Host an SIP intern

Benefits of working with SIP interns

The Sophomore Internship Program (SIP) enables local Indianapolis employers to mentor undergraduate sophomores. Our early internship experiences are designed to shape the next generation of our workforce.

SIP supervisors:

  • Access a pool of pre-screened students interested in professional and industry growth
  • Connect with interns to develop a sense of belonging in the workplace and professional environment
  • Develop supervisory and mentoring skills in your employees
  • Train students and potentially hire them after the internship is completed

[Our intern] is an amazing student and will be hired on as a part-time staff member based on her exemplary work.

SIP supervisor | Lutheran Child and Family Services of Indiana/Kentucky

What it's like partnering with SIP

SIP sites are expected to pay the intern a wage of at least $7.50 per hour. To better support our students, we provide a scholarship to create an hourly wage of $15 an hour. The intern works with you 10–15 hours a week from late August to late December (fall semester) or early January to early May (spring semester).

During the semester, you will:

  • Meet with your intern regularly for progress updates and to review work
  • Provide ongoing feedback to your intern with evaluations and a site visit
  • Attend the internship showcase in April (if intern is part of the spring cohort)
  • Have ongoing support from the SIP staff 

Explore previous internships

100+Over 100 undergraduates have worked with our internship sites in the last four years.

70+Over 70 supervisors have worked with our interns since 2017.

75%About 75% of our current supervisors have hosted SIP interns for two or more semesters.

Student overview

The typical SIP intern is a full-time second-year (or sophomore) IU Indianapolis student and has at least a 2.0 overall GPA (most of our applications average a 3.0 overall GPA). Interns apply during their first or second year of college, so we provide extra guidance as they navigate what might be their first professional job.

IU Indianapolis students are increasingly diverse across multiple identities, and SIP has a great opportunity and responsibility to ensure that future Indianapolis professionals represent the communities they serve. We particularly encourage students from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

[Our intern] has the strength of being able to ask questions and dig into details to help solve problems that we might not have known we were having yet.

SIP supervisor | Ascend Indiana

How we support you

What we do during the application process:

  • Encourage applicants to visit a career services professional for assistance with their application (like the resume and mock interviews). This connects students with resources for career development.
  • Further prepare students to meet with employers by hosting resume review and interview prep workshops.
  • Pre-screen applications in mid-March/October and send you a short list of applicants to interview in April/November.
  • Manage the matching process based on feedback from you and the applicants. We send matches in May/December to give you enough time to prepare.

What we do during the internship semester:

  • Complete a program orientation with the interns.
  • Visit each internship site once during the semester to check in and to discuss progress and learning. We have evaluations both the employer and intern fill out prior to the site visit.
  • Host regular office hours for interns to utilize to ask our team questions about the program, their e-Portfolio, or how to navigate professional situations.
  • Guide interns in creating their e-Portfolio to document their experience in the program. The e-Portfolio facilitates reflection and can be a resource for creating personal statements or requesting recommendation letters.
  • Prepare interns for the Engaged Learning Showcase by reviewing their presentations to provide feedback on communicating to different audiences.

Sophomore Internship Program events

There are no events at this time.

Contact us

Taylor Hall, UC 3140
815 W. Michigan St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 278-3480
sipindy@iu.edu