Fund a Hire Rochester internship
Your gift creates a paid summer internship, moves us closer to our goal of 50 in total, and helps secure the program’s future.
Hire Rochester Internship Program
The Hire Rochester Internship Program creates paid, high-impact internships exclusively for University of Rochester undergraduates. The program expands access to professional settings where students apply knowledge in real-world scenarios, build networks, and develop the confidence and skills to launch their careers. It also supports the University’s commitment to ensuring every student completes at least two meaningful experiential learning opportunities before graduating.
Now, URochester is working toward an important goal: offering 50 paid summer internships each year by 2030. At a time when internship opportunities are declining nationwide and competition is increasing, programs like Hire Rochester are more important than ever. By partnering with us—through financial support and hosting interns—we will better prepare URochester students to enter the workforce successfully.
Four ways to support student internships
Now is the time to expand access to paid internships for URochester students. Your support and partnership directly create opportunities for students to gain real-world experience and launch successful careers.
Support the Hire Rochester annual fund
Gifts of any size help sustain and grow Hire Rochester internships. To deepen your impact, join the George Eastman Circle—the University’s leadership annual giving society—and direct your current membership to support this program.
Host Hire Rochester student interns
Partner with us to create an internship at your organization. Through the Greene Center, we help you design and launch an internship program, with ongoing support every step of the way—connecting you with URochester students who are ready to apply their skills in the workplace.
Become a career connector
Share your time and expertise in ways that fit your schedule—mentor a student, serve as a guest speaker, conduct mock interviews, provide résumé feedback, or hire URochester graduates. Your engagement helps students build confidence, skills, and professional networks.
“Having an internship at Garth Fagan Dance gave me my first real opportunity to use data analytics at work. I learned how to tackle problems, create plans, and provide the team with information they could put into action. Being trusted with real tasks and seeing them used was motivating—so was being connected to people I could learn from.”
—GARY KONG ’27
Statistics and financial economics major and a Schwartz Community-Based Internship Program participant
About Hire Rochester
- Serves as a signature internship initiative, facilitated by the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education & Connections
- Engages undergraduates across the School of Arts & Sciences, Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and Simon Business School
- Provides stipends, advising, coaching, and networking opportunities
- Offers employers a structured, turnkey internship program at no cost—removing barriers to participation
- Addresses the prevalence of unpaid and low-paying internships
- Expands access to paid summer internships in a tightening job market
Why Hire Rochester matters
Internships are one of the most powerful drivers of student success — and access to them is increasingly limited.
#1 hiring factor for employers:
internship experience*
32% more likely
to receive a full-time job offer**
$20K gap
in starting salaries for students without internship experience*
Internships and job postings down 10%, student applications up 21%—locally and nationwide***
*Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers
**Source: FlairHR and Zippia
***Source: Greene Center and Handshake, the University’s online career platform
