Employers Expect to Hire Nearly 4% More Interns This Year

Internship hiring is on the rise this year as employers expect to bring in 3.9% more interns in 2025-26 compared with 2024-25, according to NACE’s 2026 Internship & Co-op Report.

This positive news comes in contrast to last year, when overall intern hiring was expected to fall 3.1%, as large companies across industries reported plans to trim their intern roles. (See Figure 1.)

This year, 81% of participating employers said they will increase (53%) or maintain (28%) their intern hires.

The increase could be a positive economic indicator for entry-level hiring in general, as many employers look to convert their interns into full-time hires.

NACE surveys its employer members yearly to gather benchmarks on internship and co-op programs. NACE conducted the survey for the 2026 Internship & Co-op Report, sponsored by 12twenty, from October 15, 2025, to January 4, 2026. A total of 284 organizations took part, including 192 NACE member organizations (26.1% of eligible member organizations), 48 12twenty member organizations, and 44 other companies. Participants can access the NACE’s 2026 Internship & Co-op Report and dashboard in MyNACE.

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