J-1 Intern Eligibility

Internship programs are offered to graduate students involved in pre-doctoral research and undergraduate students who have a degree requirement for practical field experience. Internship programs provide unique opportunities for interns to gain practical experience on the process of conducting research in their academic field.

The University of Maryland is designated to offer internships in the following fields:

Arts and Culture

Social Sciences

Education

Library Science

Management and Business

Counseling and Social Services

Commerce and Finance

Information Media and Communications

Engineering

Architecture

Mathematics

Industrial Occupations

Public Administration and Law

The Sciences

Length of Program

The minimum length of an intern program is three weeks; the maximum length is 12 months.

The internship program must be full-time with a minimum of 32 hours a week.

International visitors are eligible for the J-1 intern category if he/she meets the following criteria: 

Degree Eligibility

  • You must be currently enrolled in and pursuing a degree at a degree-or certificate-granting post-secondary academic institution outside the U.S.
  • Or you must have graduated from such an institution no more than 12 months prior to your exchange visitor program begin date, and
  • And you must enter the U.S. to participate in a structured and guided work-based internship program in your specific academic field.

Your degree information must be verified by one of the following:

  • A copy of your transcripts
  • A letter from your academic institution
  • A degree certificate showing the date the degree was awarded, which must be less than 12 months from the program start date.

English Language

As an intern, you must have English language skills sufficient to function on a day-to-day basis in your internship.

Your English language proficiency can be verified by one of the following:

  • An English language test (TOEFL, IELTS)
  • Signed documentation from an academic institution or English language school.
    • Your academic institution can sign The DS 2019 Data Collection Form to verify your level of English
    • Your academic institution may write a letter certifying your level of English.
  • An interview conducted by the sponsor, either in person, by video-conference, or by web camera.

Area of Study

Your program must be in one of the designated areas of study and your internship experience must be related to your degree program.

Financial Support

You must be able to show financial support in the amount of $1,000.00 per month. Personal finances can be shown with a bank letter that is signed by a bank official on bank stationery or with a recent bank statement.

Repeat Participation

An intern may participate in additional internship programs as long as he/she maintains student status or begins a new internship program within 12 months of graduation.