2026 Internship & Co-Op Report + Dashboard

Early Talent Planning Data

Compare your internship program against 280+ employers in seconds

Evaluate intern pay, conversion rates, and program structure using standardized, employer-reported data. Filter by industry, region, and company size to evaluate your program and make informed decisions—without manual benchmarking.

Use this benchmarking tool to:

Make faster, data-backed decisions with our dashboard
Set competitive intern compensation
Defend budget decisions with reliable, standardized data
Adjust your program based on emerging hiring trends with the full report
Compare your program structure to reduce attrition

Fee: $345 (members); $510 (nonmembers)

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Free for member organizations that participated in the survey.

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2026 Guide to compensation for Interns and Coops

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$23.35

The average hourly wage for interns.

Why it matters: Paid interns can perform real work, leading to greater satisfaction and a better conversion rate. See how wages compare for your specific industry, region, and company size using our benchmarking dashboard.

71.8%

Avg. offer rate

88.3%

Avg. acceptance rate

63.1%

Avg. conversion rate

Interactive benchmarking tool

Stop manually piecing together benchmarks.

Get the data you need—without digging through the full report.

Use the dashboard to answer key questions in seconds:

How does our intern pay compare by industry or region?
Are our program structures aligned with peers?
How do our intern demographics stack up?

Filter by industry, region, and company size to quickly get the answers you need.

Access instant benchmarks Explore the full report

April 2026. Microsoft Power BI. 7 pages. Web format.

Trends + analysis

See how your internship program compares nationwide

Get a clear view of how internship and co-op programs are performing across the U.S.—including hiring projections, compensation benchmarks, and conversion rates—so you can evaluate and adjust your program.

Use this data to prepare for your next hiring cycle:

Benchmark offer, acceptance, and conversion rates
Set competitive intern compensation using hourly wage + benefit benchmarks
Evaluate which recruiting strategies are driving results

Plus, use the interactive dashboard to quickly compare your program to organizations like yours, without manual analysis.

Get the benchmarks Preview key insights

March 2026. 8 1/2” x 11”. 33 pages. PDF format. Based on data from 284 U.S. employers.

WHAT'S INSIDE THE REPORT

Hiring projections

Program modalities

Conversion + retention rates

Recruiting techniques

Use of AI for recruiting

Program details

Key insights

Preview the full report: insights you can use to benchmark + improve your program

What's the deciding factor between two equal candidates?

Why it matters: More than 90% of employers said skills are how they differentiate between candidates.

Skills critical to the positionRole-fit matters most. Employers want evidence the candidate can contribute to the actual work.

Key career readiness skills Communication, critical thinking, professionalism, adaptability, time management, and initiative all shape the final decision.

Previous internship experience Past applied experience still carries weight, whether with the organization itself or elsewhere in the industry.

11 weeks

the median length of an internship.

66%

of employers say their interns use AI in their work.

Retention is the long game.

Why it matters: While a strong majority of interns remain with the employer after year one, more than half of interns still remain after five years—showing long-term program ROI.

76.1%

1-year retention

51.6%

5-year retention

Get the full report

Save up to $270

Get the complete story when you buy both

Purchase the 2026 Internship & Co-op Report + Guide to Compensation Combo to dive even deeper into wage data.

See what's included

Contribute to the data. Access it free.

Participation strengthens the research—and ensures your organization is represented in national comparisons.

Members who participate in NACE research surveys receive free access to the full product for every single NACE member at their organization! Plus, nonmembers who participate are eligible for a discounted rate.

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2026 Internship & Co-op Report + Dashboard

Compare your internship program against 280+ employers in seconds

Use this benchmarking tool to:

Purchase now to filter and compare more data like this.

$23.35

The average hourly wage for interns.

Stop manually piecing together benchmarks.

Get the data you need—without digging through the full report.

See how your internship program compares nationwide

Use this data to prepare for your next hiring cycle:

WHAT'S INSIDE THE REPORT

Hiring projections

Program modalities

Conversion + retention rates

Recruiting techniques

Use of AI for recruiting

Program details

Preview the full report: insights you can use to benchmark + improve your program

What's the deciding factor between two equal candidates?

11 weeks

the median length of an internship.

66%

of employers say their interns use AI in their work.

Retention is the long game.

Get the complete story when you buy both

Purchase the 2026 Internship & Co-op Report + Guide to Compensation Combo to dive even deeper into wage data.

Sample data + available benchmark dimensions

Industries included

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by industry, major, degree, and year of study.

Majors included

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by major, degree, and year of study.

Wages by company size

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by company size, major, degree, and year of study.

Wages by degree

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by degree and year of study.

Wages by region

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by region, major, degree, and year of study.

Contribute to the data. Access it free.

Participation strengthens the research—and ensures your organization is represented in national comparisons.

Your membership ends on

2026 Internship & Co-op Report + Dashboard

Compare your internship program against 280+ employers in seconds

Use this benchmarking tool to:

Purchase now to filter and compare more data like this.

$23.35

The average hourly wage for interns.

Stop manually piecing together benchmarks.

Get the data you need—without digging through the full report.

See how your internship program compares nationwide

Use this data to prepare for your next hiring cycle:

WHAT'S INSIDE THE REPORT

Hiring projections

Program modalities

Conversion + retention rates

Recruiting techniques

Use of AI for recruiting

Program details

Preview the full report: insights you can use to benchmark + improve your program

What's the deciding factor between two equal candidates?

11 weeks

the median length of an internship.

66%

of employers say their interns use AI in their work.

Retention is the long game.

Get the complete story when you buy both

Purchase the 2026 Internship & Co-op Report + Guide to Compensation Combo to dive even deeper into wage data.

Sample data + available benchmark dimensions

Industries included

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by industry, major, degree, and year of study.

Majors included

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by major, degree, and year of study.

Wages by company size

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by company size, major, degree, and year of study.

Wages by degree

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by degree and year of study.

Wages by region

Get intern + co-op hourly wage rates broken down by region, major, degree, and year of study.

Contribute to the data. Access it free.

Participation strengthens the research—and ensures your organization is represented in national comparisons.

Your membership ends
on