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Campus Internship Programs

Stanford offers a number of summer internship programs that are intended to help students explore industries and career paths.

Programs offer a mix of pre-arranged and self-designed placements.

Pre-arranged: Students apply for a placement with a specific organization that is partnering with Stanford
Self-designed: students identify and secure their own internship placement

All participants receive a stipend to support living costs during the internship. Additional need-based financial aid is available.

The following programs support internships in the arts and are open to current Stanford students in any major. Prior work experience isn't required.

Stanford Internship Program in the Arts (SIPA)
- Pre-arranged (on-campus) and self-designed (off-campus) internships
Lyric McHenry Community Arts Fellowship (CAF)
- Self-designed internships and artist apprenticeships
Stanford Global Studies Internships
- Pre-arranged and self-designed internships
CCSRE Undergraduate Fellowships
- Pre-arranged internships
Cardinal Quarter Fellowships
- Self-designed and pre-arranged internships
Community Service Work-Study (CSWS)
- Self-designed placements
Rising Bird Fellows
- Self-designed internships
Stanford Summer Fellows Program (SSFP)
- Pre-arranged micro-internships

Search Tips

Contact past internship sites: Many organizations that have hosted Stanford students in the past are eager to continue working with Stanford students as interns or other capacities. View a list of places where Stanford students have interned in prior summers.
Ask your professors and lecturers: Visit your instructors during office hours and ask them if they know of any industry contacts or organizations that could offer a meaningful internship or job opportunity.
Social media: Not only is this a great way to learn about exhibits, films, and performances that organizations have on the schedule, but many organizations post internship and job announcements on their social media channels. Follow organizations across multiple platforms (such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) to stay in the loop. Make sure to pay attention to recommended accounts as a way to expand your knowledge of the field.
Professional associations and local arts agencies often have member lists--these are great places to start if you have an interest in a specific industry or region. Many of these organizations also welcome interns. Browse our growing list of professional associations and local arts agencies.
Staying Organized: It can be overwhelming to manage all of the information you've collected during your job or internship search. This worksheet from Career Education is a great way to keep track of everything.

Career Coaching and Advising

Stanford Career Education (CareerEd) offers 1:1 coaching for all Stanford students across a variety of industries. You can learn more about the CareerEd coaches and schedule an appointment in Handshake.
Member of the Stanford Arts student engagement team are available to advise on arts career questions. Learn more about each team member and their areas of specialty.

Informational Interviews

An informational interview is an informal conversation with a professional who has experience working in a role, company or industry that interests you. They offer a unique opportunity to connect with and and learn from someone doing work that you might want to do in the future, while also building your professional network.

Career Education: Informational Interviewing Resources

Arranging An Internship

You've found your dream organization--but they don't have any internship opportunities listed! Don't give up hope. Instead, consider sending them a "cold email" to start the conversation.

How to Send a "Cold Email"

If an organization of interest doesn't have a specific internship opportunity listed you can still reach out to them to inquire about opportunities.

Get your resume/cv in order: Make sure you've updated your resume and it tells a compelling story.
Elevator pitch: Before you begin sending out emails, identify what you have to offer in terms of knowledge, experience, skills, and interests. Develop a brief “elevator pitch” about yourself and what you would ideally like to do. Do your homework about the organizations you are contacting, studying their website and printed materials.
Start early, be persistent & responsive: When making contact, give yourself a lot of time, especially when communicating with community-based organizations, which are often overworked and understaffed. If you do not hear back, be friendly, patient, but persistent. Try using multiple forms of communication—sometimes phone calls are returned more often than emails.
- If you haven't heard from an organization in at least two weeks, send them a short follow-up email reiterating your interest. If still no word after one week, send another follow-up. If after yet another week you haven't heard anything, send a final follow up.
Begin with any existing known contact within the organization, even if the person is not in the position to supervise or collaborate with you. If you cannot determine an established connection at an organization, you can begin by asking for someone who coordinates volunteers or interns.
You will also want to consider the number of organizations you are contacting. Not everyone you contact will be interested in your proposal, so be prepared to call more than one organization. However, you also want to be careful not to contact too many organizations. This is time consuming, and can be awkward when apologies need to be made.
Be responsive to any leads. While your schedule is complex and you have many commitments, so does your community partner. The organizations are doing you a favor, so present yourself well. Remember, you are also serving as an ambassador of Stanford! In general, you should respond to emails within 24 to 48 hours.
Be transparent with your application status. Let your potential host organization know if you're applying to this internship as part of a Stanford program (such as SIPA, CAF, a Haas Cardinal Quarter fellowship, SiNY, etc.) Communicate any relevant Stanford program deadlines to your potential host organization to double check that their review timeline aligns with Stanford's.

Sample Inquiry Letter

Adapt the following template for your initial outreach emails.

Dear <NAME OF SPECIFIC CONTACT>,

[IF YOU CANNOT FIND A SPECIFIC CONTACT, USE A GENERAL GREETING LIKE “GOOD MORNING/AFTERNOON” OR “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN”]

I am writing to express my interest in interning with <NAME OF ORGANIZATION> during <QUARTER OF INTERNSHIP>. I’ve looked on your website for internship opportunities but could not find any listed.

[IF YOU WERE REFERRED TO THIS ORGANIZATION BY SOMEONE IN THE FIELD, INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:]

<NAME OF PERSON AND THEIR ORGANIZATION> suggested that I reach out to you to explore internship opportunities with your organization.

[IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR A CARDINAL QUARTER PROGRAM, INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:]

I am in the process of applying for a Cardinal Quarter stipend through Stanford in order to support some of my travel and living costs for the duration of a <QUARTER OF INTERNSHIP> internship. As part of my Cardinal Quarter application I am required to have both secured an internship and have my host organization complete a short questionnaire by the application deadline (<APPLICATION DEADLINE>).

I look forward to discussing an internship opportunity with your organization in more detail. I am available to talk at your convenience.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Preparing for Independent Living

In many cases, participating in a summer internship (and even your first post-Stanford job) involves a greater degree of independent living than what you encounter during the academic year. From finding safe and stable housing to meals to personal upkeep (rest, laundry, errands, etc.), it can feel like taking care of your self is its own full-time job.

As you develop your plans for summer and post-graduation work it's vital to factor in these additional responsibilities. Take advantage of the following campus resources to help you build your independent living toolkit:

Mind Over Money: Mind Over Money equips students with a foundation to be financially well during their time at Stanford and beyond. Mind Over Money offers a variety of services including workshops, courses, and 1:1 coaching. Available to current students and recent alumni.
Well-Being Coaching: Coaching can help you clarify values, set goals, adjust priorities, talk through challenges, and create your own vision for well-being.
Nutrition Counseling: Meet with an RD/RDN (Registered dietitian/nutritionist) to understand and explore your unique nutritional needs.
Stanford Living Education: Courses and workshops for educating the whole student to live, lead, and create a flourishing world for all.

Application Documents

Arrow pointing right Success Tip

Whenever you share a file with an employer or other opportunity (grant, residency, training, etc.), make sure to include the following in the file name:

Type of document (e.g. resume, personal statement, portfolio, etc.)
Your name (last name and first name)

This will ensure that, if the file happens to become separated from the rest of your application, the reviewer will be able to identify where it belongs.

Resume/CV

Resumes tell the story of your education and accomplishments. You may need to tailor the format and content of your resume depending on how it will be used (e.g. focusing on artistic achievements when applying for project grants, highlighting leadership experience when applying to administrative opportunities, etc.)

Check out CareerEd's resume resources to help you get started.
Looking for a way to blend "traditional" resume content with your artistic and creative achievements? Consider using a hybrid resume format. This style blends your academic, administrative/leadership, and artistic experiences into one document.

Cover Letter

Cover letters are a way to introduce yourself to potential employers. They showcase your skills and experience in a narrative format to highlight connections that may not be apparent solely through your resume. Many employers also use the cover letter as a way to evaluate your writing and communication skills.

Career Education: Cover Letter Resources

Portfolio

Portfolios showcase your work as an artist/creative. They are a common requirement for application-based opportunities (such as funding, training programs, etc.) and creative opportunities. Our portfolio checklist will help you get started.

Artist Statement

Hume Center Writing Tutors: Several of the Graduate Writing Tutors are available to assist with writing an artist statement. Read through their bios to find a tutor.

For Employers & Recruiters

The Arts at Stanford

Stanford is home to a vibrant community of artists, scholars, and supporters. Students have the opportunity to engage with the arts in many ways, including:

Coursework and majors in one of the arts departments in the School of Humanities & Sciences
Interdisciplinary hubs such as the Stanford Arts Institute (SAI) and the Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA)
Living/learning communities such as ITALIC and Arts Intensive
Attending events and exhibitions at campus arts venues (Cantor Arts Center, Anderson Collection at Stanford University, Stanford Live)
Opportunities to engage with visiting artists embedded throughout the University.
Participation in voluntary student organizations (VSOs) and informal arts activities
Access to funding, space, and materials for creative projects

Recruiting Stanford Students

If you would like to share an internship or job opportunity with Stanford students we encourage you to share the details on Handshake, our campus job database. If you have questions about setting up your organization or opportunity in Handshake please contact the Stanford Career Education recruiting team (recruiting@stanford.edu.)

Learn more about other employer services offered by Stanford Career Education, including recruitment standards, job fairs, student coffee chats, on-campus interviewing, and more.

Recruiting Timelines for Internships

We encourage organizations to post internship and job opportunities throughout the year as students have different timelines for their searches.

Academic Year Internships (September-June)

Stanford's academic year follows the quarter system. Fall Quarter typically begins in late September, and classes end/graduation typically takes place mid-June. The Registrar lists all of the current and upcoming dates. We ask that potential host organizations keep these dates in mind as they will impact when students can participate in internships.

Students participating in academic year internship programs typically begin their internship search one quarter (10 weeks) in advance of their program start date.

Given students' academic obligations during the year, students typically are only able to commit to part-time opportunities. Additionally, given the physical location of Stanford's campus and student class schedules, hybrid and remote options tend to be preferred over fully in-person internships during the academic year.

Most students who are interested in full-time internships during the academic year are participating in one of Stanford's off-campus program (such as Stanford in New York or Stanford in Washington) which have internship requirements.

Summer Internships (June-August)

The peak season for summer internship recruitment at Stanford is November-March. Stanford students prefer to have their internships in place by March so they can spend the next few months (which is also our Spring Quarter) handling internship logistics (housing, travel, orientation) and taking and relevant preparatory courses.

Stanford students may be eligible for stipends from the University to help defray living and transportation costs.These stipends are offered through the Cardinal Quarter program, Stanford Career Education, and some individual departments. Each program has different expectations, application requirements, and timelines. Most programs require host organizations to complete part of a student's application. In general, students can receive these stipends in addition to any wages offered by the internship host organization.

Students are not required to participate in a Stanford stipend program in order to undertake a summer internship.

Additionally, host organizations cannot make receipt of a Stanford stipend a condition of participating in an internship.

Creating a Compelling Handshake Listing

Include details in your listing about the application review timeline (e.g. first date of review, decision timeline, etc.)
If your organization requires that students receive academic credit and/or financial support from their institution as a condition of participation, make sure to call out these requirements in your listing.
Interns are not "free labor." Students are applying to intern with your organization as part of their education. Frame your listing from a place of learning. In addition to listing specific projects and tasks that the student will take on as part of their internship, also include some of the skills that they can expect to learn (e.g. grant writing, database management, community organizing, graphic design, etc.)
When referencing an industry-specific software application include a few details to provide context (e.g. Tessitura, a ticketing and donor management system.)
If you advertise your internship as a paid opportunity this means that your organization is directly providing an intern with a stipend/wage throughout the duration of their internship.
Any opportunity posted to Handshake must be able to take place regardless of whether the student receives a stipend through Stanford.

Internships for Academic Credit

Stanford does not normally offer academic credit for internships. If students are interested in receiving credit for an internship experience they must contact their major department to discuss feasibility and requirements. Each academic department sets their own policies. In general, though, students are only able to receive internship credit through their major department.

Some things to keep in mind regarding academic credit for internships:

Students who are doing unpaid internships for academic credit are actually paying for the experience. This may impose additional barriers for participation for students with limited financial means.
A student may be choosing to participate in an internship instead of another paid part-/full-time job.
At Stanford it is common for students to be active in the arts through extracurriculars but major in a different subject. If a student is doing an internship outside of their major department's focus, the student may not be eligible for academic credit. (Examples could include a biology major who is interning with a dance company, a sociology student apprenticing with a dramaturg, etc.)

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Reach out with questions:

Sabrina Wilensky

(she/her)

Director of Program Operations and Project Management

swilensk@stanford.edu

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Resources For

Arts Job & Internship Toolkit

Resources

Find a Job or Internship

Starting Your Search

Career Coaching and Advising

Informational Interviews

Arranging An Internship

Preparing for Independent Living

Application Documents

Arrow pointing right Success Tip

Resume/CV

Cover Letter

Portfolio

Artist Statement

For Employers & Recruiters

The Arts at Stanford

Recruiting Stanford Students

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Sabrina Wilensky

Static

Riven

Glacier Portrait

Stanford

Mourning Window

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