Princeton students may now only apply to one International Internship Program (IIP) internship for the summer of 2025. The new rule intends to reduce the stress on students to submit multiple applications. While students could previously apply to two opportunities, the IIP website now states that “students may only apply to ONE IIP organization. If multiple IIP applications are submitted, none will be reviewed.”
“We have made this change because we value the effort that our students put into their application and the time our dedicated cohort of readers (IIP staff and colleagues across the University) put into reading every application,” Michelle Tong, spokesperson for the Office of International Programs (OIP), explained in an email to The Daily Princetonian. “We believe this change will result in a stronger correlation between skills and opportunity, stronger applications and more successful outcomes when a student’s application is forwarded to a potential employer,” she added.
The change is also due in part to increasing expenses associated with the program.
“Due to the rising cost of living abroad, we may not be able to place as many students in IIPs this year,” Tong wrote.
Despite the change in application rules, the OIP maintains that the selectivity of its international internships has not changed. Selectivity information for each opportunity is available in its corresponding online Global Programs System (GPS) brochure, and the OIP notes that the selectivity is based on employers’ limited capacity to take on interns.
“I think the change definitely limited students’ choice of internship, but I don’t think it will affect their chance of placement,” Mai Kasemsawade ’26, who interned in Malaysia at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, wrote in an email to the ‘Prince.’ “In the end, you can only proceed with one internship program, and that choice was chosen for your best fit by the IIP office anyways,” she explained.
“Honestly, things probably won’t change much if students can only apply to one IIP,” Faith Ho ’27, who interned at the Center for the Study of Democracy in Bulgaria last summer, wrote in an email to the ‘Prince.’ “The other application got deleted if you got cleared by the school anyway.”
Ho described her application process as “relatively straightforward,” citing how she was informed of her advancement in the process and participated in an interview that was less than 10 minutes in length. She noted that she was first placed on the waitlist for the opportunity, but was accepted a few weeks later.
Kasemsawade recommended the IIP experience to everyone.
“Living and working abroad is such an enriching experience — you learn so much about yourself and the world around you.”
Isaac Bernstein is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Pittsburgh, PA.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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