Internships at tech companies pay far more than what the average American makes in a month, according to a recent survey.

At the top is Facebook, which pays its interns $8,000 a month, more than any other American company. By comparison, the government estimated the average U.S. pay in 2015 was about $4,000 a month.

The survey was carried out by the website Glassdoor, a jobs website where employees post their experiences about jobs and pay.

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In second place was Microsoft, which pays its interns $7,100 a month. Oil company ExxonMobil came in third at $6,500. It was one of only a few non-technology companies to make the top 25 list. Amazon and Apple interns earn $6,400 a month, while Google pays $6,000, according to the survey.

Paid vs. unpaid internships

The survey showed that many companies recruit interns like they recruit full-time employees.

Ed Koc is director of Research, Public Policy and Legislative Affairs for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). He says companies scout for interns at college, looking for those who might become permanent employees after graduation.

“They’re very selective in terms of who they choose to bring on board. Particularly because they want to be able to convert that student into a full-time hire once that internship is over,” Koc said.

This means students should prepare for internships the same way they would for a real career job.

NACE connects U.S. college career-service centers and conducts surveys on the job market for graduates. Koc said about 52 percent of interns at the colleges he serves end up getting full-time jobs.

"Employers that provided paid internships actually were the ones hiring the students. They were looking at them in a probationary fashion," he said.

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Paid internships don't only lead to a paid job, but a better paying job, according to a NACE survey.

Students who completed paid internships with private, for-profit companies received $53,521 in starting pay. Those who took unpaid internships received an average starting offer of $34,375.

Another NACE study found that unpaid internships led to decreased levels of job satisfaction. They also resulted in less development of skills than paid internships.

But unpaid interns gained a better understanding of their career field and some increased their academic performance, the research showed.

William Goodloe is president and chief executive officer of the not-for-profit Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO). He says many companies have found that an internship is a much more valuable recruiting tool than a job interview.

“What they find is that interviews are not as reliable as they would like. But if you get to work with someone -- observe them for 10 weeks -- then you have a much better sense of if you want to ask them back full-time after they graduate from college.”

The SEO Career program recruits and trains college students and places them in paid internships. The organization works with “underserved and/or underrepresented” students, including African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans.

SEO reports that 80 percent of its interns end up getting full-time job offers. Goodloe noted that one problem with unpaid internships is that they limit the candidates to only those with enough money to support themselves.



Co-op programs

Besides internships, some schools offer students another kind of work experience, called co-operative (co-op) education. Co-op students balance classroom study with full-time employment during the school year. Students are paid by companies while working during extended breaks from academic studies.

The University of Cincinnati (UC) in Ohio started the first American co-op program in 1906. Today, it partners with more than 1,800 companies. Depending on the area of study, most co-op students at UC earn between $12 to $27 per hour. This would be equal to yearly pay of $25,000 to $56,000.

Some UC programs, including engineering, design and architecture, require students to complete co-op programs. In others, students can choose between a co-op or internship.

Kettil Cedercreutz is the head of UC’s Division of Experience-based Learning and Career Education. As with internships, he says companies now use co-ops as a major recruiting tool.

“Right now we have an average of 98 percent placement rate in co-op jobs. Then what happens when they graduate, they have 20 months of practical experience in their major under their belt.”

Cedercreutz said co-ops can also be good for students’ academic performance and help them reach their graduation goals.

“In a co-op program they actually do graduate on time. To a very large extent because they learn something in the classroom and then they go out in industry and get to apply it - and they get to sort of digest it.”

UC also operates international co-op programs in which students study languages and then go to work at companies in Japan, Germany and Singapore.

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In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

WASHINGTON — 

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.