Iacocca International Internship Program

The IIIP application for 2020 internships will be open by October 15, 2019.

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

Attending an information session is the first step of the application process. Your full participation in an information session is a mandatory part of the application process. The information sessions are offered on alternate dates and times to accommodate student schedules. No alternate sessions will be offered, so please plan accordingly.

Attend one of the following sessions.  All sessions will be facilitated in the Lamberton Great Room 151:  

• Monday, October 21, 4:00 - 5:00 PM

• Tuesday October 22, 8:00 - 9:00 AM

• Monday, October 28, 12:00 - 1:00 PM

• Friday, November 1, 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

• Wednesday, November 6, 12:00 - 1:00 PM

• Thursday, November 7, 4:00 - 5:00 PM

iiPATH - Prepare sessions will be facilitated throughout the spring semester. These are imperative for your success as an Iacocca Intern. Therefore, students who will not be on campus for the spring 2020 semester (for any reason) are not eligible for a summer 2020 Iacocca Internship.   

Internship Placement Opportunities

Internship placements are available in many locations and disciplines. Students can apply for one internship only, or may note a first, second and even third choice. Of great importance: If you provide a second or third choice on your application, it will be assumed that you will accept that placement if it is offered. Therefore, please indicate a second choice only if you fully intend to accept it.

Three Types of Internship Opportunities

1. Pre-set Individual Internships are planned by IIIP. Many internship placements are repeat offerings with established companies, and sourced through Lehigh University Alumni or other relationships within the Lehigh Community. These placements are typically for one or two students in a given location.

2. Customized Internships are facilitated through Program Providers, vetted by IIIP. If you are accepted to one of these internships, you will learn of the country to which you are going upon acceptance into IIIP.  Subsequently, and throughout the Spring Semester, you will need to complete additional paperwork and work with your assigned Program Provider advising staff to secure a relevant internship placement.  In most cases, you will not know 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.

3. 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 beyond those administered by the IIIP staff for the all 2020 Iacocca Interns.

Opening Advising

The purpose for an advising session is to inquire about specific placement information.  It is not intended as an opportunity to enhance candidacy.  Advising time will take approximately 10 - 15 minutes. 
Sessions will be held in the University Center room 409, anytime between 3 PM and 4:30 PM on:

• Monday, November 11
• Tuesday, November 12
• Thursday, November 14

Application Instructions

1. Review the Iacocca International Internship "Stay Opportunities" to determine which placements align best with your academic background, career aspirations, and geographic interests.  A secondary point of reference to the stay opportunities is to preview the Student Report.

2. 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.

3. Direct any and all questions to iacoccaintern@lehigh.edu.

4. 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.

5. Email supplemental documentation (resume and unofficial transcript) by the deadline to iacoccaintern@lehigh.edu.

6. 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.

7. 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)