The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that 232,851 Indian students study in the U.S. Furthermore, the number of Indian students studying in the U.S. rose by 25,391 in 2021 from the previous year.
Why the craze to study in the U.S.?
Here are three key reasons:
- 5 U.S. universities feature in the top 10 of the QS World University Rankings 2022. The universities are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (QS World University Ranking 1), Stanford University (QS World University Ranking 3), Harvard University (QS World University Ranking 5), California Institute of Technology (Caltech) (QS World University Ranking 6), and University of Chicago (QS World University Ranking 10).
- The U.S. — being the largest economy in the world — houses 33% of all MNCs and 64.7% of all unicorn start-ups globally. Thus, the country is a goldmine for fresh graduates searching for jobs and internships.
- The U.S. universities offer the latest technology and facilities for the students and support the collaborative growth of the students. The way of teaching automatically makes the U.S. the most preferred choice for Indian students.
A large number of students search for internships for Indian students in the USA after they finish their studies.
Why? The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) confirmed graduating students who have done paid internships in the USA for international students are 20% more likely to receive a job offer than students who don’t have internship experience.
Now you have questions. Where to find internships for Indian students in the USA? How to apply to them? Does your visa allow you to do paid internships in the USA for international students?
This article will offer you answers. In the next seven minutes, learn all about internships for Indian students in the USA.
However, before you search for paid internships for Indian students in the USA, you must choose a college. How to choose one when there are hundreds; including 5 universities featuring in the top 10 of QS World University Rankings 2022?
You can’t rely on your relative’s advice who passed out twenty years ago or on random blogs with half information (or worse, misinformation). You need additional help.
That’s when you need AI by your side.
That’s when you need SelectRight.
More on SelectRight later, back to the internship for Indian students in the USA for now.
Note: the information is accurate at the time of writing. That’s July 2022.
Internship for Indian students in the USA — a complete guide
Work visa requirements
F-1 visa
The F-1 visa allows full-time students to apply for an internship for Indian students in the USA without extra paperwork. You can work at paid internships in the USA for international students for up to 20 hours a week.
Furthermore, you must work on-campus while your academic term is in session. If you must work off-campus, you need permission from your university.
You can apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT).
In CPT, you must have completed your first year of university. Furthermore, your internship needs to be related to your degree program. Note that you must apply for CPT authorization and get an updated I-20 form to get paid internships in the USA for international students.
In OPT, you can work full-time in the U.S. for up to a year. However, you must have permission from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Furthermore, you can request extending the duration to up to two more years of OPT if you have a STEM-related degree.
J-1 visa
The J-1 visa allows students who aren’t enrolled in full-time programs to work in paid internships in the USA for international students. You can work for up to 18 months in academic training under this visa.
Note that you must receive approval from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Furthermore, many businesses ask students to enrol in a college or university or show proof of having completed their graduation in the last 12 months as well.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must:
- Be a registered student in their country of residence
- Be between 18-35 years of age
- Show an English language proficiency certificate
- Have a valid passport
- Have a strong resume or CV
Not sure if your resume or CV is strong enough? That’s when you need additional help.
Who can help you? You can’t depend upon the random blogs with misinformation or on your relatives who passed decades ago. You need experts who have the latest knowledge and experience in crafting these resumes or CVs.
That’s when you can rely on SelectRight. Our education advisors handhold you through multiple steps of the application process such as application review, SOP review, and LOR review.
Furthermore, at SelectRight, we offer:
- Personalized university recommendations after analyzing over 6 million data points across over 10,000 CS, STEM, and MBA programs.
- A Discord channel offering real-world experiences of real students, education advice, and country-specific channels on scholarships, bank accounts, and accommodation.
- An Instagram page offering virtual campus tours, exclusive GradRight events, and live sessions with present students and alumni from prestigious universities.
Want to know more? Write us an email at grad@gradright.com to talk to our education and financial advisors.
Most popular internships for Indian students in the USA
The Harvard Stem cell Institute Internship Program
Harvard University offers the internship to undergraduates who have a strong interest in stem cell biology.
The candidates must be part of the natural sciences or biomedical engineering program. Furthermore, candidates with past research experience in a biological laboratory will get preference.
The intern must work at one of Harvard’s 8 research centres and affiliated hospitals at the discretion of the program administrators. The interns will attend a weekly stem cell companion course, a stem cell seminar series, and a career pathways presentation as well.
The interns must present their findings from the summer research in both poster format and orally at the Symposium as well.
Note these applicants are ineligible to apply for the internship:
- Students of Harvard university
- Students who have participated in the internship program in the past
- Students who will receive their bachelor’s degree by December of the year they’re applying the internship for
Internal Audit Summer Analyst Program
JP Morgan Chase and Co. offers the internship in various cities in the U.S. including New Jersey and Texas.
The selected candidates must work with the internal audit team on departments such as:
- Commercial Banking
- Asset Management
- Consumer and Community Banking
- Enterprise Technology
- Corporate and Investment Bank
The intern will receive a week of core audit and soft skills training. Furthermore, the intern will get the experience of working on multiple audit phases such as fieldwork testing and continuous monitoring strategies.
The interns who show excellence in the job can receive offers of full-time employment as well.
USC Summer Internships
The University of Southern California collaborated with the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) to offer the internship to Indian students.
The selected students work as interns for up to 3 months in multiple fields such as natural language processing, machine learning, and statistical modeling.
The students pursuing B.Tech or M.Tech courses in subjects such as Computer Science Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computation Sciences from a recognized university.
The interns will receive a stipend based on their performance.
Industries offering the highest number of internships
Check out the five industries that offer the highest number of paid internships in the USA for international students:
- Hospitality
- Media
- Business
- Culinary Arts
- Politics
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Can I get paid internships in the USA for international students?
Ans: Absolutely. You can find paid internships.
Question 2: How much can I earn from internships for Indian students in the USA?
Ans: You can earn $16.58 per hour on average from internships for Indian students in the USA.
Question 3: Can students with F-1 visas work at internships for Indian students in the USA?
Ans: Yes. Note that you can work up to 20 hours each week at internships for Indian students in the USA when your academic term is in session.
You can work full-time if your university allows you to.
Question 4: Which industries offer the highest number of paid internships in the USA for international students?
Ans: Here are the industries:
- Media
- Culinary Arts
- Hospitality
- Politics
- Business
Question 5: What are some of the internships for Indian students in the USA I can apply for?
Ans: Five of the internships for Indian students in the USA you can apply for:
- Intern in Business with USEH International
- Fashion Week Internships – New York and Los Angeles
- Intern as a Ski and Snowboard Instructor with EA Ski and Snowboard Training
- Intern in the Music Industry in Los Angeles
- Intern in Marketing and Entrepreneurship in NYC with World Internships
Internship for Indian students in the USA — choosing a university is the first step
We have gathered all the information on internships for Indian students in the USA in this article.
However, before choosing an internship, you must finalize the university you want to study at. How to choose one from hundreds? You can’t rely on random blogs with half-information (or worse, misinformation) or on your uncle who passed out thirty years ago.
That’s where SelectRight comes to your rescue. At SelectRight, we offer:
- Unbiased and personalized recommendations based on analyzing over 6 million data points across more than 10,000 STEM, MBA, and CS programs.
- University Finder Widget that allows students to download the complete list of programs from the top 500 universities with details such as loan probability, ROI calculations, and the correlation between the exam score and the education loan interest rate.
- Exclusive events to match students and university officials to clarify your doubts and validate your choices.
If you want to know more, drop us a mail at grad@gradright.com to talk to our education and financial advisors.
We hope the article will help you in your journey to get paid internships in the USA for international students.
