An examination of the perceived factors of internship programs that lead students to remain with an organization after completing an internship

Over the past decade, there has been considerable growth in the number of undergraduate students completing internships in the United States (US). Through increased awareness and participation, internships have become known for developing career readiness skills, gaining first-hand experience in the workplace, and bridging the transition from academia to the world of work. As illustrated by the elevated number of college graduates reporting an internship experience upon graduation, internships are becoming a high-impact practice within the collegiate experience. Identified as a gateway to recruitment and hiring by organizations, internships are structured to provide students with direct work experience related to their career interests. Internships assist students in connecting their workplace experiences with the theoretical concepts learned in the classroom and, thus, their full-time roles postgraduation. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a relationship exists between a student’s internship or applied learning experience and the student’s conversion rate at the organization. Despite the increasing popularity of internships and their ability to be a catalyst for developing transferable skills that build professional networks, limited research exists on how internship experiences contribute to a student’s desire to work with their internship host full-time upon completion of their internship. Furthermore, research is limited on the factors and long-term effects contributing to a student’s decision to continue employment with their internship company. The study's primary goals were to determine if differences exist in acceptance rates between students with positive experiences and students with non-positive experiences.