Global Internship Programs are open to currently enrolled UCLA undergraduate students who meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Undergraduate student
• Minimum of 90 units completed by end of Spring 2022
  • Units can include transfer credit
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
• Good academic standing
• For certain programs additional requirements may apply (i.e. course prerequisites, language skills, major/minor requirements, etc…)

Click the link to the Global Internship Program online application. Be sure to read the application information carefully. When your application has been submitted, you will receive an application number on the screen and by e-mail. Be sure to keep this number for future reference. All programs require approval by the International Education Office. You will receive e-mails regarding your application status. A deposit is not required until you have conducted an advising session with our onsite partners and your application has been approved by the International Education Office.

If your application is approved, you must submit a $300 non-refundable deposit payment through our secure online credit/debit card form in order to secure your spot on the program. If you pay by credit/debit card, an additional 2.75% surcharge will be assessed. Payments by e-check will not incur this surcharge.

Your application number can be found in the subject line of your application or confirmation e-mail. It is a 1-to-4 digit number. Contact UCLA IEO if you cannot locate the number.

After successfully submitting your application, the International Education Office will review your application and send you an email update within approximately 3 – 5 business days. Students that meet the eligibility criteria will be asked to attend an advising call with our in-country program partners.

Through this advising call our in-country partners will learn more about your qualifications, experience and career goals. The call will help them determine whether you are a good match for available internship opportunities in the host country. After the call is completed, the in-country partners and UCLA will decide whether to offer you acceptance into the Global Internship Program based on your qualifications and the pool of applicants. Applicants will hear back regarding acceptance to the Global Internship Program in early January.

Application Dates:  October 24 – December 4, 2022

No, students can only enroll in one Global Internship Program at a time.

Prior to the December 4, 2022 application deadline,  you may switch your application to a different Global Internship Program.

*Please note that your application will only be considered for one Global Internship Program. You cannot apply for two at the same time.

Cancellation Deadline: February 15, 2023

Please do not enroll in a Global Internship Program unless you are sure you intend to participate. Remember that your deposit is nonrefundable. See our Cancellation Policy. The cancellation deadline is February 15, 2023 at 11:59PM. Paid program fees (minus $300 nonrefundable deposit) are refundable until February 15, 2023 at 11:59PM.

All Global Internship Programs have a limited number of placements available for each location. The application is open from October 24 – December 4, 2022. Students who apply within this time frame will be given equal consideration for acceptance into the program.

Upon submitting your application you will need to submit a copy of your resume, as well as a passport style photo of yourself. In addition, you will need to respond to a questionnaire regarding your motivation to enroll in the program. Please see below for more information regarding your resume and questionnaire.

Resume

As part of the application process, you will be asked to upload a current copy of your resume. Please take time to appropriately format and spell check your resume before submitting. For assistance with your resume, you can use the VMock tool provided by the UCLA Career Center.

Motivation to Enroll Questionnaire 

As part of your application process you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. Responses should be well thought out and demonstrate why you are a strong candidate for the Global Internship Program. It’s highly encouraged to prepare your responses in advance on a Word document and then copy and paste to the application once you apply. The maximum word count for each short-answer response is 125 words. Please see the questions below to assist you in preparing your answers.

• Personal Introduction: Please give some  general background on yourself and why you are interested in participating in the Global Internship Program?
• Location of Interest: What makes you interested in interning in the particular city or country you selected for your program?
• Career Goals: Within your career field, which specific sector are you interested in working and what do you hope to gain from this global internship experience? How will this experience assist you toward reaching your career goals?
• Why should you be selected? What do you think makes you stand out as a strong candidate for the Global Internship Program? Why should you be selected for the program?

You may email the files to info@ieo.ucla.edu and we will upload them on your behalf.

If you do not have a passport upon submitting your application, you will need to apply IMMEDIATELY in order to assure that your passport arrives on time. Some programs may require that you obtain a visa to conduct the internship, which means you will need your passport well in advance of your program departure date in order to apply for the visa.

*Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, passport processing timelines have been delayed significantly. Currently, the routine processing timeline for passports is approximately 10 weeks. For more up-to-date information please click here. 

Retrieve your Application to upload your passport photo. Once in your Application Portal you will find the uploads section on the left hand side of the screen. Additionally, please edit your application and enter your passport details.

Some Global Internship Program locations may require immunizations. We recommend you visit the Centers for Disease Control’s website for more information about health and safety abroad in your particular program location. We also recommend you visit the Ashe Center Travel Clinic  to complete a health evaluation where they can provide advice customized to your health status and travel plans, immunizations, and prescriptions as needed.

Per the University of California, a condition of physical presence at a location or in a University Program, all covered individuals must participate in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program by providing proof of Full Vaccination or submitting a request for Exception or Deferral: COVID-19 Vaccination Program. Please see Policies page for full details and requirements.

*Please note that some Global Internship Program locations my have more rigid COVID-19 vaccination requirements due to host country entry requirements or program partner policies. You can learn more about these requirements on your particular program page.

The placement process normally takes between 2 – 3 months and will begin in March. The length of time it takes to place a student into an internship site depends on various factors such as: submitting appropriate documents in a timely manner, career field of the student and availability in internship city, and the number of interviews before both the student and internship site agree that it is a match.

Selection Process

Students who apply that meet the eligibility criteria will conduct an advising call with our in-country partners. Through this advising call, our partners will learn more about each applicant’s qualifications, experience and career goals. The call will help our partners determine whether the applicant is a good match for available internship opportunities in the host city. After the call is completed, the in-country partners and UCLA will decide whether to offer the applicant acceptance into the Global Internship Program based on their qualifications and the pool of applicants.

Acceptance Decisions

Applicants will be notified of acceptance decisions in early January.

Placement Process

Students selected for an internship program will need to place their program deposit first, in order to be officially enrolled in the program. After enrolling in their Global Internship Program, a placement coordinator from the in-country partners will work with each student one-on-one to find the perfect internship match. Internship placements are customized to a students’ personal and career goals, interests and experience. Students will work approximately 32 hours per week for in-person internship placements and 20-30 hours per week for virtual placements. For in-person placements, total work hours and mode of work (in-person vs hybrid) will depend on their specific internship site needs.

Disclaimer

The Global Internship Program provides all participants with meaningful internship placement opportunities. Students must be realistic, however, about the level of their internship placement. Students with limited or no work experience, limited leadership or volunteer experience, no specialization courses completed, or other kinds of related activities, will be placed in an entry-level position in their requested industry.

In-Person Placements

• For in-person placements, students will intern approximately 32 hours per week.
• Total work hours and mode of work (in-person vs hybrid) will depend on their specific internship site needs.

Virtual Placements

• For virtual placements, students will intern between 20 – 30 hours per week.

No, internships are not paid. Internships are for academic credit only.

Yes, there is financial aid available for eligible students. Please note that students must be enrolled in both the mandatory and optional course (total of 8 units) to be eligible for financial aid. For more information, please see our Financial Aid section of the website.

Final payments can be made via MyUCLA or by check at the Cashier’s Office in 1125 Murphy Hall.

Students can begin to make final payments after course enrollments are passed, which generally occurs around the beginning of February.

You will need to contact the nearest passport agency. Many post offices offer passport services. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many passport agencies processing timelines have been significantly delayed. Routine passport processing currently takes approximately 10 weeks. We encourage you to apply for your passport as soon as possible! For more information, please visit U.S. Department of State.

Some programs may require that you have a visa in order to intern in the host country. Please reference the “Travel” section of your Global Internship Program webpage for more specific visa information.

We recommend you visit the Centers for Disease Control’s website for more information about health and safety abroad.

The Global Internship Program is an intensive 8 week experience. Internship sites will expect students to complete their weekly hours and will not be providing vacation days during the program. Although it may be possible for students to conduct short weekend trips, all longer trips should be conducted prior to or after the conclusion of the Global Internship Program.

Yes, the courses taken on the Global Internship Program will automatically transfer to your UCLA transcript.

Past participants can view and request transcripts on MyUCLA.

Each Global Internship Program consists of a required 195 internship course. Students are automatically enrolled in this mandatory course and it cannot be dropped.

More information about a program’s courses can be found on each program page under “Curriculum.”

You can enroll in an optional course on your Global Internship Program application. If you have already submitted your application, you can retrieve your application and update it to include the optional course anytime before the final program registration deadline.

*Please note that in order to be eligible for financial aid you MUST be enrolled in the optional course, so that you are enrolled in a total of 8 units.

The optional course may be dropped by contacting IEO and requesting to drop. If the optional course is dropped by Friday of Week 2 (by 5 PM PST) the student will receive a full course refund. After such time, the optional course may be dropped for NO REFUND until the Friday of Week 8.

*Please note that in order to be eligible for financial aid you MUST be enrolled in the optional course, so that you are enrolled in a total of 8 units.