15 Internships for Undergraduates in San Jose, California
If you are a college student trying to figure out how to stand out to employers after graduation, consider participating in a college internship. They allow you to apply classroom knowledge to real projects, build professional references, and explore whether a particular career path fits you. Many students who complete internships often receive more full‑time job offers and higher starting salaries. You’ll also learn how to navigate workplace dynamics, meet deadlines, and communicate across teams. San Jose, as the largest city in Silicon Valley, offers a wide variety of opportunities in government, technology, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors.
If you’re open to considering remote/online internships, then you can check out paid programs here! And if you’re worried about having less experience, check out our blog here!
Why should you do an internship in college?
Employers consistently rank internship experience as one of the top factors when evaluating recent graduates. Completing an internship signals that you have worked in a professional environment, collaborated on real tasks, and met deadlines under supervision. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, students with internship experience receive more job offers and higher starting salaries than those without. Beyond technical skills, you will build confidence in your communication, problem‑solving, and time‑management abilities. Many companies also extend full‑time offers to their former interns, making internships one of the most reliable pathways to a job after college.
To help you narrow down your search, we have drawn up a list of 15 internships for undergraduates in San Jose that you can apply to today.
Quick Look
15 internships total spanning city and county government, water management, chip and hardware engineering, cybersecurity, marketing, and nonprofit work, hosted by organizations including Adobe, Arm, Nutanix, and the City of San Jose
The strongest disclosed pay is at Adobe ($45 to $55 per hour) and Zscaler ($35 to $55 per hour), both based in San Jose's tech sector
Two San Jose State University internships offer academic credit instead of higher pay: CS 190 is paid and credit-bearing, while the Editorial Internship is unpaid but credit-bearing
Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation has the widest pay range on this list ($19.72 to $44.34 per hour), scaling by student level from freshman through graduate standing
Several tech companies, including Arm, Nutanix, and Vectra AI, note that strong interns are often considered for full-time roles after graduation
1. City of San Jose Student Internship Program
Location: San Jose City Hall and various city departments, San Jose, CA
Stipend: Paid (hourly rates vary by position)
Cohort size: Approximately 150 student interns hosted annually
Dates: Rolling placements throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by department; Check the city’s career portal for current openings
Eligibility: Current undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in an accredited college or university; Minimum 2.5 GPA preferred for most positions
The City of San Jose Student Internship Program places you directly into municipal departments such as Public Works, the Mayor’s Office, City Council district offices, or the City Manager’s Office. You will work onsite at San Jose City Hall or at department field offices, interacting daily with city employees, elected officials, and community members. As an intern, you’ll assist with constituent communication, policy research, city council meeting preparation, data analysis, and community event planning. You will be assigned a specific project based on your major and interests, such as updating a department’s website, analyzing budget data, or creating outreach materials for a city initiative. The program runs year‑round, with most interns working between 12 and 20 hours per week during the school year and up to 40 hours per week in the summer. Many city departments also offer academic credit in partnership with local colleges.
2. Ladder University Internship Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies (financial aid available); Unpaid
Acceptance rate: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Eligibility: Undergraduate students able to commit 10-20 hours per week
Ladder University Internship pairs you directly with a startup or nonprofit to complete a tangible project that aligns with your career interests. You will work fully online, collaborating with founding teams across industries such as deep tech, mental health, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and engineering. The eight‑week program requires a weekly commitment, which fits alongside your coursework or other responsibilities. Ladder guarantees a placement for accepted students, matching you with a host organization based on your skills and professional goals. You’ll receive mentorship from experienced professionals and complete a final project that you can add directly to your portfolio. Past participants have used their Ladder internship as a stepping stone to full‑time roles at startups or larger tech companies.
3. Valley Water College Summer Internship Program
Location: Valley Water Headquarters, San Jose, CA (hybrid)
Stipend: $28.27/hour
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: May 26 – August 14 (semester students); June 15 – September 4 (quarter students)
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: Undergraduates enrolled in an accredited community college, college, or university; Must have completed at least two full‑time years of study and reside within 150 miles of the location
Valley Water’s College Summer Internship Program places you in a full‑time, paid role within a water industry setting. It is designed for students passionate about pursuing a career in the water industry and serving the local community. Before the internship starts, you must complete the Water Works Academy – a series of five virtual sessions held every other Friday. As an intern, you’ll work on projects that may include fieldwork, such as water quality sampling or watershed inspections, office assignments like data analysis or report writing, or a combination of both. At the end of the summer, you’ll attend an in‑person graduation ceremony where you’ll present your project to Valley Water leadership.
4. Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Student Intern
Location: Santa Clara County Parks locations throughout San Jose and surrounding areas
Stipend: $19.72 – $44.34/hour depending on internship level
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Year-round
Application Deadline: Year-round
Eligibility: Students enrolled in an accredited institution or graduated within the last six months; Must have an overall GPA of at least 2.5 and a legal right to work in the United States; May require a Live Scan background check
Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation offers summer internships across several focus areas, including invasive species mapping, environmental health and safety, turf conversion feasibility, and maintenance asset management. As an intern, you will work either in the field (collecting data at parks or trail systems), in an office (analyzing data or preparing reports), or a combination of both, depending on the specific role. The hourly pay varies based on your student level: Level II internships are available for college freshmen and sophomores, Level III for juniors and seniors, and Level IV for graduate students. You will also get to attend weekly professional development sessions on topics such as resume writing, interview skills, and public service careers.
5. Arm: Internship Programs
Location: Arm, San Jose, CA (hybrid)
Stipend: Paid hourly (rate varies by location and education level)
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Varies by role
Application Deadline: Typically open in September; Specific deadlines vary by role
Eligibility: Undergraduate, master's, and PhD students enrolled in a higher-education degree and returning to your studies afterward; Specific requirements vary by each role
Arm designs the chip architecture and IP that power most of the world's smartphones, along with a growing share of data-center, automotive, and AI hardware. Its San Jose office runs internships across a range of teams, so the right fit depends on where your strengths point. You might end up in hardware or software engineering, machine learning, or signal integrity roles. The company also takes interns into areas such as ecosystem development and financial planning, so the program is not only for chip designers. Whichever team you join, you’ll work on projects relevant to what Arm is actually building, with a mentor and a buddy to keep you oriented. You’ll get regular feedback, development sessions, and a chance to present your work to the wider group near the end. Strong interns are considered for Arm's graduate roles afterward, so a good run here can open the door to a full-time offer.
6. Nutanix Internships
Location: Nutanix, San Jose, CA (in-person, hybrid, or remote, depending on the role)
Stipend: Paid (varies by role)
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Varies by role
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Actively enrolled undergraduate or postgraduate students
Nutanix builds enterprise cloud software from its San Jose headquarters and hires interns across software engineering, cloud engineering, support engineering, technical sales, and marketing. A manager and a small group of teammates stay close throughout the internship, so you’ll have people to turn to when a problem gets hard. Many interns here are offered full-time roles afterward, which makes it a direct audition for the start of your career. You’ll also get to see how a large engineering organization works from the inside, in one of the most competitive tech markets in the country.
7. Vectra AI Internships
Location: Vectra AI, San Jose, CA
Stipend: Paid (varies by role)
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Varies by role
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Undergraduate and graduate students; Specific requirements vary by role
Vectra AI is a San Jose company that builds AI-driven cybersecurity – the kind that watches a company's network and flags attackers who have slipped inside. Interning here means working close to that platform and on the detection and analysis that customers depend on to catch threats early. You’ll take on a defined project rather than shadow work; you'll carry it from an idea to something the team can actually use. Along the way, you’ll sit with engineers and data scientists who do this for a living, so you’ll learn how security gets built in practice.
8. San Jose State University Internships – CS 190 Internship Project
Location: San Jose, CA (industrial site approved by the department)
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Semester‑long (Fall, Spring, Summer)
Application Deadline: Rolling; Requires instructor consent before enrollment
Eligibility: Completion of CS 146 (Data Structures and Algorithms) with a grade of C‑ or better (or graduate standing)
CS 190 at San Jose State University is a for‑credit internship course that allows you to work on an approved semester‑long paid project at an industrial site in the San Jose area. You must first secure a project‑based internship with a company, then apply for instructor consent to enroll. Once accepted, you’ll meet once per week on campus with the course instructor and other interns to discuss progress, share challenges, and receive guidance. Your final grade is based on written progress reports, an oral presentation at the end of the semester, a final written report, and an evaluation by your project supervisor at the company. The course is designed to help you demonstrate the acquisition of skills that you identified as goals before the start of the assignment. You can take CS 190 for up to three units, and it counts as a technical elective for computer science majors.
9. San Jose State University Editorial Internship
Location: San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Stipend: Unpaid; For‑credit internship (three units)
Cohort size: 5-6 interns per semester
Dates: Semester‑long (Fall, Spring)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Current SJSU student enrolled in the College of Humanities and the Arts; Must arrange with a faculty supervisor before registration
The SJSU College of Humanities and the Arts offers a three‑unit editorial internship course where you’ll write articles for the college’s Expressions newsletter, create and edit promotional content for college programs, and collaborate with design, photography, and film students. You will work under the direct supervision of a faculty member who is also a professional editor or writer. During the semester, you’ll produce publishable work, typically three to five articles, along with supporting multimedia content. You’ll also attend weekly editorial meetings where you pitch stories, give and receive feedback, and learn about the editorial workflow from assignment to publication. This is an on‑campus role that allows you to build a portfolio of published writing while earning academic credit.
10. Breakthrough Silicon Valley Intern
Location: Breakthrough Silicon Valley, San Jose, CA
Stipend: Paid; Varies by position
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Summer; Specific dates vary
Application Deadline: Varies by position
Eligibility: Currently enrolled in a two‑ or four‑year college
Breakthrough Silicon Valley (BTSV) is a nonprofit organization that helps talented students from underserved communities get to college. As an intern, you will assist with donor and volunteer events, including BTSV’s signature Career Exploration Day and Visitors Days. You may also support fundraising campaigns and other events. You will be supervised by a manager mentor and gain hands‑on experience in nonprofit fundraising, event planning, and project management.
11. JCYC & Japanese American Museum of San Jose: Nikkei Community Internship
Location: Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj), San Jose, CA
Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: June 22 – August 14
Application Deadline: April 4
Eligibility: Currently enrolled college student (two‑year or four‑year) interested in Japanese American history and community service
The Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) is an eight‑week, full‑time summer program that places you within the Japanese American community in Northern California. Placements are available through the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj). At JAMsj, you will work on projects such as archival research (digitizing and cataloging historical documents), exhibit development (researching and writing exhibit labels), community outreach (organizing public programs), and program coordination (assisting with school tours or cultural events). The internship also includes weekly seminars on Japanese American history, professional development workshops, and site visits to other community organizations. You will build professional skills in nonprofit management, historical preservation, and community engagement.
12. Zscaler: Marketing Intern
Location: Zscaler, San Jose, CA (hybrid)
Stipend: $35 – $55 per hour
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Summer
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students currently pursuing a degree in marketing, business administration, strategic management, communications, or a related field
Zscaler, an AI‑forward enterprise at the forefront of cloud security, offers a marketing strategy internship within its Marketing Strategy & Business Operations team. You will support key initiatives by coordinating meeting agendas, maintaining trackers and timelines for various projects, and helping audit and improve internal resources such as intranet content and team documentation. You will also gather updates from across marketing teams, organize them into clear summaries, and partner with team members to identify gaps in communication or process. Through this role, you will learn how marketing strategy translates into execution, how to manage projects in a fast‑paced environment, and how internal operations and communication directly impact marketing effectiveness.
13. Nex Internship Program
Location: Nex, San Jose, CA (hybrid)
Stipend: Paid (based on role)
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: Summer (3 months)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in a field relevant to your chosen track
Nex is a San Jose company built around Nex Playground, a console that turns a living room into an active game using AI and motion tracking instead of a controller. Its internship program drops you onto a single team, from business development or fulfillment and logistics to finance and accounting or design. Along the way, you’ll gather and make sense of information, turn open questions into plans, and share what you find with the people who make the decisions. You’ll work with a dedicated mentor and end the internship with a final presentation of your work.
14. Adobe: Software Engineer Intern
Location: Adobe, San Jose, CA (hybrid; co-located model)
Stipend: $45.00 – $55.00/hour
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: May – September
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled full-time and pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent; Must have proficiency in Java, Python, or Go and familiarity with the software development lifecycle
Adobe is seeking talented and passionate Software Engineer interns across all organizations at its San Jose office. As an intern, you will help plan, design, develop, and test software systems or applications for software enhancements and new products used in local, networked, cloud-based, or internet-related programs and products. You will work directly on products for Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, or Experience Cloud teams, or immerse yourself in cloud-based infrastructure, big data, or generative AI technologies such as Firefly. Adobe software engineer interns can explore web development, mobile development, data engineering, frontend development, back-end development, and full-stack development. You will develop efficient, reliable, testable service code in Python or Go, work closely with engineers from requirements through deployment, and collaborate across teams to deliver new features.
15. Efficient Computer: Compiler Intern
Location: Efficient Computer, San Jose, CA
Stipend: Paid (includes 401K match, equity program)
Acceptance rate: Selective
Dates: 10-12 weeks during the summer
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Pursuing a Bachelor's in Computer Science or related field; Must have experience with compiler design, computer architecture, and C++
Efficient is developing the world's most energy-efficient general-purpose computer processor, using 100x less energy than commercially available ultra-low-power processors. The compiler team is seeking a summer intern to help build the next-generation compiler backend for more efficient code generation. You will develop and enhance the custom compiler backend, create test suites, and support software-hardware co-design. This position is based in Efficient's San Jose office, with opportunities to extend throughout the semester. This role offers hands-on experience building real compiler technology in a fast-paced startup environment.
Questions Students Often Ask About These Programs
1. Several tech companies on this list (Arm, Nutanix, Vectra AI) mention that interns are often considered for full-time roles afterward. How should that affect which one I apply to?
If converting to a full-time offer is a priority for you, it's worth treating these internships as an extended interview and focusing on the company whose product area genuinely interests you, since your performance and fit matter more than which specific company you choose. Arm centers on chip architecture and hardware, Nutanix focuses on enterprise cloud software, and Vectra AI is built around AI-driven cybersecurity, so picking the one aligned with your actual technical interests will likely lead to stronger performance and a better shot at conversion than choosing based on company size alone.
2. What's the difference between the two San Jose State University internships (CS 190 and the Editorial Internship), and do I need to already be an SJSU student to apply?
Yes, both require current SJSU enrollment. CS 190 is a technical, paid internship course for computer science majors, where you secure your own project-based internship at an approved company and then enroll for academic credit alongside it. The Editorial Internship is unpaid but credit-bearing, open to students in the College of Humanities and the Arts, and centers on writing and editing for the college's own newsletter rather than placement with an outside company. If you're a computer science major looking for paid, industry-based experience, CS 190 is the better fit; if you want to build a writing portfolio specifically, the Editorial Internship offers that more directly.
3. The pay range across this list is enormous, from unpaid options to $55 per hour at Adobe. How should I think about that gap?
The highest-paying roles, like Adobe and Zscaler, are technical or specialized positions at large, well-funded tech companies, which generally pay more for software engineering and marketing strategy work specifically. Government and nonprofit-adjacent roles, like the City of San Jose's internship program or Breakthrough Silicon Valley, pay less but often offer broader exposure to public service or community-based work that isn't available at a for-profit tech company. If pay is your top priority, the larger tech companies on this list are the strongest options; if you're more interested in public service, government operations, or nonprofit work, the lower-paying roles still offer meaningful, resume-building experience.