Early Access to Paid Internships Program (EAPIP)
EAPIP
The College of Engineering is pleased to announce updates to our signature internship program, formerly known as the Guaranteed Paid Internship Program (GPIP).
The goal of the program, Early Access to Paid Internships Program, is to continue helping students gain internship experience early in their college career. According to Handshake and the Business-Higher Education Forum, junior year is the most common year to complete an internship; therefore, an internship completed in freshman or sophomore year is considered an early internship.
Students who meet the requirements will be granted access to an exclusive internship database, where faculty and other supervisors will recruit for on-campus internships. Students will need to apply with a resume and interview for these internships.
Eligibility Requirements
eapip
- Maintain a UIC GPA of 3.2 or greater for each semester at UIC up until your internship starts. Note: A cumulative GPA of 3.2 does not qualify you if you earned under a 3.2 in any semester. We will be using only your UIC GPA, not a transfer GPA.
- Must be in good academic standing at the time of application and when your internship starts.
- Direct acceptance into the College of Engineering and registration as a full-time, degree-seeking student.
- Must commit to return to the UIC College of Engineering for the academic year following your internship.
- You must be eligible for on-campus student employment. This includes U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or those who can otherwise obtain permission to work lawfully in the United States. International students on the F-1 student visa are eligible.
- If a student chooses to participate in an off-campus internship that they have secured on their own, they will not be eligible for an internship with EAPIP.
- Complete mandatory surveys and questionnaires by key deadlines that will occur throughout the academic year. This includes reading your UIC email and responding to emails from program administrators in a timely manner and participating in the EAPIP recruitment process (applying for individual internship postings, interviewing, etc.)
- Attend a mandatory orientation session at the end of the Spring semester, before internships start. Exact dates will be announced with plenty of notice. Multiple dates and times will be offered.
- Students who previously applied for the former Guaranteed Paid Internship Program (GPIP) program will not be eligible to apply for EAPIP. If you are a continuing transfer student who applied for GPIP before Fall 2025, you received an email regarding your program status. Reach out to eapip@uic.edu if you have any questions.
Fall 2026
Must meet all requirements listed in the previous section, plus:
- Complete no more than two full-time consecutive semesters enrolled in the College of Engineering as a degree-seeking student before applying to the program. (i.e. apply during Fall semester of your second year at UIC Engineering)
Please note that, for students starting at UIC Engineering in Fall 2026, not all who apply for EAPIP will obtain a internship. Students will enter a competitive recruitment process to interview for the available internships.
Frequently Asked Questions
guaranteed
For Academic Year 2025-2026, new freshmen and transfer students will be eligible to apply for the Summer 2026 program, but not all will get an internship in Summer 2026. Those from this cohort who do not get an internship in Summer 2026 will be eligible to reapply in Academic Year 2026-2027 for Summer 2027 internships as long as they continue to meet program requirements.
Students starting at UIC Engineering in Academic Year 2026-2027 and later will have just one opportunity to apply in their sophomore year (once they’ve completed two full-time consecutive semesters at UIC Engineering), and all who apply may not obtain an internship through the program.
defer
No. Students who receive an internship offer for Summer 2026 may not voluntarily delay their internship for any reason. If you do not complete the mandatory steps during Spring 2026 semester to obtain an internship, or if you do not accept an offer you received, you are forfeiting your spot in the program.
major
No, major-specific courses are not required. Maintaining a 3.2 GPA each semester that you are in the program is required.
located
All program-sponsored internships will be on campus in research labs or other campus departments. Students in the program will also receive career development guidance to help them find internships off-campus. All students are encouraged to apply for off-campus internships simultaneously with their application for EAPIP. If a student does secure an off-campus internship, they will not be eligible for an on-campus internship through EAPIP.
classes
If you decide to take classes over the summer and plan to work as an EAPIP intern at the same time, you will have to get your schedule approved by your internship supervisor. Some supervisors may not be able to grant the flexibility you need to attend summer classes.
Due to the condensed nature of the Summer academic calendar, past internship participants found that it was difficult to balance summer classes at UIC while participating in an internship.
deadlines
See this detailed program timeline below for approximate dates. More specific dates and deadlines will be communication via UIC email to all program applicants.
length
EAPIP interns may work up to 256 hours during the course of their internship. Students cannot accrue overtime, so you cannot work more than 8 hours in one day, or more than 40 hours in one week. It is up to the student and supervisor to track the total number of hours worked and not exceed 256 for the summer. Those who obtain an internship can expect the internship to last 8-10 weeks.
start
June 1, 2026 – August 7, 2026
Are there separate requirements for freshmen and transfer students?
No, there will no longer be separate requirements for these two groups. All new freshmen and transfer students will be held to the same requirements and will be eligible for internships on the same timeline.
pay
The pay rate is $17/hour.
Additional Questions?
Email us at eapip@uic.edu. Staff will reply to you within two to three business days, excluding University Holidays.
Program Timeline for Summer 2026
deadlines
Early to mid-January 2026
Students receive an email invitation with reminders to apply for the program through the Gradleaders platform. Only new freshmen and transfer students who meet the GPA requirement will receive the invitation to apply.
Faculty/supervisors post internship descriptions on Gradleaders.
End of January 2026
Engineering Career Center (ECC) reviews and approves select internship descriptions.
ECC communicates with students regarding the next steps.
Beginning of February 2026
Students apply for roles through Gradleaders.
Mid-February through March 2026
Faculty/supervisors review applicants’ resumes and interview students.
Early April 2026
Faculty/supervisors must make offers to their selected interns and wait for a response (exact deadline date TBA).
Students must submit their acceptance for their selected internship (exact date TBA).
April 15 – May 31
College of Engineering Human Resources starts the onboarding process with interns.
ECC conducts mandatory orientation sessions for students who have accepted an internship.
June 1
First day an internship can start.
August 7
Last day an intern can work.