User Experience Design Internships
User experience design internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience, mentorship from working UX designers, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Demand is strong across {{top_industries_phrase}}, with Google, Allegion, and Axos Bank among the employers posting roles now.
Find User Experience Design InternshipsOverview
Showing 5 of 36+ User Experience Design Internships
Job Summary
We are seeking a talented and motivated Student User Experience Researcher to join our team as an intern. The ideal candidate will have a passion for uncovering insights to influence the design of intuitive and engaging user experiences and a drive to learn and grow in the field of UX design.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with the UX design team on various projects to create research goals, testing plans, and scenarios to uncover insights to move designs forward
- Conduct in-person user research to gather insights and inform design decisions
- Help define and refine design processes and methodologies
- Work with cross-functional teams to ensure that the design solutions meet business and user needs
- Document and organize research findings in our central repository
- Stay current with industry trends and best practices in UX
Requirements
- Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in design, human-computer interaction, or a related field at Purdue University West Lafayette, with a graduation date after December 2027
- Ability to work 30+ hours per week through summer and 15-20 hours per week during fall and spring semesters
- Strong portfolio that demonstrates proven skills in UX research, such as writing usability test scripts, scheduling with users, and administering interviews/usability tests
- Proficiency in Figma or other similar design tools (We use Figma!)
- Good understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- A passion for creating great user experiences
This position will start in January 2027 and last through the summer, with an opportunity to continue into the fall semester. The intern will receive a competitive hourly wage, as well as opportunities for skill development and professional growth.
About Our Team
Vision: Establish Purdue IT as a benchmark in user-centric design practices within higher education.
Mission: Elevate the user experience at Purdue IT by enhancing the usability of existing platforms, developing innovative solutions, and applying thorough user discovery and research.
Values:
- Empathy: Cultivate empathy for users by seeking to understand their backgrounds, challenges, and motivations. Put yourself in their shoes to better anticipate their needs and design solutions that resonate with them emotionally and functionally.
- Curiosity: Enhance empathy by encouraging UX professionals to step into users' shoes and understand their perspectives more deeply. Curious designers ask questions, actively listen to user feedback, and strive to empathize with users' experiences and emotions to create more meaningful and impactful designs.
- Collaboration: Embrace a collaborative mindset by working closely with cross-functional teams, including designers, developers, product managers, and stakeholders. Value diverse perspectives and contributions, recognizing that great user experiences are the result of collective effort.
- Integrity: Uphold high ethical standards in all aspects of UX work, including respecting user privacy, ensuring data security, and being transparent about design decisions. Act with integrity and honesty in all interactions with users and stakeholders.
- Continuous Improvement and Learning: Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement, staying abreast of emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in UX design. Encourage team members to seek out opportunities for professional development and skill enhancement.
Education
Experience
FLSA Status
Job Summary
We are seeking a talented and motivated Student User Experience Researcher to join our team as an intern. The ideal candidate will have a passion for uncovering insights to influence the design of intuitive and engaging user experiences and a drive to learn and grow in the field of UX design.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with the UX design team on various projects to create research goals, testing plans, and scenarios to uncover insights to move designs forward
- Conduct in-person user research to gather insights and inform design decisions
- Help define and refine design processes and methodologies
- Work with cross-functional teams to ensure that the design solutions meet business and user needs
- Document and organize research findings in our central repository
- Stay current with industry trends and best practices in UX
Requirements
- Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in design, human-computer interaction, or a related field at Purdue University West Lafayette, with a graduation date after December 2027
- Ability to work 30+ hours per week through summer and 15-20 hours per week during fall and spring semesters
- Strong portfolio that demonstrates proven skills in UX research, such as writing usability test scripts, scheduling with users, and administering interviews/usability tests
- Proficiency in Figma or other similar design tools (We use Figma!)
- Good understanding of user-centered design principles and methodologies
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- A passion for creating great user experiences
This position will start in January 2027 and last through the summer, with an opportunity to continue into the fall semester. The intern will receive a competitive hourly wage, as well as opportunities for skill development and professional growth.
About Our Team
Vision: Establish Purdue IT as a benchmark in user-centric design practices within higher education.
Mission: Elevate the user experience at Purdue IT by enhancing the usability of existing platforms, developing innovative solutions, and applying thorough user discovery and research.
Values:
- Empathy: Cultivate empathy for users by seeking to understand their backgrounds, challenges, and motivations. Put yourself in their shoes to better anticipate their needs and design solutions that resonate with them emotionally and functionally.
- Curiosity: Enhance empathy by encouraging UX professionals to step into users' shoes and understand their perspectives more deeply. Curious designers ask questions, actively listen to user feedback, and strive to empathize with users' experiences and emotions to create more meaningful and impactful designs.
- Collaboration: Embrace a collaborative mindset by working closely with cross-functional teams, including designers, developers, product managers, and stakeholders. Value diverse perspectives and contributions, recognizing that great user experiences are the result of collective effort.
- Integrity: Uphold high ethical standards in all aspects of UX work, including respecting user privacy, ensuring data security, and being transparent about design decisions. Act with integrity and honesty in all interactions with users and stakeholders.
- Continuous Improvement and Learning: Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement, staying abreast of emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in UX design. Encourage team members to seek out opportunities for professional development and skill enhancement.
Education
Experience
FLSA Status
User Experience Design Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Tips for Your User Experience Design Internship Search
Apply months before the internship starts
Large employers, particularly in tech and consumer products, open summer UX internship applications in the fall, often before October. If you wait until spring, many structured cohorts are already closed. Smaller companies and co-ops post closer to their start dates, so set a recurring reminder to check listings throughout the year.
Build your portfolio before you apply
UX intern hiring teams assess candidates through portfolio work, not resumes. Have at least two or three case studies online before you submit a single application. Each case study should show your process, the tools you used, such as Figma, Miro, or UserTesting, and the outcome, with a link recruiters can click directly from your resume.
Combine campus fairs with direct applications
Campus career fairs often surface structured UX internship programs tied specifically to your university, and recruiters there can move faster for students they meet in person. Your professors and career center advisors may also know which employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. Applying directly to companies running smaller cohorts alongside campus activity widens your reach.
Practice your portfolio walkthrough out loud
UX intern interviews almost always include a portfolio review where you walk through one or two projects and explain your design decisions. Practice presenting each case study out loud before your screen, articulating not just what you built but why you made each choice. Interviewers weigh your reasoning process as heavily as the final design.
Target structured UX internship programs early
Many large technology and consumer companies run formal UX or design internship cohorts built specifically to develop early-career designers. These programs include mentorship, structured project assignments, and intern events. They recruit months ahead of their start date and fill quickly, so identify the programs that interest you and apply in the first wave of their cycle.
Set your work-type filter before you start
On-site roles are 0% of the user experience design internships listed here. Decide what you can realistically commit to before you start applying, then filter by location and work type on Migrate Mate so you are only reviewing roles you can actually accept. Sorting through on-site postings when you need remote wastes time you could spend on applications.
User Experience Design Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a user experience design internship?
Lead with your portfolio, not your work history, since hiring teams for UX internships expect limited professional experience. A portfolio showing two or three end-to-end case studies, complete with research methods, wireframes, and final mockups, gives recruiters something concrete to evaluate. Apply directly through company career pages and attend campus career fairs, where UX recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can a user experience design internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong UX interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. What drives it is the quality of your work on real projects, available headcount on the team at the end of your term, and how early you signal interest in returning. Treat every project as a job audition, without counting on an offer to materialize.
When should I apply for user experience design internships?
Earlier than most students expect. Large tech and consumer companies open summer UX internship applications the preceding fall, sometimes as early as August or September. Smaller agencies, startups, and co-op programs post closer to their actual start dates, so openings appear year-round. Checking listings regularly and applying as soon as a role appears gives you a real advantage.
Are user experience design internships paid?
Most professional user experience design internships in the United States are paid. Compensation varies by company size, industry, and location, and the gap between a large tech company and a small nonprofit can be substantial. Where an employer discloses pay, it appears directly in the listing, so you can compare across roles before you apply.
What should a user experience design internship resume include?
Lead with two or three projects rather than work history. For each, name the design tools you used, such as Figma or Sketch, describe the problem you solved, and link to the case study or portfolio piece so a recruiter can review the actual work. Add relevant coursework in human-computer interaction, visual design, or research methods. Keep the whole document to one page.
Are there remote user experience design internships?
Yes. Remote and hybrid roles make up 100% of the user experience design internship listings here, with the rest on-site. Remote UX cohorts fill fast because they draw applicants nationally, so apply early once you decide what works for you. Use the work-type filter to see only the format you can commit to.
What is a UX Research internship, and how does it differ from a general UX design internship?
A UX research internship focuses specifically on user interviews, usability studies, survey design, and synthesizing findings into actionable insights, rather than producing wireframes or visual deliverables. These roles are common at larger companies with dedicated research teams. They recruit on roughly the same timeline as design internships and are competitive, so apply early with a portfolio that highlights research artifacts like study plans, affinity maps, and insight reports.
Can international students get user experience design internships?
Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.
See All 36 User Experience Design Internship Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find User Experience Design Internships