The Darden Career Development Center provides a variety of career resources to help you in your search for a summer internship. The curriculum is also structured to allow you to take electives related to your summer internship in the final term of the First Year.
Internships are a critical part of the Darden experience because they help you:
- Gain experience in the job function and/or industry you plan to pursue after graduation
- Apply new knowledge and approaches learned during the First Year
- Further develop skills that will help you in your full-time job search
If you are a career switcher, a summer internship is an important opportunity to try out and gain experience in a new job function and/or industry.
Internship Statistics/Facts
- Every year, over 95% of Darden students do a summer internship, and a large number of these students come back to Darden in the fall with full-time job offers.
- 87% of students get their internships through on-Grounds recruiting (opportunities from companies who travel to Charlottesville to recruit Darden students).
Internship Companies & Opportunities
The following companies hired five or more Darden students for summer internships in 2017.
- Accenture
- Amazon.com*
- Bain & Company*
- Barclays*
- Boston Consulting Group*
- Credit Suisse*
- Danaher*
- Dell*
- E. & J. Gallo Winery
- Ernst & Young*
- Goldman, Sachs & Co.*
- Google*
- J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.*
- McKinsey & Company*
- Microsoft Corp.*
- PwC*
- ZS Associates*
*Hired at least one student who does not have permanent U.S. work authorization.
Visit Hiring Companies for a complete list of companies that have hired students for summer internships or full-time jobs.
Alternative Summer Internships
- Darden i.Lab Incubator (i.Lab): The i.Lab provides a community of student and faculty support, as well as $13,000 in funding for a select group of students to start business ventures during the summer.
- Batten Venture Internship Program: This program provides Darden students the opportunity to pursue summer internships with venture capital firms or start-ups around the country. To promote and support student involvement with these firms, the Batten Endowment provides a matching stipend to supplement a student’s summer salary.
- Darden Nonprofit Internship Fund (DNIF): Students interested in doing an internship for a nonprofit organization can apply for a stipend through the DNIF to help defray summer living expenses.