15 Journalism Internships for College Students
- Stephen Turban
- 33 minutes ago
- 10 min read
As a college student, internships can be a great opportunity to gain experience in your chosen field. Internships can help you build professional skills, understand how industries operate, and develop habits that prepare you for future jobs. Internships also give you the chance to meet mentors, network with professionals, and build your profile for future opportunities.
If you are passionate about journalism, an internship can help you sharpen your writing, research, and communication skills. As an intern, you will get experience in writing, editing, interviewing, and reporting, while working under the guidance of experienced journalists. These experiences can help you understand how newsrooms work, build your portfolio, and develop a strong professional network.Â
To help you find the right fit, we have shortlisted 15 journalism internships for college students. We have focused on factors like prestige, the rigor of professional experience, and the opportunities to network with editors, writers, and media professionals.Â
If you are looking for paid online internships, check out our blog here.
15 Journalism Internships for College Students
Location:Â Virtual
Cost: Varies by program; financial assistance available
Application deadline:Â Vares by cohort
Dates:Â Eight-week internships around the year with varying dates
Eligibility: Undergraduates, gap-year students, and high school students who can work 10–20 hours/week for 8–12 weeks
The Ladder University Internship Program connects students with early-stage startups for about eight weeks of remote, project-based experiences. You can choose a placement area that aligns with your academic interests, whether in technology, sustainability, public policy, or even forensic science, while contributing directly to company projects. You will work around 10–15 hours a week and receive mentorship from a Ladder Coach, who will offer regular feedback and career guidance throughout the internship. You will get to take ownership of your projects and present your results to company leaders at the end of the internship.
Location:Â Various AP newsroom locations worldwide
Cost/Stipend:Â Paid internships; amount is not specified
Dates:Â Summer; dates vary
Application deadline: Not specified; applications open in the fall/winterÂ
Eligibility: U.S. and international students who are college upperclassmen, graduate students, or recent graduates
As an intern at AP, you will gain exposure to one of the world’s largest news agencies and work alongside award-winning journalists. You will contribute to the coverage of real stories, learn how to gather facts, write under deadline pressure, and work across digital and print formats. You will gain experience in determining the newsworthiness of stories, assessing story placement, and fact-checking. During the internship, you will also find opportunities to network with seasoned reporters and editors and learn first-hand from them.Â
Location:Â DJNF partner news organizations around the U.S.
Stipend:Â Weekly salary starting at $525
Dates: 10 – 12 weeks in the summer
Application deadline:Â November 5
Eligibility:Â College sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students enrolled in school full-time as of the application deadline date
Through DJNF’s internship program, you will get placed in a newsroom and receive hands-on reporting training, mentorship, and access to a network of journalism professionals. You will spend one week in training, and then move on to internship tasks at your designated location. The program partners with news organizations like the New York Times, Insider, the Wall Street Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle, offering placements across beats to aspiring journalists. As an intern, you will build your writing and reporting skills, learn how to produce work that can be published, and connect with editors and mentors who can guide your next steps. Opportunities are typically available in areas like digital media, business reporting, editing, audience engagement, and data journalism.
Location: Boston Globe Media, Boston, MA
Stipend:Â Paid; amount not specified
Dates:Â 12 weeks in the summer
Application deadline: November 1
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate program and graduating college seniors
The Boston Globe Summer Internship is an option designed for students interested in contributing to and gaining exposure to the work of a major newspaper. Opportunities are typically available in News, Business, Sports, and Living/Arts departments. The program also hires aspiring photographers, designers, and copy editors. The internship offers in-person newsroom experience, mentoring by professional editors and writing coaches, and networking opportunities with media professionals. This is a particularly high-intensity internship, where you will be thrown into real work from the start.
Location: Various Reuters locations
Stipend: Paid; amount not specified
Dates:Â 12 weeks starting in June
Application deadline:Â Typically, December; interviews are scheduled in February/March.Â
Eligibility: Students in their final or penultimate year of universityÂ
The Reuters News Internship Program, you will join a fast-paced newsroom for a paid 12-week internship and work alongside experienced journalists. You will receive formal training and coaching and work under the mentorship of a senior editor. Your responsibilities will include reporting, pitching ideas, and contributing to daily newsroom coverage as appropriate for the team you join. Reuters emphasizes newsroom learning and expects interns to bring fresh ideas to editorial teams. You can check the specific regional posting for exact start dates, duties, and how to apply. Reuters also offers hybrid internships, allowing you to spend just two or three days in the office.
Location: The Washington Post Newsroom, Washington, D.C.
Stipend:Â $1,021.15/week
Dates: June 8 – August 14
Application deadline: October 3
Eligibility: College juniors, seniors, and graduate students enrolled in a degree program by the application deadline date
The Washington Post newsroom internship places you in a newsroom to explore the daily operations of journalists. You will be treated like a staff member with in-person responsibilities five days a week. During the program, you will write articles, edit copy, and participate in audio production and design. If you are interested in learning about the business side of news, you can work on data analysis and audience strategy. You can also indicate your preference to explore roles like those of photographers, data reporters, graphics reporters and developers, audio producers, videographers, copy editors, news and digital designers, and opinion writers during the internship.
Location: Various U.S. host newsrooms
Stipend: $15/hour + salary funded by the host newsroom
Dates:Â Summer internships; exact dates depend on the newsroom
Application deadline: Varies by year and host newsrooms; check the Scripps official site for updates
Eligibility: Undergraduate journalism/media students
With the Scripps Howard Fund internship program, you will get placed at a real newsroom environment with paid responsibilities and training. You will work alongside professional journalists, learn how media outlets operate, and build your story-reporting, multimedia, or investigative skills. Host newsrooms vary in size and focus, so you may gain exposure to various types of media work (print, digital, or audio) across fields like science, investigative reporting, and non-profits. The program emphasises mentorship and is designed to prepare you to move directly into journalism roles after graduation.
Location: The Minnesota Star Tribune newsroom, Minneapolis, MN
Stipend: Paid
Dates: 10 weeks in the summer
Application deadline:Â Not specified
Eligibility:Â College and graduate students
Through this internship, you will work within a major Minnesota daily newsroom and gain real-world journalism experience over the summer. The program will pair you with a mentor and a supervisor, and offer access to the guidance of senior writers/editors who will lead various sessions to help you build key journalism skills. You will have the chance to work across reporting, editing, multimedia, or digital production, depending on your preferred area of focus. You can expect to learn and contribute in a fast-paced environment and gain insights into the inner workings of a newsroom.
Location: The San Francisco Chronicle Newsroom, San Francisco, CA
Stipend:Â $19.18/hour
Dates: 12 weeks; June – August
Application deadline:Â Varies by role; typically, late October/early November
Eligibility: Community college, university, and graduate students enrolled in degree programs, or those who have recently graduated
As an intern at the San Francisco Chronicle, you will spend 12 weeks in the summer working in one of the largest newspapers on the U.S. West Coast. You will join teams within departments such as reporting, digital, photography, and audience engagement, and undergo training sessions and access mentorship from veteran journalists. The program emphasises newsroom immersion in a digital and print operation and expects you to intern on-site, learning how a major news organisation works first-hand. The newspaper typically hires within areas like audience engagement, breaking news reporting, metro reporting, sports reporting, and digital design and development.
Location:Â In-person or hybrid at NBCUniversal offices
Stipend: Paid
Dates: Full-time in summer (June – August) and part-time during the academic year (September – April); internships last three to eight months.
Application deadline:Â December 5
Eligibility: Students who are pursuing associate, bachelor’s, or graduate degrees at accredited institutions with a class standing of sophomore or above; some internships may require a minimum GPA.
As an intern at NBCUniversal, you will join a professional newsroom or media team and participate in reporting, digital content creation, or editorial support. You will get access to mentorship, exposure to media production workflows, and experience working under industry standards. You will have the opportunity to work in digital, production, marketing, development, communications, corporate, and technology. The internship can also be an opportunity to secure a full-time role at NBCUniversal following your graduation. Additionally, the internship comes with networking opportunities and perks like free admission to Universal Parks, Peacock subscription, and access to mental health counseling.
Location: Northern California Public Media, Rohnert Park, CA
Stipend:Â Paid
Dates: Spring, summer, and fall internships available; dates vary
Application deadline: Rolling review
Eligibility: Students enrolled in high school, accredited higher education institutions, and universities, and recent graduates
An internship at NorCal Public Media is an opportunity to explore careers in news and journalism and digital media with an environmental focus. Here, you will work within the assigned department on developing media projects that will be launched on digital platforms and prepared for broadcast on radio and TV channels. Opportunities are available across departments, including the news department and the environmental reporting unit. Your tasks will vary by the assigned role, but you will typically help the staff research stories, record and edit audio, contact and interview sources, identify and compile resources for web reports, work on field recording projects, and cover events. You will receive guidance from digital media professionals, journalists, and multimedia producers throughout the internship.Â
Location:Â Remote or on-site at NewsGuard office, New York, NY
Stipend:Â $16 per hour
Dates:Â Opportunities available during the fall semester, spring semester, and summer break; internships typically last 12 weeks
Application deadline:Â Rolling
Eligibility: Current students in undergraduate and graduate programs and recent graduates who have completed associate's/bachelor's /master's degree programs within the last four monthsÂ
As a NewsGuard Editorial Intern, you will assist the organization in fighting online misinformation and helping audiences find credible news sources. You will undergo training to learn about NewsGuard’s techniques for identifying and rating news websites for credibility and transparency. The internship offers opportunities to assist with research, reporting, and writing detailed reports for the masses. Past interns have worked on impactful projects, like building databases of misinformation networks and helping develop news literacy programs for students and older adults. You will collaborate with staff members on updating NewsGuard’s ratings for thousands of websites, contributing to a real solution for media credibility issues. The experience can be a mission-driven opportunity to use journalistic skills in a digital environment.
Location:Â Virtual
Stipend:Â None; college credit may be available.
Dates:Â Various opportunities throughout the year; dates not specified
Application deadline:Â Rolling
Eligibility:Â Open to college students
Pasquines offers Writing Internships to students and young professionals who are interested in exploring and contributing to journalism while covering public policy stories and issues related to the U.S. and its territories. As an intern, you will investigate, cover, pitch, and publish stories while working with experienced writers and editors. The internship is designed to be flexible and self-paced, allowing you to balance alongside your schoolwork or extracurriculars. In addition to building your reporting and writing skills, you may also get the chance to earn academic credit depending on your school’s requirements.
Location:Â Virtual or in-person opportunities; location not specified
Cost:Â Free
Dates:Â Flexible
Application deadline:Â Not specified
Eligibility:Â Open to all
The Young Eager Writers Internship Program offers college students opportunities to build core journalism skills through editorial work. As an intern, you will help draft blog posts, edit manuscripts, and support the publishing process for finalizing the work of teen authors. The internship tasks mirror the responsibilities of entry-level journalists, particularly within digital media and youth-focused publications. You will learn how to shape stories, refine language, and maintain editorial standards, skills essential for journalism. You will also have access to the mentorship of professionals, including the founder of Young Eager Writers, which can help you gain insights into how publishing decisions are made and how editorial teams collaborate.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Quarter-time (1–9 months) internships available during the school year; flexible dates
Application deadline: Open year-round
Eligibility: College students
EnergyMag offers flexible, year-round internship opportunities to college students who are interested in reporting and learning about energy storage. During the internship, you will investigate and assess a given market, company, tech, or activity/topic with the help of a mentor and, in the process, gain insights into energy use and storage. While researching the assigned topic, you will narrow down sources of relevant information, compile and assess the data you collect during your research, and produce an analysis report, which can be published on the EnergyMag website in the future. This experience can help you develop journalism and key workplace skills, including research and professional communication.
One other option—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 Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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