Arizona State University has partnered with Extern to help students gain real-world, resume-ready professional experience
ASU students can join mentored, project-based externships with companies they already recognize. Spring projects start in February 2027, once the semester is underway.
Why this matters
The entry-level job market has changed. Employers expect experience before they will offer it, and summer internships are competitive and limited. ASU and Extern are working together so students can build real experience during the semester, before internship season, not instead of it.
Through this partnership, ASU students work on real projects mentored by senior professionals at companies like Amazon, Pfizer, TikTok, Pinterest and Beats by Dre. Externships are fully remote and built around a student schedule, so they fit alongside classes and work. There is no GPA gate and no major gate.
Externship or internship?
An externship is a short, remote work project with a real company. You do the kind of work an intern or entry-level hire does, on a schedule that fits around your classes. It does not replace an internship. It gives you the experience, the portfolio and the interview stories that make you a stronger internship candidate.
| Extern externship | Traditional internship | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Fully remote, project based, guided by company mentors | Usually on site or hybrid, a part-time or full-time role |
| Time | About 5 to 10 hours a week, mostly self paced | Typically 20 to 40 hours a week |
| Length | 6 to 11 weeks | Usually 10 to 12 weeks, often summer only |
| When | During the semester, alongside classes | Mostly summer, set by employer recruiting cycles |
| Getting in | No GPA, major or prior experience requirement | Competitive applications and interviews, often months ahead |
| You leave with | Portfolio deliverables and a verified Extern award | Work experience and an employer reference |
How Are Externships Different Than Internships?
These virtual, fully remote projects are designed to fit your schedule and can be completed from anywhere. The experience includes guided online modules aligned with the project work, along with live sessions hosted by participating companies throughout the externship.
Projects are available across multiple industries and career areas, allowing students to build both soft and hard skills relevant to current workforce needs. Example projects include sustainability consulting engagements, venture capital investment memos, and game design.
Externships are typically 8–12 weeks in length and involve an estimated 5–10 hours of work per week. Participation is open to all eligible students regardless of GPA, major, or prior experience.
I'm an ASU student. How do I get access?
ASU's spring semester starts around January 11. To give you time to settle into classes, the recommended start dates are in February 2027. 21 projects start between February 1 and February 22.
Step 1: Register your interest. Fill out the ASU interest form. Tell us your major, your expected graduation term, and whether you still plan to do an internship before you graduate. Students who still have time for an internship afterward are the priority for this spring pilot.
Step 2: Watch for your invitation. Selected students get an email from Extern with instructions to set up an account.
Step 3: Pick your February project. Choose the externship that matches your career path, skills and schedule, and enroll. Once you are in, there is no second application.
Step 4: Build your proof of work. Join the live sessions, complete your deliverables, and finish with a portfolio piece and a verified award for your resume and LinkedIn.
Spring 2027 projects starting in February
| Starts | Company and project | Area | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1 | Amazon Fulfillment Center Operational Strategy & People Analytics | Business Operations & Consulting | 8 weeks |
| Feb 1 | HP Tech Ventures Venture Capital: Deal Sourcing & Startup Analysis | Finance & Venture Capital | 8 weeks |
| Feb 1 | Hydroficient Advanced: IoT Cyber Defense | Cybersecurity | 8 weeks |
| Feb 1 | TikTok Social Media Content & Brand Strategy | Marketing | 6 weeks |
| Feb 1 | Yinan Zhao Investing & Financial Modeling | Finance & Venture Capital | 11 weeks |
| Feb 8 | Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis & Strategy | Data | 10 weeks |
| Feb 8 | Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights & Data Extraction | AI Automation | 10 weeks |
| Feb 8 | Pinterest Gen Z Consumer Behavior | Marketing | 6 weeks |
| Feb 8 | TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics | Data | 8 weeks |
| Feb 8 | Wayfair n8n AI Agent Engineering | AI Automation | 8 weeks |
| Feb 15 | Beats by Dre Creative Advertising Strategy | Marketing | 6 weeks |
| Feb 15 | Center for Improving Youth Justice Data Analytics | Data | 8 weeks |
| Feb 15 | vCISO Security Risk Assessment | Cybersecurity | 8 weeks |
| Feb 22 | ARCeH Data Analytics, Health Outcomes | Data | 8 weeks |
| Feb 22 | Attronica Financial Planning & Analysis and Private Company Valuation | Finance & Venture Capital | 8 weeks |
| Feb 22 | BeReal Product Management | Product Management & Design | 8 weeks |
| Feb 22 | Breaking Games SQL & Database Architecture | Data | 8 weeks |
| Feb 22 | Health-Ade (Generous Brands) Consumer Behavior & Insights | Marketing | 6 weeks |
| Feb 22 | Institute of Mental Health Healthcare Operations & Consulting | Business Operations & Consulting | 6 weeks |
| Feb 22 | Khan Academy Monetization Strategy & Partnerships | Business Operations & Consulting | 7 weeks |
| Feb 22 | Mangusta Capital Deal Sourcing & Startup Analysis | Finance & Venture Capital | 8 weeks |
Most projects also run a January cohort for students who want to start earlier. Dates are confirmed before launch.
What’s Waiting For You
Put the experience on your resume with big brand names you can point to and experience you can speak to in an interview.
Meet industry professionals and collaborate with peers from all around the world.
Learn through application the most in-demand tools and skills employers are looking for.
Showcase your project deliverables so you can show your peers and recruiters the experience you now have.
Extern will verify your experience if you meet the requirements of completion and act as a reference for recruiters.
Gain confidence as you learn about what actual projects look like in the real world and be more sure of the career you want to pursue.
Extern by the Numbers
Backed by data, powered by mentorship, loved by students.
Students Served — and growing fast
of externs get hired within 12 months
universities where students are externs
Pick a community anywhere in the world. Find the public health data. Figure out what is actually driving childhood mortality there, and build the brief that could change how people respond.
Finance is changing. Learn to use AI to analyze real financials, benchmark performance, and build an exec-level financial memo.
Design + prototype the next big social app feature Gen Z actually wants. Build real UI/UX and product management experience with Canva, analyzing user insights, and pitching your final feature concept—all with BeReal.
A shopper buys kombucha Tuesday, a smoothie Friday. A $1B beverage brand can't explain why. Build the real survey and find the insights that can.
Redesign mental health care from the inside out. Map workflows, spot risks, and build tools to make patient care safer, smarter, and more human.
Scout Vertical AI startups for a SoftBank-pedigreed VC fund — sourcing deals, analyzing founders, writing investment memos.
100M people a year learn free on Khan Academy. Someone pays for that. Use AI to source and pitch the deals that fund it next.
Work with Amazon to analyze employee feedback, uncover patterns with Python + sentiment analysis, and deliver insights that drive ops strategy. Big-name experience. Real-world skills. Built for future analysts, consultants & strategists.
Turn six messy CSVs into an analytics database and a Q4 dashboard that drives real business decisions. SQL + Claude.
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Learn how VCs spot the next big tech startup. In this externship, you’ll discover how to find and evaluate early-stage companies, analyze markets, and create compelling investment memos. Perfect for those curious about startups or investing.
Build, hack, and defend real IoT infrastructure, then hand your security playbook to an actual company. You’ll launch realistic cyberattacks - from spoofing and replay to unauthorized shutoffs, and implement defenses like TLS and mTLS.
14 hours. Evaluate any company like an insider. Walk out with the portfolio to prove it + an endorsement from Eric Ries.
Dive into the fundamentals of equity research and financial modeling. Analyze a real public tech company, assess risk and competitive position, build valuation models, and present a full investment memo and pitch to an industry panel.
Build AI-powered document intelligence with Pfizer, automating healthcare and clinical supply documents using OCR, LLMs, and RAG
Build AI agents (no coding needed), and stand out in the job market. This externship gives you hands-on experience with real data, automation, and in-demand tools like n8n. Finish with a live AI dashboard and a portfolio-ready project.
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What if the real drivers of health have nothing to do with doctors or medicine? Define a research question, analyze public data with Python, and share your insights using AI. A résumé-popping mix of health, data, and strategy.
Design a real consumer survey, analyze Gen Z Pinterest behavior, and pitch advertising opportunities to Pinterest's sales team.
Trace shoppers from first ad to checkout using Breaking Games' real Meta Ads, Google Analytics, and Shopify data.
Make real TikToks and a paid-social ad concept to relaunch Breaking Games' TikTok, with feedback from a pro creator.
