The ARU Internship Scheme

At ARU we help businesses source student interns throughout the year. During spring and summer we are able to offer a number of match funded* opportunities to assist with the cost of recruiting an intern.

Building on years of successful programmes to connect businesses with exceptional student talent, this initiative is match-funded by ARU, offering the chance to bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to business projects whilst providing students with invaluable real-world experience and the opportunity to earn as they learn.

Scheme highlights

• Access top talent: our skilled undergraduate students are ready to make a difference in your business.
• Support your growth: get an extra pair of hands to assist with specific projects and help drive your business forward.
• Build a talent pipeline: identify future graduate hires and develop relationships with the next generation of professionals.
• Hassle-free recruitment: access a fully managed recruitment service including proactive promotion of vacancies, CV shortlisting, interview arrangement, pre-employment checks, payroll processing, and ongoing support throughout the internship.

The ARU Internship Scheme 2026 is designed to make hiring simple, low-risk, and highly impactful for your business. Read what our 2025 internship partners have to say about the programme:

“The internship was a big success and the worst thing was that it has to come to an end. We would definitely recommend this service for any organisation.” - Chris Cooke, The Micron Group

“At times, it felt more like we had hired a specialist consultant than an intern”’ - Jon Hardman, Gateway Qualifications

“We were so impressed by the process and quality of candidates that we took on two interns” - Luke Browning, Xampla Limited

“The project was very successful, and the interns completed their work to a high level. We have already recommended the service to other organisations!” - Adam Derham, Essex County Council (Sustainability)

Key information

• Ten-week term
• First five weeks fully funded by ARU
• £13.45 p/h pay rate
• ARU undergraduate student candidates
• Open to all business sectors
• Spring – part-time hours (20 hours per week)
• Summer – full-time hours (37 hours per week)
• Spring interns start work from March 2026
• Summer interns start work from May 2026
• Spring – internship form deadline 6 February 2026
• Summer – internship form deadline 20 March 2026

Example projects

• Digital media and marketing
• IT infrastructure support and cybersecurity
• Big data research and analysis
• Legal and compliance
• People, HR and corporate culture
• Sustainability
• Health and wellbeing
• Architecture
• Engineering

Funding

ARU will fund the first five weeks of a ten-week internship term with the client covering the cost of the remaining term.

To give you a sense of the prospective costs to your organisation:

Part-time (20 hours per week)
£13.45 per hour pay rate
£20.04 + VAT charge rate*
Weekly £400.80 + VAT
Internship term £2,004 + VAT

Full-time (37 hours per week)
£13.45 per hour pay rate
£20.04 + VAT charge rate*
Weekly £741.48 + VAT
Internship term £3,707.40 + VAT

*Charges include NI contributions, holiday allowance, pension contributions plus a small admin fee. Please note that AWR (Agency Worker Regulations) apply if the temp is in post beyond 12 weeks, at which point they will need to be paid the same rate and annual leave as a comparable role within the company and therefore the charge may increase.

ARU funding must cease strictly on Friday 31 July 2026.

How to apply for an ARU student intern

Complete the ARU Internship Form and Terms of Business and return to [email protected].

• Spring internship form
• Summer internship form
• Terms of Business
• Internship Scheme information document

Please note:

• Internship funding is limited so all projects will be assessed after the application deadline dates and selected to ensure a breadth of variety across our courses.
• If your project is not selected in the first round, it will be placed on a waiting list for any additional funding.
• Marketing, digital marketing and social media related skills are high in demand making funding for a relevant project incredibly competitive. To set your application apart, make sure you highlight unique elements such as particular role responsibilities and/or learning outcomes.
• Accessible internships offering remote or hybrid working, or based in close proximity to our campuses, receive higher rates of applications and therefore are easiest to find a match between student and business.

We look forward to receiving your forms! If you would like to arrange a time to chat on the phone or have a Teams call, please let us know. Email [email protected].