The Iacocca International Internship Program offers roughly 100 internship opportunities every year with a variety of options to align well with most majors.
THE APPLICATION IS CLOSED FOR THE 2019 SEASON. INFORMATION REGARDING THE 2020 SEASON WILL BE FORTHCOMING LATE SUMMER 2019. THANK YOU.
Students may travel individually or in a small group led by a Lehigh faculty or staff member. You may work in a multinational corporation, help a nonprofit or NGO, or perform research in a laboratory or in the field. Opportunities are available in approximately 30 countries.
The international internships are mostly funded through the Iacocca Foundation, the Freeman Foundation and other donors. This means that major costs of the program, including airfare, housing, local transportation and most meals, are covered. The funding does not cover passport or visa fees, immunizations, optional excursions, personal expenses and some meals. Internships are full time and unpaid, and most do not carry academic credit.
Read about past internship experiences in the student reports.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
Information Sessions are a mandatory requirement of the application and are held each fall on several dates and times to accommodate student's schedules.
Internship Placement Opportunities
Internship placements are available in many locations and disciplines. Students can apply for one internship only, or may note a first choice and a second choice. Of great importance: if you provide a second choice on your application, it will be assumed that you will accept that placement if it is offered, so please indicate a second choice only if you fully intend to accept it.
Three Types of Internship Opportunities
Pre-set Individual Internships are planned by IIIP. Many internship placements are repeat offerings with established companies, and sourced through Lehigh University Alumni. These placements are typically for one or two students in a given location.
Customized Internships are facilitated through partnered program providers. The specific internship placements is assigned after the student is selected by IIIP and through working closely with our third-party provider. In these cases, students apply and are accepted to a designated country upon acceptance to IIIP, and you may not be aware of the specific organization where you will be working until approximately one month prior to departure. Throughout the spring semester you will work closely with a program provider advisor for the placement process.
IIIP Group Programs are facilitated by a Lehigh faculty/staff member. IIIP group programs are typically comprised of one faculty/staff member and four students. In many cases, the faculty/staff leader assist in placing students in a research opportunity with the partner organization, and are integral to in-country logistics planning for the group. These placements may involve additional, group-specific orientations, more than those administered by the IIIP staff for the entire IIIP cohort.
Application Instructions
Review the Iacocca International Internship Opportunities to determine which placements align best with academic background and career aspirations as well as geographic interests.
Attend an Information Session to learn about the program model in more detail and have the opportunity to meet and ask questions from program alumni. Attendance at ONE information session is MANDATORY to apply for a Iacocca Internship.
Direct any and all questions to iacoccaintern@lehigh.edu.
Complete the online application:
Log into the Lehigh Portal and go to Banner.
Once in Banner, select the Student Services tab.
Apply to the Iacocca International Internship Program
Please note that by applying via the online application, you are authenticating and electronically signing the Student Understanding and Agreement for International Internships and Addendum.
The application does not need to be completed in one sitting and you simply need to be sure to save it when taking a break. Most importantly, be sure to hit SUBMIT when you have completed the on-line application. Also, please read the corresponding automatic email to complete the process.
Email supplemental documentation (resume and unofficial transcript) by the deadline to iacoccaintern@lehigh.edu.
Request that two people submit letters of recommendation via this link. One of the two letters should come from someone of the Lehigh community, i.e. faculty, staff, supervisors, advisors, coaches etc.
See application timeline for additional information.
Selection Criteria
The steering committee will review all completed applications using a holistic approach to select students, with consideration given to the following criterion:
Financial need: priority is given to students with financial need
Previous international experience. One of the goals of the program is to provide international experience to students who have not been abroad previously. Please note that our records will indicate whether you have participated in a Lehigh-sanctioned program and that the application specifically asks for personal or prior international experience. Honesty is expected in the latter and may or may not have an impact on selection.
Alignment of student experience/interests with the job description of the Experience Provider
Academic success: if all else is equal, priority is given to the student with the higher GPA
Extra-curricular activities as they may relate to the experience
iiPATH Program
Details regarding iiPATH sessions and other important information for IIIP 2019 interns can be found in CourseSite.
Student International Services and Insurance Program
Information for Parent/Guardians
ADDITIONAL POLICIES
By accepting their position, the intern commits to the program during the specified dates. Dates will not be adjusted by or for the student once selected, although the employer and/or IIIP reserves the right to adjust dates if needed (changes are unlikely).
If a student needs to cancel their internship for any reason other than demonstrated hardship, the student will be charged $1,000 through the Bursar.
Graduating seniors must defer graduation until after completion of their internship.
Interns may not take summer classes during their internship.
Lehigh University reserves the right to revoke the internship at any point if:
there are safety and security concerns in the internship location
a student violates any aspect of the Student Understanding and Agreement, the Internship Addendum, letter of acceptance, Lehigh University Code of Conduct, or laws in the country of travel
students fail to follow through on the internship plan as originally proposed
PAST INTERNS
To date, nearly 500 students have interned in 46 countries in a variety of placements. Potential applicants are encouraged to read about the experiences of Iacocca Intern Alumni in the annual student reports.
Student Report 2018 (pdf)
Student Report 2017 (pdf)
Student Report 2016 (pdf)
Student Report 2015 (pdf)
Student Report 2014 (pdf)
Student Report 2013 (pdf)
Student Report 2012 (pdf)
My experience this summer was way more than just an internship. Living in a country completely foreign to me has taught me how to understand the world from multiple perspectives. India's culture is rich and diverse within its own capital city, making every day a unique learning experience. Lehigh's various connections have helped me meet all kinds of people from different professional backgrounds, both expanding my network and exposing me to the different industries within India.
Angelica Benares '20, Business Information Systems
Global Entrepreneurship Network, India 2018
My internship at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences exceeded all of my expectations, and I have grown professionally, socially, and personally because of it. I was able to conduct original research and work in a lab, while exploring new fields of study for my future career. It has afforded me many professional connections, relevant scientific work experience, and valuable new research skills that will benefit me both at Lehigh and in future jobs.
Julia Skrapits '19, Molecular Biology
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Bermuda
Living in Bordeaux for nine weeks was not only an unforgettable experience culturally, but also a really eye opening one personally.
Paola Lopez '20, Materials Science and Engineering
Solvay S.A., France
I was able to not only grow in my field, but learn so much about a culture very different from my own. The change in my confidence from when I first arrived to Japan to when I left was insane. I went into this experience with a positive mindset just happy to be going abroad, but I returned with so many amazing new friends, new outlooks, and memories that I will forever cherish.
Soniet Berrios '19, Computer Science Engineering
Nagoya Institute of Technology , Japan
Over the course of 2 months, I had the opportunity to work and live in Hong Kong, experiencing both the culture of the city and corporate life. While I learned new skills in the office and gained invaluable work experience for my career, my time outside of the office had the most impact. I met friendly and helpful people and learned that although Western and Eastern cultures are different, the sound of laughter can be understood in any language. Even though I have left Hong Kong, the lessons learned from my time spent there on an Iacocca Internship are here to stay.
Troy Egar '19, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Hutchison Ports, Hong Kong
