learning, but by contributing — testing ideas, finding and using their voices, navigating challenges, and seeing the impact of their work.
Through the lens of the Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework: strong internships show young people they matter, push them to grow, and expand their sense of what’s possible. When young adults enter the workforce with the mindset that they matter and with a more nuanced sense of possibilities, they are more likely to grow into thoughtful, capable leaders.
