More than Seven of Ten Employers Noted That If Circumstances Permitted, They Would Offer Permanent Employment to Their Interns
NEW YORK, October 16, 2025 — IIE and the AIFS Foundation jointly released Global Internships and Study Abroad: An Employer Perspective, the latest in their Global Education Research Report series. Authored by Nora Nemeth and Leah Mason, the study examines the experiences and outcomes of U.S. students who participated in global internships and in-person experiential activities during their study abroad experience.
The paper also presents three institutional case studies and incorporates the perspectives of employers participating in global internship programs, examining the considerations, conditions, and benefits of hosting international interns.
Global Internships and Study Abroad: An Employer Perspective
U.S. higher education institutions are increasingly focusing on international internships and experiential activities for their students, emphasizing the critical link between academic advancement, intercultural competencies, and global workforce needs. A key element of successful internships, the authors found, is proactive program management with coordination across partners and beneficiaries to ensure aligned objectives and expectations. That includes:
- Tailoring internships to meet specific program needs yields satisfaction for institutions, interns, and employers. Three case studies illustrate how different offerings all provide a lasting impact on students, helping them develop global competencies and build international networks.
- Ensuring a strong match between candidates and organizational culture, needs, and projects, as well as strong and ongoing communication with AIFS Abroad and home institutions to ensure better placement outcomes and continued alignment of expectations.
More than seven out of 10 (74%) employers noted that if circumstances permitted, they would offer permanent employment to these interns (AIFS Abroad, 2025). They cited several business benefits of hosting students who intern while studying abroad, including:
- Access to fresh perspectives and innovation: employers consistently value the new ideas, generational insights, and cultural viewpoints that interns bring.
- An enhanced employer branding and talent pipeline: Internships often serve as a recruitment pipeline; hosting global interns strengthens a company’s reputation among top university talent and demonstrates global engagement.
- Strategic partnerships and program design: Tailored internships aligned with organizational needs and student goals lead to better outcomes; midpoint surveys and final evaluations help employers provide feedback and improve future placements.
This is the ninth report in the AIFS-IIE Global Education Research Reports series, a joint initiative of the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) Foundation and IIE. The series includes papers on trending topics related to international students enrolled at U.S. institutions and U.S. students studying abroad.
