15 Creative Writing Internships for College Students
- Stephen Turban
- 3 hours ago
- 12 min read
If you’re interested in creative writing, internships can help you build experience beyond your coursework while exploring different writing-focused careers. These opportunities let you work on tasks like editing manuscripts, writing articles, developing marketing copy, or supporting publishing teams. You can also gain a better understanding of how industries like journalism, media, and publishing operate.
Why should I do a creative writing internship in college?
Participating in a creative writing internship can help you improve your writing while learning how it is applied in professional settings. You’ll work on structured assignments, receive feedback, and develop a portfolio that reflects your skills and interests. You can also connect with editors, writers, and professionals who can guide you as you explore future career paths.
In this blog, we’ve rounded up 15 creative writing internships for college students.
If you’re looking for paid online internships, check out our blog here.
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: Students who can work 10–20 hours/week for 8–12 weeks. Open to undergraduates and gap year students
Ladder Internships curate opportunities for students to experience what it's like to work in a high-growth organization. The program connects you with over 50 host companies from a wide range of industries, including technology, AI/ML, healthcare, media, non-profits, and consulting, with a full list available in their application form. Many of these startups have significant fundraising experience, and their founders often bring experience from top accelerators and leading tech firms. During the eight-week internship, you’ll work closely with both your start-up manager and a Ladder Coach, who will mentor you as you take on meaningful, real-world projects. Your assignments can range from developing a business strategy and conducting a market analysis to understanding the nuances of cybersecurity or coding an MVP, culminating in a portfolio-worthy deliverable that showcases your skills and impact.
Location: Princeton, NJ (pre-internship training), followed by placements at U.S. news organizations in New York, NY; Washington, D.C.; and Austin, TX
Cost/Stipend: At least $525 stipend plus $1,500 college scholarship; residential all-expenses-paid training; one-year professional journalism membership
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: <8%
Dates: 10–12 weeks beginning mid-May or early June
Application Deadline: November 5; post-application evaluation test deadline November 9
Eligibility: Full-time undergraduate sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students
The Dow Jones News Fund Multiplatform Editing Internship is a creative writing internship for college students that provides a select cohort with industry education and internship placements. You’ll start the internship with a fully-funded editorial training program in Princeton, NJ, where you’ll learn the necessary skills needed for editor roles at large news organizations. After training, you’ll be placed in a major media company somewhere in the U.S., with options including TV stations, national news outlets, specialty publications, and radio stations. You’ll then begin your individual editing internship, where you’ll take on real editorial responsibilities, including fact-checking, copy editing, writing headlines, and ensuring all content aligns with the company’s style and tone. This internship strengthens your resume from two angles: the prestige of being chosen for the Dow Jones program and the networking and industry experience you gain from the internship.
Location: Multiple locations
Cost/Stipend: $18/hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not provided
Dates: 10 weeks over the summer
Application Deadline: January 16
Eligibility: College students (juniors and seniors preferred), recent graduates, and graduate students studying journalism; journalism portfolio submission required
USA Today’s Summer Internship Program is an opportunity for college students interested in creative writing and journalism to work inside a major national newsroom. As an intern, you’ll contribute to USA Today reporting, covering 4-5 stories each week across breaking news, features, and politics. Beyond writing news stories, you’ll also assist with behind-the-scenes tasks, including writing headlines, researching for investigative stories, developing social media content, and learning to incorporate photography and videography into your reporting. You’ll receive tailored, personalized professional development and networking opportunities, including training from experienced USA Today journalists on interviewing effectively, maintaining journalistic ethics and open records, and developing prospective sources. Internships are offered in locations such as Ohio, New York, Florida, and Delaware, so you can choose an office that suits you the best.
Location: The New York Times, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: $20/hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; one intern selected for the role (other NYT departments offer additional internships)
Dates: 10 weeks beginning in June
Application Deadline: Rolling application review
Eligibility: Current undergraduate sophomores, juniors, or first-year graduate students; preferred skills listed in job description
The New York Times offers a wide variety of internships for college students, including a creative writing-focused Advertising Creative Internship. In this role, you’ll focus primarily on writing for social media and creative marketing, working with the organization’s NYTA and T Brand Studio teams. The internship blends both writing and graphic design, giving you hands-on experience creating infographics and writing copy for ads that align with the NYT’s brand identity. You’ll collaborate with copywriters, designers, marketing specialists, and leadership across the organization, learning how to communicate effectively using concise language and strategic imagery. This experience prepares you for future professional work in copywriting, advertising, and creative writing and design. Throughout the internship, you’ll also build your professional network and develop a strong work portfolio by collaborating directly with leaders across a major news organization.
Location: Boston Globe Media, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: $15/hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective; fellowships offer 1–3 internship openings per placement
Dates: 12 weeks over the summer
Application Deadline: Not provided for internships; check site for updates | Fellowships: October 15 (January–June) or March 1 (July–December)
Eligibility: Current full-time undergraduates, graduating seniors, and current graduate students; minimum 3.0 GPA
Boston Globe Media hosts undergraduates for both a Summer Internship Program and 6-month Fellowships, with specializations available across Copy-Desk, Living / Arts, and Magazine / Travel / Address. In Copy-Desk placements, you’ll work on editing full stories before publication, write strategic headlines, and create marketing - friendly captions to engage the readers. In Living / Arts and Magazine / Travel / Address placements, you’ll hone in on a specific news niche, taking on responsibilities such as pitching and writing news stories, managing social media accounts, fact-checking articles, and more. You may also support tasks such as transcribing and editing interviews, managing press bookings, and conducting research for feature articles. To support your professional growth, you’ll work with a writing coach throughout your internship or fellowship, and attend sessions with staff and Boston Globe editors on topics from career development to journalism skills. The Globe also offers a post-graduation STAT internship, which provides more advanced writing opportunities and additional mentorship.
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art or Met Cloisters, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: $24/hour plus $1,500 housing and travel stipend
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Very selective
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Current undergraduate sophomores, juniors, and seniors
The Met’s MuSe Internship Program gives undergraduate students interested in creative writing and art the opportunity to contribute to the country's largest art museum. Over the course of nine weeks, you’ll receive both large-scale mentorship and specialized training in a chosen placement area; creative writing students should seek out placements in Audience Engagement. You’ll start the program with an in-depth introduction to Met’s programming, approaches to art education, and public-facing communication. After training, you’ll dive into work specific to your placement. As an Audience Engagement intern, you’ll take on tasks such as creating and publishing content for Met exhibitions and programs, including #MetKids and The Artist Project, developing scripts for audio guides, and writing and editing The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, an educational resource for Art History students and researchers.
Location: Oakland, CA
Cost/Stipend: Paid; exact amount not stated
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not provided
Dates: June 9 – August 15
Application Deadline: Rolling application review beginning March 18
Eligibility: Current college students studying advertising, journalism, creative writing, design, or related fields; portfolio submission required with application
H/L’s Kinetic Academy Internship gives college students an opportunity to apply their creative writing skills to marketing and brand development. As an intern, you’ll support active H/L clients by helping develop specialized engagement strategies aligned with the brand’s voice and role in the market. Your day-to-day work can include assignments such as copywriting and content creation. You’ll collaborate with the marketing team, account teams, media strategists, designers, and artists, giving you a close look at the entire creative process. The Kinetic Academy Internship provides networking opportunities through interactions with leadership within both H/L and client companies, helping you build a broad range of connections and understand how creative marketing functions across industries.
Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: $21/hour; interns may be eligible for college credit
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: June 9 – August 18
Application Deadline: October 6
Eligibility: Rising undergraduate seniors, college graduates, and young professionals; must be at least 18 and reside in the U.S.
Penguin Random House offers internships across its publishing departments, with placements in Editorial, Production, and Marketing being the best fits for creative writing-focused undergraduates. In editorial internships, you’ll take on tasks such as reviewing manuscript submissions, recommending strong submissions to editors, and helping edit books selected for publication, focusing on both grammar and content. Production internships give you a closer look at the final steps before a book goes to print. You might write book summaries, workshop titles, and write copy for book covers. Marketing placements give you the opportunity to do more writing of your own through assignments such as copywriting for marketing materials, creating social media posts, and designing promotional content to boost public interest in new releases. You’ll not only understand how a major publishing house works, but also build industry connections by working directly with published authors and book distribution companies.
Location: Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA
Cost/Stipend: $15/hour; additional funding through We Need Diverse Books may be available; support for course credit provided
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; availability varies by company needs; MIT Kids Press Editorial Internship selects 1 intern
Dates: Up to 12 weeks in Spring (February–May), Summer (June–August), and Fall (September–November)
Application Deadline: November 5 (Spring) | April 30 (Summer) | June 15 (Fall)
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students
Candlewick Press is a publishing company that offers internships to creative writing undergraduates looking to gain exposure to the world of children’s literature. You can choose between a broader Editorial Internship or the MIT Kids Press STEAM-focused Editorial Internship, where students with a shared interest in literature and science can focus on non-fiction STEM books for children. In either role, you’ll take on early-stage publishing tasks, including reading manuscript submissions and printer’s proofs, writing readers’ reports for promising manuscripts, and drafting rejection letters for books not selected for publication. Other tasks include developing book titles, drafting book cover copy, and writing promotional content for the marketing team. You’ll be paired with a current Candlewick employee who serves as your personal mentor, providing both support on your work assignments and guidance on developing your career in literature and publishing. You’ll also participate in team meetings with editorial and design leaders, and join brainstorming discussions about marketing and publication strategies, giving you an inside look at how children’s books are shaped from idea to final product.
Location: NBCUniversal, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: $19/hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: June 1 – August 7
Application Deadline: December 5; applications open November 10 and may close early based on applicant volume
Eligibility: Current undergraduate sophomores, juniors, and seniors (juniors and above preferred) enrolled in college during the program; preferred GPA 3.0+; relevant industry experience recommended per posting
Universal Television’s Entertainment Group hosts undergraduates for creative writing-focused internships at their Development & Programming department. With assignments centered on television and broadcast media, you’ll apply your creative writing skills to tasks such as writing materials about TV shows, reviewing scripts, summarizing episode cuts, and providing written feedback to the development team. You’ll also support work across casting, post-production operations, and entertainment production, building a diverse skill set in fields from working with casting software, creating TV show “hot sheets”, and even serving as a project manager for show content development. This opportunity is best-suited for creative writing students aiming to work in television or film production. Universal Television places a strong emphasis on networking, training, and professional development, giving you opportunities to connect with TV writers, actors, and producers, and to gain an inside look at how TV shows are created.
Location: Simon & Schuster Offices in New York, NY or Stoughton, MA
Cost/Stipend: Paid plus travel reimbursement
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not provided
Dates: 8 weeks during Spring (beginning February) or Summer (beginning June)
Application Deadline: Not provided
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students (ideally sophomores, juniors, or seniors) and graduate students; must be legally eligible to work in the U.S. after graduation
Simon & Schuster’s Internship Program places undergraduates in a major publication house, offering opportunities to specialize in editorial, marketing, production, and publicity. Based on your preferred placement, your work may vary substantially. You'll contribute directly to ongoing publication projects, which might range from editing manuscripts for publication and writing marketing materials and social media posts to supporting production tasks such as cover design and copywriting. The internship is designed to mirror the responsibilities of an entry-level publishing assistant, preparing you for the next steps in your career. You’ll also receive professional development support through an assigned mentor and a chance to attend all department and company-wide meetings, thus gaining insights into how a major publishing operation functions behind the scenes.
Location: HG Literary, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Stipend dispensed at the end of the internship; amount not provided
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective; 1–3 interns at any given time
Dates: Flexible dates in Spring, Summer, and Fall; Summer internships typically run 12 weeks
Application Deadline: May 31 (for Summer internships)
Eligibility: Undergraduate students are eligible
HG Literary Agency grants a select number of internships to college students interested in creative writing and publication careers. As an intern, you’ll support literary agents with early-stage pre-publication tasks from reading manuscript submissions and communicating with current author clients on new books to writing manuscript feedback and recommending submissions for publication. You’ll also gain experience with client-facing writing, including drafting editorial feedback, preparing rejection letters, and drafting pitch letters. HG hosts only one to three interns at any given time and places a strong emphasis on mentorship, so you’ll build personal connections with staff and leadership across the agency and have the opportunity to shape your internship experience around your specific interests and goals.
Location: Apollo Publishers, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; support provided for college credit
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not provided; limited spots
Dates: Not provided
Application Deadline: Rolling evaluation beginning 6–8 weeks before internship start date; applications accepted year-round for next cycle
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students
Apollo Publishers is a boutique publication house that offers a personalized internship experience for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in publishing. As an intern, you’ll work across Apollo’s editorial, publicity, sales, marketing, and design teams, giving you a broad understanding of how a book moves from idea to the workplace and helping you discover your preferred area of specialization. Assignments vary based on the agency’s needs, but common tasks include researching independent bookstores and other prospective distributors, creating publicity materials and social media content, and drafting book descriptions for jacket copy. As Apollo is a small, close-knit team, you’ll get to work directly with staff and leadership, making it easy to strengthen your professional network.
Location: Holiday House Publishing, New York, NY or Atlanta, GA
Cost/Stipend: $17/hour
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not provided
Dates: 3-month internships offered in Spring, Summer, and Fall
Application Deadline: December 5 (Spring), May 9 (Summer), August 19 (Fall)
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students
Holiday House, America’s first children’s book-focused publishing house, offers a limited number of internships to undergraduate students throughout the year. This broad-based program provides training across editorial, marketing, sales, and legal departments, so you’ll gain experience in all major fields of publication. Because of the generalist nature of the internship, your tasks may vary, but will typically include developing publicity materials, researching copyright information, editing manuscripts, and supporting sales teams as they coordinate with distributors. You’ll get to connect with department leads across the publishing house, providing strong networking opportunities to support your career in publishing, regardless of which industry specialty you ultimately pursue.
Location: Remote or New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Unpaid; course credit offered
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not provided; limited openings
Dates: 8–12 weeks; internships offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: December 18 (for summer internships)
Eligibility: Current undergraduate students and graduates with an interest in publishing
JVN offers creative writing internships for undergraduates year-round, providing training and hands-on work across multiple agency departments. You’ll build skills in multiple areas, including using core technology and software applied in literary agencies, understanding book editing processes, navigating legal topics such as royalties and contracts, and working with both US and international publishing standards. Your other assignments will range across developing social media content, reading manuscripts, reviewing and evaluating submission proposals, and other tasks that give you a comprehensive look at how a literary agency operates.
One other option—the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4,000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here, check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a graduate of Harvard College, where he earned an A.B. in Statistics. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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