Internships and Fellowships for International Students
Explore some of the many higher learning opportunities and experiences available to study abroad students.
To an international student, applying for internships and fellowships can lead to great benefits and make a major difference in your study abroad experience. But with so many possibilities and hidden opportunities, where to begin your search?
The following lists are a good place to start and include many of the options available to you.
Internships for International Students
Shorelight Career Premium
Career Premium offers students the chance to earn certificates, attend workshops, and apply for virtual internships at renowned companies, including Google, Microsoft, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Tesla, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Get in touch to learn more about Career Premium.
Navitas Professional
Navitas internships are designed to provide practical work experience to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled (or formerly enrolled) in Navitas partner institutions. You will work with placement professionals to match you with industry internships tailor-made for your field of study.
Learn more here.
Kaplan International
Kaplan’s pathway courses prepare you for your future career through work placement before your university studies. Pathway courses allow you to add a one-term virtual internship (available in select countries). If you want to improve your resume without the stress of juggling school and work, Kaplan can be a great opportunity for you.
Learn more here.
Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
The CIEE offers flexible internships that span anywhere from 6–12 weeks and encompass fields including public policy, art, business, engineering, and more. CIEE encourages international experiences that turn you into a global intern through full-time and part-time internship positions abroad.
Learn more here.
Global Experiences (GE)
GE offers award-winning international internships that take you all over the world to do the work that you love. Alumni of GE internships now work at companies such as Google, Gap, YouTube, J.P. Morgan, Apple, and more!
Learn more here.
The Intern Group
The Intern Group offers both in-person and virtual internship opportunities in 30 destinations around the world. Programs are readily available for students at every stage of their academic journey. Choose from one of four programs: virtual/remote internship, international internship, Independent Traveler Program, or the Digital Nomad Program.
Learn more here.
USEH International
USEH International offers internships for international students who want to gain work experience and expand their skill set. The program provides paid internship opportunities in various industries and locations across the United States. Programs last anywhere from 6–12 months in the fields of tourism and hotel management, business administration, finance, sales and marketing, and IT.
Learn more here.
Fellowships for International Students
American Antiquarian Society
The American Antiquarian Society is a national research library of American history and culture through 1876. The Society provides research fellowships for scholars to conduct research in its collections. Fellowships are awarded for periods of one to 12 months and provide stipends and housing.
Learn more here.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
AAAS provides research fellowships for scientists and engineers in a variety of fields, including natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering. The fellowships provide support for research at a host institution and also include professional development opportunities.
Learn more here.
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
The AAUW’s Educational Foundation provides international fellowships for women who wish to pursue graduate studies, postgraduate research, and professional development in the U.S. The fellowship is open to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who hold an academic degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in the U.S.
Learn more here.
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)
ACLS’s Fellowship Program supports students in various fields pertaining to humanities and social sciences, including history, literature, anthropology, and more. Fellowship awards provide $30,000 to $60,000 to support scholars during six to 12 months of research leave. In the 2022 competition, ACLS awarded more than $3.7 million to 60 scholars.
Learn more here.
American Foundation for Aging Research (AFAR)
AFAR provides research grants and fellowships for scientists who are studying the basic mechanisms of aging, as well as age-related diseases and geriatric medicine. The grants and fellowships are awarded for a variety of purposes, such as pilot studies, postdoctoral research, and clinical research.
Learn more here.
American Heart Association (AHA)
The AHA Predoctoral Fellowship provides funding for students who are in the early stages of their doctoral research training and who are interested in pursuing research related to cardiovascular function and disease, stroke, or brain health. The fellowship is intended to support students in the basic sciences, providing up to two years of funding for the completion of research projects that align with the AHA’s mission.
Learn more here.
American Institute for Economic Research (AIER)
The AIER is a nonprofit organization that provides fellowships for scholars and students who wish to conduct research in economics. The fellowships are awarded for a variety of purposes, such as researching economic policy, economic theory, and applied economics.
Learn more here.
American Political Science Association (APSA)
APSA is a professional association for political scientists in the United States. APSA’s Public Scholarship Program is a 12-month remote fellowship that trains political science graduate students to write about political science research for public audiences. Fellows will communicate with journal editors and authors under the supervision of APSA staff.
Learn more here.
Asian Cultural Council (ACC)
The ACC provides fellowships and grants to support cultural exchange for artists, scholars, and arts professionals. Students who focus on research, training, study, and exploration are given priority.
Learn more here.
Atlantic Salmon Federation
The Atlantic Salmon Federation’s Olin Fellowship provides financial support to North American (U.S., Canada, Mexico) students who are conducting research related to Atlantic salmon conservation and management. The fellowship helps to advance understanding of the biology and ecology of wild Atlantic salmon. The fellowship provides a stipend for living expenses and research costs for up to two years.
Learn more here.
Echoing Green
The Echoing Green Fellowship is a full-time 18-month program that provides support for social entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The fellowship is open to founding members/primary decision makers of organizations working to create social change in areas including education, health, the environment, and economic development.
Learn more here.
Electrochemical Society (ECS)
The ECS fellowship program is designed to support researchers as they pursue new ideas in electrochemical and solid-state science and technology. The fellowship is open to ECS members earning doctoral degrees or postdoctoral research in the field of electrochemistry.
Learn more here.
Fulbright Foreign Student Program
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is a scholarship program designed to support international students who wish to pursue graduate study and conduct research in the U.S. The Fulbright Program is open to students and young professionals who have completed an undergraduate degree (equivalent to a bachelor’s); approximately 4,000 foreign students receive Fulbright scholarships each year.
Learn more here.
Grass Foundation
The Grass Foundation Fellowship is designed to support early-career scientists who wish to pursue research in the field of neuroscience. Fellowships provide research support — including a stipend, laboratory space, animals, equipment, and more — for 14 weeks starting in late May at the Grass Foundation’s Marine Biological Laboratory.
Learn more here.
International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX)
IREX is a nonprofit organization that provides various programs and services to promote academic and cultural exchange across the world. Their programs include research fellowships, study abroad programs, and professional development opportunities for students. Check back for new opportunities.
Learn more here.
The John Carter Brown (JCB) Library
The JCB Library offers international students fellowships to support dedicated research in the JCB’s collections. Short-term fellowships last 2–4 months and are open to pre- and post-doctoral students or independent researchers. Long-term fellowships last 5–10 months and are open to PhD candidates who have met all degree requirements (including successfully defending their dissertation), by the application deadline.
Learn more here.
Meta (Facebook)
The Meta Research PhD Fellowship Program is open to students from around the world who are enrolled in a PhD program at an accredited university and have demonstrated interest and expertise in topics related to Meta’s research interests, such as machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, networking, security, and privacy.
Learn more here.
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., offers a variety of fellowships that support research and study in the fields of art history, conservation, and curatorship. These fellowships enable participants to engage with the gallery collections, exhibitions, and programs. Fellowships are available to graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and researchers.
Learn more here.
National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) Program supports full-time doctoral students in a science or engineering field from fully accredited institutions. Dissertation topics must be relevant to criminal or juvenile justice. GRF fellowships include: a student fellow salary; an allowance for tuition, fees, and administrative costs; and an allowance for research expenses.
Learn more here.
Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Kress Program fellowships aim to advance the study and preservation of European art and architecture. They are awarded to art historians and conservators preparing to begin professional careers, and to art history students interested in art museum education and curation. Fellowship recipients are able to conduct research at premier institutions, including museums, libraries, and universities, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Learn more here.
Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future
The Schlumberger Foundation offers fellowships to women from developing and emerging economies who are pursuing PhD or postdoctoral studies in STEM fields at universities abroad. The goal of the program is to empower women in STEM and help them become future leaders in their fields and countries.
Learn more here.
Social Science Research Council (SSRC)
SSRC offers a range of fellowship programs to further social science research. These fellowships support early-career scholars, mid-career researchers, and senior scholars in the social sciences and related fields. SSRC fellowships cover a wide range of topics, including global security and cooperation, religion and the public sphere, media and democracy, migration and immigration, and more.
Learn more here.
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney’s Joan Tisch Teaching Fellows program offers students currently enrolled in a PhD program in art history or a related field the opportunity to work directly with the Whitney's collection. Fellows design in-gallery and virtual tours on 20th and 21st century American art, including Latinx and American Indigenous perspectives.
Learn more here.
Keep an open mind
We hope this list of resources provides a good starting point for the next steps in your study abroad journey. There are a great many internships and fellowships available in the U.S., some in very specialized and specific fields, so we hope you are inspired to pursue one of the unique opportunities presented here or continue to research options that fit with your academic pursuits and goals.
You may also be eligible for a wide variety of scholarships available to international students — we encourage you to explore all possibilities!