College · Family Resources

Compare where your first
work experience comes from

Employers look for experience, and colleges differ widely in how many students get it and whether it pays. Rate each college on finding, funding and fitting in an internship, enter the share of graduates who had one and any stipend, and see where experience is built in.

Start a comparisonWhat you get

Comparisons

The worked example is made up: three colleges for a marketing student who counts paid internships as a must-have, one with a co-op program. Use initials or a code.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A saved comparison per decision: how much help finding internships, pay or funding, employers nearby, credit and co-op programs matter; each college rated 1 to 5 with the share of graduates who had an internship and its stipend for unpaid ones; seven questions such as paid share and the cost of internship credit marked answered or still to ask; and a next step. The flags rank the colleges, turn the share into graduates per 100, call out shares under half, turn stipends into a weekly figure over a 10-week summer and flag a must-have rated 2 or lower. A side-by-side table prints.
Who it is for
High school students and families comparing colleges with a career in mind, and college students weighing a transfer.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per decision. Prints a side-by-side table with the scores, the full record, every comparison in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Ask each career center the same questions.
  2. Enter the internship share and stipend.
  3. Weigh pay and help finding them.
  4. Rate each college.
  5. Print the side-by-side table.

Start a comparison

Kinds of work experience in college

Four ways students get experienceUsuallyAsk aboutInternshipA summer or termPaid share, stipendsCo-opPaid terms in the degreeAdded semestersResearchWith faculty, on campusCredit or payPracticumRequired by the majorPlacement helpFour ways students get experienceInternshipUsually: A summer or termAsk about: Paid share, stipendsCo-opUsually: Paid terms in the degreeAsk about: Added semestersResearchUsually: With faculty, on campusAsk about: Credit or payPracticumUsually: Required by the majorAsk about: Placement help
Names differ by college and field; ask what the program calls each kind.

Paid matters

The National Association of Colleges and Employers has found in its student surveys that paid interns tend to receive more job offers than unpaid interns. Pay also decides who can take an internship at all. Ask what share of internships in your major were paid and whether the college funds the rest.

When unpaid is allowed

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Department of Labor uses a primary beneficiary test to decide whether an intern at a for-profit company must be paid: the internship should mainly benefit the student, tie to their education and not replace paid staff. Rules for nonprofits and government differ.

Sources

  1. National Association of Colleges and Employers. Student Survey and Internship and Co-op Survey reports (naceweb.org).
  2. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (dol.gov).
  3. U.S. Department of Education. College Scorecard: field of study outcomes (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
  4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: how to become one (bls.gov/ooh).

The worked example, its colleges and its numbers are made up. This is general information, not legal advice. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.