Gain Experience

Discover where your strengths and interests align through GradFUTURES experiential fellowships and internships. Designed in collaboration with the Graduate School’s network of partner organizations in the academic, government, nonprofit, and private sectors, each opportunity is customized to ensure you'll gain meaningful experience, receive personalized mentorship, and explore potential professional paths. These experiences are:

  • Flexible & part-time: Up to 10 hours / week during the summer or academic year
  • Paid*: Nearly all opportunities are funded through GradFUTURES
  • Open to International Students*: Most fellowships do not require work authorization

*Micro-internships in Industry with partner organizations in the private sector may require work authorization and use of CPT for international students. 

Introducing the GradFUTURES Experiential Hub

The GradFUTURES Experiential Hub, powered by Symplicity, offers Princeton graduate students access to curated fellowships and micro-internships, developed in partnership with select organizations to provide meaningful professional experiences. 

Princeton Graduate Students: Browse and apply for Experiential Opportunities. 

GradFUTURES Experiential Program Partners:  Manage your fellowship and internship postings.

Fellowship & Internship Programs

GradFUTURES Micro-Internships in Industry

Participate in a unique applied learning experience and hone professional skills and competencies while working under the direction of an industry mentor.

GradFUTURES Pre-Matriculation Internships

Prior to beginning your first semester of doctoral study, gain valuable professional experience and industry mentorship.

GradFUTURES Higher Education Leadership Fellowships

Get a behind-the-scenes look at leadership roles within higher education administration, participate in a meaningful project, and receive mentorship from a senior leader.

GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships

Gain interdisciplinary project team experience and receive 1:1 mentoring while contributing to an organization’s social impact mission. 

Graduate Student Professional Development Associates

Co-create programs and events that reflect graduate students' unique interests, input, and innovative ideas.

Community College Teaching Fellowships

Shadow and receive mentoring from a tenured community college faculty member one semester, and design and teach a course of your own the next.

University Administrative Fellowships

Gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for university administration via staff mentorship, shadowing, and immersive projects.

Graduate Student Employment Policy and Funding Considerations

All graduate students must adhere to the Graduate Student Employment policy when participating in an opportunity that is compensated or funded by an external entity or an experiential opportunity funded by the Graduate School. When participating in internships that involve receiving compensation from private sector organizations, paid positions at national government labs or research institutes, and research assistantships funded by institutions outside of Princeton, graduate students must obtain approval from their faculty adviser prior to acceptance of a position and must also complete an External Opportunity Application Form. Additionally, all international graduate students must review and comply with the guidelines on the Davis International Center’s Employment Page to avoid risking their visa immigration status. The Davis International Center maintains a list of all graduate programs that offer Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for international graduate students during the academic year or summer. Please note that CPT is only available to international graduate students with F-1 visas when an academic department requires an experiential opportunity or offers an internship course as part of the established curriculum. International graduate students whose departments do not offer CPT are encouraged to speak with the director of graduate study about their interest in pursuing a paid experiential opportunity at an external organization. International graduate students are also encouraged to explore the following experiential fellowships offered by GradFUTURES (and funded by the Graduate School) which do not require work authorization or CPT: University Administrative Fellowships, Community College Teaching Fellowships, Social Impact Fellowships, Higher Education Leadership Fellowships, and Professional Development Associates. 

Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination in Experiential Programs

Princeton University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. To maximize excellence, we seek talent from all segments of American society and the world, and we take steps to ensure everyone at Princeton can thrive while they are here. Princeton does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic, and Princeton does not provide special benefits or preferential treatment on the basis of a protected characteristic. These principles apply to our experiential programs, which are open to all graduate students (pending work authorization requirements for international students) and comply with federal and state non-discrimination laws. All experiential program partners and host organizations must adhere to an equitable recruitment and selection process within a framework of professionally accepted recruiting, interviewing, and selection practices that comply with federal and state non-discrimination laws. Also, all experiential program partners and host organizations must agree to provide an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for Princeton graduate student fellows/interns that aligns with the University’s conduct standards.