Obtaining hands-on experience is a current issue for many college students today and is especially pronounced in today’s job market. With an increasing number of college graduates, a weakening economy and increasing development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace, the importance of obtaining hands-on experience rather than solely relying on coursework and a college degree is more important than ever. This is what many workplace environments and graduate programs look for.
Although the University of California, Riverside (UCR) provides career and research opportunities, many of them are not accessible to entry-level students, particularly for students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The Career Center provides many resources, such as Handshake and the uResearch Portal, but many listed opportunities are not meant for first and second-year students. Most internships and research programs listed require students to already have specific technical lab and coding experience. This reduces the number of available positions, hurting student opportunities.
UCR is the Inland Empire’s only R1 University, a classification for institutions with the highest levels of research activity, but there are still major barriers to access these opportunities. UCR admitted the most low-income and Black first-year students across all UC campuses, and had a record-breaking 8,300 first-year admissions this year. With 46% of UCR’s student body being low-income and 50% identifying as first-generation students, underrepresented populations make up a significant portion.
Moreover, UCR needs to expand opportunities for entry-level internships to support Black, low-income, first-generation and LGBTQ+ students who have a lower participation rate in paid internships than other students. Paid internships matter because they are associated with stronger job outcomes than unpaid internships.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), paid interns received an average of 1.4 job offers, while unpaid interns averaged 0.9. In addition, NACE found that paid interns had a median starting salary of $67,500 compared to $45,000 for unpaid interns. These findings demonstrate that the limitations of entry-level internships only reinforce existing inequalities, emphasizing the importance of introducing paid beginner friendly STEM internships at UCR.
In addition, internships have been shown to reinforce soft skills that are lacking in STEM coursework. Specifically, science and engineering classes often focus on technical and theoretical skills through exams and technical problem solving. However, STEM work often requires skills such as communication and collaboration to cooperate and communicate ideas effectively among peers and mentors. These skills are undervalued in STEM coursework but are integral to success in a STEM workplace environment.
A 2025 study on internships found that internships support growth in workplace skills, with 85% of students reporting growth in communication skills and 73% reporting growth in teamwork and collaboration. The study found that STEM students initially struggled with effective communication and collaboration, but had substantial improvement when in a team-based internship setting. This demonstrates that internships are increasingly necessary for STEM students to mend gaps in soft skills.
Some university internship funding models are structured around students obtaining internships independently. For example, UCR’s Funding for Professional Internships program provides $2,000 for students who have already secured unpaid or underpaid internships with nonprofits, government agencies or small businesses. Other universities also use similar internship funding models, such as Tufts University, as they require students to secure a formal, unpaid internship before applying for a summer internship grant.
Additionally, Duke University’s Duke Career Center Internship Funding Program explicitly excludes internships and research positions affiliated with Duke to obtain funding for an internship. Students cannot apply for program funding if the internship or research position is affiliated with Duke.
However, reliance on independent navigation heavily biases students with preexisting experience, such as networking, prepared resumés or previous research experience. This would only further increase the inequality gap experienced by underrepresented communities at UCR, as it would create an additional systemic disparity.
UCR already has a strong model for an entry-level STEM paid internship through the Research in Science and Engineering Program (RISE), which is a 10-week summer research program for continuing and transfer students. The internship is a full-time, paid internship that emphasizes increasing representation in STEM students from diverse backgrounds. The paid stipend is important, as it allows students not to give up experiential learning for financial stability.
RISE is an example of what future UCR programs should do to expand entry-level STEM internships across different departments. This program demonstrates that UCR has the capability to address the inequality experienced by underrepresented communities in STEM majors.
Future programs can collaborate with outside organizations such as local hospitals or biotech companies to increase beginner friendly opportunities. Similar to RISE, programs should emphasize training, mentorship, paid work and most importantly, inexperienced eligibility.
UCR students should not have to have multiple internships or lab experience to access basic opportunities necessary for growth. As internships become more important for STEM careers, UCR should begin to provide more entry-level opportunities, especially for underrepresented students.
