Doing an internship while in college has become a near prerequisite for obtaining a good job. Yet internships are often out of reach for low-income students because most of them are unpaid. This report outlines the limitations of the current college internship system, and proposes the creation of subsidies for low-income college students to pursue internships at non-profit organizations or government agencies. The strategies include building on the Federal Work-Study Program, having colleges and universities compete for institutional grants to design their own programs and administering grants to low-income interns in federal agencies and Congress.
Top Facts:
A national survey in 2006 found that 84 percent of college students at four-year institutions had completed at least one internship before graduation.
The vast majority of non-profit and governmental internships are unpaid.
A three month internship in Washington, D.C. conservatively costs about $4,050, excluding travel.
Many elite and small liberal arts colleges provide grants for unpaid summer work, this aid is overwhelmingly concentrated at private institutions with greater resources, and it tends to benefit higher-income students who already have greater access to internships.
