15 Real Estate Internships for College Students
If you're a college student interested in pursuing a career in real estate, an internship is one of the best ways to gain exposure to how the industry operates beyond the classroom. Whether you're interested in commercial real estate, development, investment management, property management, or brokerage, internships allow you to observe how professionals analyze opportunities, manage projects, and navigate real-world market conditions. They also help you build a stronger professional network while establishing connections with experienced industry professionals. Since real estate is a relationship-driven field, gaining early exposure can be especially valuable as you explore potential career paths. If you're looking for flexibility, virtual internships can also provide meaningful opportunities to gain relevant experience without the additional costs associated with relocation or commute.
If you’re interested in business in general, here’s a list of business-administration-specific internships, and for those interested in business-research internships, check out our blog here.
Why should I do a Real Estate internship in college?
A real estate internship can help you develop technical skills that are commonly used across the industry, including financial analysis, market research, valuation, and data analysis. Internships can also help you identify which area of real estate best aligns with your interests and long-term career goals. Many programs provide access to mentorship, networking events, site visits, and professional development opportunities that can expand your professional network and expose you to different career paths. Internship experience also demonstrates to future employers that you can apply your knowledge in a professional environment, which may strengthen your applications for competitive internships and full-time roles after graduation.
To help you get started, we’ve put together 15 real estate internships for college students. These programs are selected based on three primary criteria: the reputation of the host organization, the quality of the professional experience, and the opportunities they provide for networking and mentorship.
1. Marcus & Millichap Internship
Location: Multiple U.S. and Canadian locations, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, and Vancouver (in-person)
Cost/Stipend: Paid internship ($20 - $25) | Compensation varies by market
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | Cohort size varies by office location
Dates: 8 weeks, begins on June 1
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Rising college juniors or seniors enrolled at an accredited university | Must be pursuing a real estate minor/major or participating in a real estate club or boot camp | No visa sponsorship available
The Marcus & Millichap Internship introduces participants to the commercial real estate industry through a combination of hands-on experience, structured training, and mentorship. You work alongside brokers and agents, gaining exposure to the day-to-day operations of investment sales. As an intern, you will assist with projects such as preparing Broker Opinions of Value (BOVs), developing Offering Memorandums (OMs), and conducting market research. The program also includes daily workshops on financing, underwriting, business development, capital markets, and client outreach, helping you build a strong understanding of the commercial real estate transaction process. Throughout the internship, you'll receive guidance from experienced professionals and have opportunities to observe sales meetings and client interactions, which will provide insight into how commercial real estate deals are sourced, evaluated, and closed.
2. Ladder University Internship Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Varies depending on program type | Full financial aid available.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and Winter.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort – spring (January), summer (May), fall (September), and winter (November).
Eligibility: Undergraduate and gap year students who can work for 8 - 12 weeks, devoting 10 - 20 hours/week
The Ladder University Internship Program is a highly selective, eight-week virtual experience that pairs college students with startups and nonprofit organizations from around the world. After being matched with a host organization, you'll work on a real-world project that addresses an actual business or organizational need while collaborating closely with your manager throughout the internship. Opportunities span a wide range of industries, allowing students from diverse academic backgrounds to gain relevant professional experience. The program concludes with a final presentation, where you'll share your work and recommendations with your host organization. Designed with flexibility in mind, the internship requires a weekly commitment of 10 - 20 hours, allowing you to gain meaningful project-based experience while balancing your coursework and other academic commitments.
3. CBRE Sales & Brokerage Internship Program
Location: Multiple U.S. cities including New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Austin
Cost/Stipend: Paid | Compensation varies by location and role
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | Placement across multiple major U.S. cities
Dates: Summer (specific dates vary by location and role)
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Current college juniors, seniors, or graduate students | Interest in commercial real estate | MS Office proficiency | U.S. work authorization required
CBRE's Sales & Brokerage Internship places students within brokerage teams, where they will gain practical experience in commercial real estate transactions and market analysis. As an intern, you'll work alongside commercial real estate professionals to track local market trends, support transaction teams, conduct research, and develop familiarity with industry platforms such as CoStar. The program also includes learning and development activities designed to build your understanding of commercial real estate sales, investment analysis, and client relationship management. By collaborating with experienced brokers and observing active deals, you'll gain insight into how commercial real estate transactions are sourced, evaluated, and executed in major markets such as New York City.
4. JLL Summer Internship
Location: Multiple U.S. cities including New York, Washington D.C., Denver, San Francisco
Cost/Stipend: Paid | Compensation estimated at $24,000 - $46,000 annualized (varies by location and role)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | Cohort sizes vary by market
Dates: June 1 - August 7
Application Deadline: Rolling | Check jll.com/careers for specific openings
Eligibility: Current college juniors or seniors graduating in this or next year | Majors in Real Estate, Finance, Economics, or related fields preferred | Permanent U.S. work authorization required
JLL's Summer Internship Program places students within teams focused on areas such as leasing, capital markets, property management, tenant representation, and workplace design. As an intern, you'll support ongoing projects by conducting market research, analyzing economic and demographic data, supporting due diligence activities, and preparing client-facing materials while working alongside analysts, brokers, and transaction professionals. You'll also gain experience using industry-standard tools such as Argus and Excel to evaluate market opportunities, analyze property data, and support business development initiatives. Through exposure to multiple business lines and active transactions, the program provides insight into how commercial real estate services, investments, and advisory work come together within a global organization.
5. Hines REDI Internship Program
Location: Multiple U.S. cities
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 10 weeks in summer (specific start dates vary by location)
Application Deadline: Applications open August 1 and close October 3 each year
Eligibility: Current college sophomores, juniors, and eligible seniors (those entering a Master's program) | Strong quantitative aptitude required | MS Office proficiency | Open to all majors
Hines' Real Estate Development and Investment (REDI) Internship is a 10-week summer program that gives sophomores and junior students early exposure to commercial real estate investment and development. As a summer analyst, you'll support teams focused on investment management or development by evaluating potential investment opportunities, researching new markets and property types, and assisting with financial analysis and presentation materials. Beyond your day-to-day responsibilities, the program includes lunch-and-learns, property tours, and visits to active development sites that provide additional context on how real estate projects move from planning to execution. Throughout the summer, you'll work with a designated mentor and complete a capstone project, concluding in a final presentation to staff and company leadership.
6. Prologis Summer Internship Program
Location: Multiple U.S. cities including San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, El Segundo/Los Angeles
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | Cohort size varies by location and department
Dates: 10 - 12 weeks in summer (specific dates vary by role)
Application Deadline: Applications typically open in October
Eligibility: Rising sophomores through graduate students | Interest in real estate and relevant field of study
Prologis' Summer Internship Program places undergraduates across teams such as capital deployment, property management, investment management, leasing, financial analysis, and sustainability. Over the course of 10-12 weeks, you'll contribute to meaningful projects that support the company's operations while collaborating with professionals across different business functions. Responsibilities vary by team but may include market and financial analysis, property-related projects, investment research, leasing support, or sustainability initiatives such as energy benchmarking, emissions analysis, and ESG reporting. In addition to project work, interns participate in market tours, leadership seminars, and Q&A sessions that provide a broader understanding of the logistics real estate industry and Prologis' global portfolio.
7. PGIM Real Estate Summer Investment Analyst Program
Location: New York, NY | Chicago, IL |San Francisco, CA | Atlanta, GA | Arlington, VA
Cost/Stipend: Paid | $30 - $35/hour depending on location and role
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective | Rolling review | Early application strongly encouraged
Dates: 10 weeks, June 1 - August 7
Application Deadline: September 1 for next year's application
Eligibility: Minimum GPA of 3.0 required | Enrolled in a bachelor's program graduating between December and May next year | Preferred majors: finance, economics, or real estate | U.S. work authorization required
PGIM Real Estate's Summer Investment Analyst Program places students within investment teams focused on areas such as equity investments, debt originations, and agency lending. Over the course of the 10-week internship, you'll support investment analysis, asset management, and due diligence activities while gaining exposure to a range of commercial real estate property types and investment strategies. Responsibilities may include evaluating potential acquisitions, analyzing property performance, assisting with financial modeling, and contributing to market research and preparing internal reports. Throughout the program, you'll work closely with experienced professionals and receive mentorship that provides insight into how institutional real estate investments are sourced, evaluated, and managed.
8. Cushman & Wakefield Portfolio Services Center Internship Program
Location: New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and other U.S. markets
Cost/Stipend: Paid | $23/hour in some markets (for example, Philadelphia)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective | Cohort size varies by location
Dates: 8 weeks in summer
Application Deadline: Rolling | Check careers.cushmanwakefield.com for current openings
Eligibility: Rising juniors or seniors pursuing a degree in real estate, finance, accounting, economics, or business | Permanent U.S. work authorization required
Cushman & Wakefield's Summer Internship Program places students within teams focused on investment sales, capital services, and tenant representation, where they will contribute to live projects and client-facing deliverables. As an intern, you may assist with financial analysis, market research, creating Excel-based models, and assisting with CRM-related work while collaborating with brokers and analysts on active transactions. The program also includes training through Cushman & Wakefield University, industry seminars, and networking events that help participants strengthen both technical and professional skills. Together, these experiences provide a practical introduction to commercial real estate brokerage and the processes behind advising clients, evaluating opportunities, and executing transactions.
9. Greystar Development Summer Analyst Program
Location: Multiple U.S. cities
Cost/Stipend: Paid | $30/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: June 1 - August 7
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in real estate, finance, business, or related field | Graduating between December and May next year
Greystar's Development Summer Analyst Program is a 10-week internship that provides hands-on exposure to the real estate development process. As a development analyst intern, you'll support active projects through financial modeling, market research, pro forma analysis, and stakeholder presentations while working with internal teams and external partners such as brokers, consultants, and equity partners. The role offers insight into multiple stages of development, from feasibility analysis and project planning to execution and delivery. Beyond project work, interns participate in an Executive Speaker Series, business-unit deep dives, site visits, and networking opportunities with professionals across the organization. The program concludes with a capstone project presentation, giving you the opportunity to showcase your work and key insights to company leaders.
10. Project Destined Commercial Real Estate Virtual Internship
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free | Some cohorts offer a $500 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to students of all majors and class years | Competitive application process
Dates: Multiple cohorts per year; recent spring cohort ran February 9 - March 25 (Mondays and Wednesdays, evenings)
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort | Recent spring deadline was January 30
Eligibility: Open to college students of all majors and class years
Project Destined's CRE Virtual Internship combines commercial real estate training, mentorship, and project-based experience in a flexible seven-week format. Working in a corporate-sponsored team, you'll analyze an active real estate investment opportunity in your local market while learning key concepts in financial modeling, investment analysis, and real estate valuation. Throughout the program, you'll receive guidance from industry professionals and participate in training sessions led by experienced practitioners and academics. The experience concludes in a pitch competition, where teams present their investment recommendations and deal analysis to a panel of real estate professionals, providing an opportunity to apply both technical and presentation skills in a real-world setting.
11. Related Summer Analyst Program
Location: Multiple U.S. offices including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and others
Cost/Stipend: Paid ($45/hour)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: 10 weeks, typically early June - mid-August
Application Deadline: Rolling basis (positions posted as early as August for the following summer)
Eligibility: Current undergraduate juniors pursuing a degree in finance, real estate, or related field | Strong Excel and quantitative skills required | U.S. work authorization
The Related Summer Analyst Program places students within the real estate development team, where they will support projects throughout the entire development lifecycle. As an intern, you may conduct financial analysis and modeling for new investment opportunities, perform due diligence, prepare business plans and financial forecasts, and research market trends by tracking rents, operating costs, sales activity, and competitive supply. You'll also gain exposure to areas such as acquisitions, financing, zoning and government approvals, design, construction, leasing, marketing, and project management while helping teams monitor budgets, construction costs, and project timelines. Beyond project work, the internship features a speaker series, portfolio tours, networking events, and mentorship opportunities designed to deepen your understanding of the real estate industry and help you build professional connections across the firm.
12. Transwestern Trailblazers Internship Program
Location: Multiple U.S. cities (Houston HQ and major markets)
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Summer (typically 8 - 10 weeks)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Undergraduates interested in commercial real estate | Various tracks available
Transwestern's Trailblazers Internship Program offers students the opportunity to explore commercial real estate through one of three tracks: Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, Commercial Property Management, and Investments/Development. Depending on your placement, you may conduct market research, support client and property-related initiatives, assist with investment analysis, or gain exposure to development strategy and asset management. Interns will work alongside experienced professionals on hands-on projects while participating in professional development opportunities and engaging with senior leaders across the organization. Through practical experience and exposure to different areas of the business, the program helps students develop a broader understanding of how commercial real estate projects, properties, and transactions are managed across different business functions.
13. Colliers Mortgage Summer Internship - Debt & Equity
Location: Minneapolis, MN (in-person, Downtown office)
Cost/Stipend: Paid ($20/hour)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: 10 weeks, early June - early to mid-August
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: Current undergraduate or graduate students | Strong interest in commercial real estate finance | Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong analytical skills required | U.S. work authorization
Colliers Mortgage's Summer Internship Program is a 10-week experience that provides hands-on exposure to commercial real estate finance through participation in debt and equity transactions. As an intern, you'll join a specialized team and support activities such as deal origination, due diligence, financial analysis, and client relationship management while developing an understanding of the commercial mortgage banking process. You'll also gain exposure to a variety of capital providers, including agency lenders, banks, life insurance companies, and debt funds. Alongside project work, the program features weekly training sessions led by senior professionals covering topics such as lending, appraisals, affordable housing, public finance, and asset management. Throughout the internship, you'll build technical skills in financial modeling and Excel while contributing to active projects and client deliverables.
14. CBRE Investment Management Americas Internship Program
Location: CBRE Investment Management in Boston, MA | Los Angeles, CA | New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: Paid
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly available
Dates: 10 weeks in summer
Application Deadline: Applications open in the fall for the following summer
Eligibility: Currently enrolled undergraduate student graduating between December and June next year | Preferred majors: finance, real estate, economics, business, accounting, or mathematics | U.S. work authorization required
CBRE Investment Management's Americas Internship Program is a 10-week summer experience that provides undergraduate students with exposure to institutional real estate and infrastructure investing. Depending on your placement, you may work with teams focused on direct or indirect real estate, private infrastructure, listed real assets, client solutions, sustainability, or financial operations. As an intern, you'll contribute to investment analysis, portfolio management activities, research projects, and client reporting while gaining insight into how investment strategies are developed and capital is allocated across global markets. Throughout the program, you'll work alongside investment professionals and develop a broader understanding of the processes behind managing large-scale real estate and infrastructure portfolios.
15. Hines Skyline Scholars Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Free | No cost to participants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open to freshmen and sophomores | Selective application process
Dates: 7 weeks in summer
Application Deadline: April 30, with applications opening in March
Eligibility: Current college freshmen and sophomores; all academic disciplines | No prior real estate experience required | Diverse and underrepresented applicants encouraged.
The Hines Skyline Scholars Program is a seven-week virtual career exploration program designed for freshmen and sophomores interested in commercial real estate. Through a series of virtual sessions, you'll build foundational knowledge of real estate development, investment principles, and the wide range of career paths within the industry, including design, construction, asset management, and capital markets. The program also provides opportunities to connect with Hines professionals and learn from industry leaders through networking and educational events. For students considering a future in commercial real estate, Skyline Scholars offers an accessible introduction to the field while providing a pathway to Hines' Real Estate Development and Investment (REDI) Internship through a guaranteed first-round interview for successful participants.
Summary
This list covers 15 real estate internships for college students, spanning brokerage, development, investment management, and mortgage finance, hosted by major firms including CBRE, JLL, Hines, and Greystar. The strongest disclosed hourly rates come from Related's Summer Analyst Program ($45/hour) and PGIM Real Estate ($30–$35/hour), while several large firms like CBRE and Prologis are paid without disclosing a specific rate. Most programs require rising juniors or seniors with strong Excel skills, but Hines' Skyline Scholars Program and Project Destined stand out as accessible entry points for freshmen, sophomores, or students without prior real estate coursework.
Questions Students Often Ask About These Programs
1. I'm only a freshman or sophomore. Are any of these programs realistic for me right now?
Yes. Hines' Skyline Scholars Program is specifically designed for freshmen and sophomores, requiring no prior real estate experience, and even offers a guaranteed first-round interview for Hines' more advanced REDI Internship if you complete it successfully. Project Destined is also open to students of all class years and majors, making it a strong entry point before you're eligible for the junior and senior-focused analyst programs like Related, PGIM, or Greystar.
2. Several programs, like CBRE and Cushman & Wakefield, focus on brokerage, while others, like Hines and Related, focus on development. How do I know which path fits me better?
Brokerage-focused programs like CBRE's Sales & Brokerage Internship and Cushman & Wakefield's program center on transaction support, client-facing deliverables, and market research tied to active deals, which suits students interested in sales and client relationships. Development-focused programs like Hines' REDI Internship, Greystar's Development Summer Analyst Program, and Related's Summer Analyst Program involve financial modeling, feasibility analysis, and project lifecycle work, which suits students more interested in the technical and planning side of real estate.
3. I want a free or low-cost way to build real estate experience before committing to a full internship. What are my options?
Project Destined is free, with some cohorts offering a $500 stipend, and gives you a genuine investment analysis project culminating in a pitch competition. Ladder Internships is another flexible option, placing you with a startup or nonprofit on a real project rather than requiring the specialized real estate background that firms like Marcus & Millichap or PGIM expect. Both are strong ways to build a credential before applying to the more selective, paid analyst programs.