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General internship education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a general internship. General interns usually study business, political science, or communication. 72% of general interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 7% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,463 real general internship resumes to see exactly what general internship education sections show.
The most common colleges for general interns are the University of Maryland - College Park and the University of Maryland - College Park.
There are also many online general internship courses to help get the education required to be a general internship.
What education do you need to become a general internship?
What degree do you need to be a general internship?
- Bachelor's, 72%
- Associate, 7%
- Master's, 7%
- Doctorate, 7%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a general internship?
- Business, 16%
- Communication, 6%
- Accounting, 6%
- Other Majors, 63%
Most common colleges for general interns
| General internship common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Maryland - College Park | 8.70% |
| New York University | 7.76% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 6.21% |
| American University | 6.21% |
| Florida State University | 5.90% |
Best majors for general interns
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 15.7% |
| 2 | Political Science | 8.7% |
| 3 | Communication | 6.5% |
| 4 | Accounting | 6.0% |
| 5 | Law | 5.8% |
Best colleges for general interns
The best colleges for general interns are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A general internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for general interns. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become general interns.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
6. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,464
Enrollment
9,639
7. University of Akron
Akron, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,463
Enrollment
13,676
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for general interns
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Top 10 most affordable universities for general interns
The most affordable schools for general interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for general interns are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for general interns.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
10. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for general interns
The hardest universities for general interns to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for general interns are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for general interns based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for general interns
The easiest schools for general interns to get into are Barry University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a general internship without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for general interns.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. University of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,020
8. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
9. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
10. Lewis-Clark State College
Lewiston, ID • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,009
Average general internship salary by education level
| General internship education level | General internship salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $68,581 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $62,888 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $67,070 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $64,558 |
General internship education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025