Cover letter for an internship
An internship cover letter is not judged on experience, because the reader knows you are still learning. It is judged on three things: whether you understand what the team does, whether you can show you have started building the skills they need, and whether you would be easy to work with. Classes, projects, clubs, and part time jobs can answer all three.
Open with the internship and one real reason
Name the internship in your first sentence, then give one honest reason you want this team in particular: a product you use, a project they published, a field you are studying toward. A reason specific to them is worth more than a line about being passionate or hard working.
If someone told you about the role, such as a professor, a career fair recruiter, or an alum, say so in the first paragraph.
Use a class project or club as your proof
Pick the one piece of work closest to what the internship involves and describe it like a job: what the task was, what part was yours, and what came of it. A class project where you cleaned a messy data set is proof for a data internship. Running the social accounts for a student club is proof for a marketing internship.
One example told well beats a list of every course you have taken.
Part time and informal work count
A job in a restaurant, a store, or a campus office shows that you turn up on time, deal with people, and handle responsibility. Say what you did and what it taught you that applies here, in a sentence or two.
You do not need to apologize for a job that seems unrelated. Reliability is one of the things an internship manager most wants to know about.
Show you want to learn, specifically
Internships exist so people can learn, and saying what you hope to learn is expected. Make it specific: how a team tests a product before launch, how an audit is planned, how a newsroom decides what runs. A specific interest shows you have looked at what the team actually does.
Keep it to one or two sentences, and pair it with what you will bring.
Keep it to one page and match the posting
Three or four short paragraphs are enough. Use the posting's words where they are true for you, and mention the dates you are available. Raise course credit only if the posting asks about it.
Read it aloud before sending. Check the company name, the internship title, and the hiring manager's name, because small errors stand out most in a short letter.
Write a cover letter for an internship
Find one real reason
Something specific to this team, not a general passion.
Choose your best proof
The class project, club role, or job closest to the internship.
Describe it like a job
The task, your part, and what came of it.
Say what you want to learn
One specific sentence, plus your available dates.
Check names and send
Company, internship title, and the manager's name.
Internship cover letter template and example
Copy the template and replace every bracketed part. The examples are for invented students, people, and companies. Every detail in them is invented, so write yours from your own classes and work.
Template
Subject: [Internship title] application, [Your Name]
Dear [Hiring manager's name, or Hiring Team], I am applying for the [Internship title] at [Company]. [One honest reason you want this team in particular, and who referred you if anyone did.] [Proof: the class project, club role, or job closest to this internship. What the task was, what part was yours, and what came of it.] [What you would like to learn on this team, in one specific sentence, and the dates you are available.] Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to talk about the internship. Sincerely, [Your Name] [email] | [phone]
Filled example (invented)
Subject: Marketing Intern application, Alex Kim
Dear Hiring Team, I am applying for the Summer Marketing Intern role at Example Outdoor Goods. Your short trail safety videos are the reason I started filming hikes for my club, and the posting's focus on video is the work I want to learn. This year I ran the social accounts for my university's hiking club. I planned a weekly posting calendar, filmed short trail clips on my phone, and kept a simple spreadsheet of which posts brought new members to our meetings. I would like to learn how a marketing team plans a seasonal campaign from brief to launch. I am available from June through August. Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to talk about the internship. Sincerely, Alex Kim alex.kim@example.com
Filled example: software engineering intern (invented)
Subject: Software Engineering Intern application, Sam Ortiz
Dear Hiring Team, I am applying for the Software Engineering Intern role at Example Health Apps. My professor, Dr. Lee, suggested I apply after I asked her about teams that build tools for clinics, and your appointment reminder app is one my family uses. In my data structures class I built a small web app with two classmates that lets students book study rooms. I wrote the booking logic and the tests for it, and when two people booked the same room at once, I found the bug and fixed it before our demo. Outside class I work at the campus help desk, where I have learned to explain a problem calmly to someone who is frustrated. On your team I would like to learn how a product is tested before it reaches real clinics. I am available from June through August, full time. Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to talk about the role. Sincerely, Sam Ortiz sam.ortiz@example.com
Filled example: finance intern, met at a career fair (invented)
Subject: Finance Intern application, Taylor Brooks
Dear Ms. Patel, Thank you for speaking with me at the career fair on Thursday about the Finance Intern role at Example Manufacturing. Hearing that interns help with the monthly close made me want to apply, because that is the part of accounting I enjoy most in class. As treasurer of my university's investment club, I keep our spending in a shared spreadsheet and reconcile it against the bank statement each month. Last semester I found a payment we had recorded twice and fixed it before our report to the student government. I also work part time at a grocery store, where I balance a register at the end of every shift. I would like to learn how a finance team plans and checks the month end close. I am available for the summer and can work in the office. Thank you again for your time at the fair. I would welcome the chance to continue our conversation. Sincerely, Taylor Brooks taylor.brooks@example.com
Related reading
Questions
- What do I write in an internship cover letter with no experience?
- Use a class project, club role, volunteer work, or part time job as your proof, and describe what you did and what came of it. Internship readers expect you to be early in your career.
- How long should an internship cover letter be?
- Three or four short paragraphs on one page. A short, specific letter is easier to read than a long general one.
- Should I say what I want to learn?
- Yes. Internships are meant for learning, and a specific interest shows you understand what the team does. Pair it with what you will bring.
Where ApplyASAP fits
When you are applying to many internships at once, ApplyASAP can tailor your resume to each posting and submit the applications for you.
ApplyASAP is one option when you want the sending done for you. It finds openings for the titles and places you name, tailors your resume to each posting, and does not invent employers, dates, degrees, titles, numbers, certifications, or people you managed. It answers the application questions, and the team sends and tracks each application. Skills it adds are ones your role and level usually carry, and you can take any of them off. The resume still has to be true.
Want to see how one resume lines up with one posting? Try the free resume keyword checker. It runs in your browser and saves nothing.