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For decades, internships have been the bridge between college and career. Employers love them because they provide a low-risk way to evaluate potential hires. Students pursue them because they offer valuable experience and a foot in the door. The formula works for those who can participate.

The data is clear: Internships are the single most powerful predictor of early-career success. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, more than half of interns converted their positions into full-time jobs in 2022-23. Students who complete an internship are about 25% more likely to land a full-time role within six months of college graduation. And employers lean heavily on this system. Nearly 70% plan to maintain or even increase intern hiring in 2025, even as overall entry-level hiring slows.

But beneath the success stories lies a more troubling truth: The internship economy works well for those who can afford to access it – and leaves behind many who cannot.

That’s why new models of experiential learning are gaining traction, models that don’t aim to replace internships but to reimagine what work-based learning can look like. With the help of artificial intelligence, higher education can restructure and expand this economy in a way that benefits more students and overcomes current problems involving things like finance, geography and equity.

Internships are not distributed equally. Students from low-income backgrounds and first-generation college students are consistently underrepresented in internship programs.

Money is the biggest barrier. Nearly 40% of internships are

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