National Instruments (NI) Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Pay & How to Apply

Quick Facts

Last updated: October 2026

National Instruments built the test-and-measurement software that runs in every engineering lab on earth, from LabVIEW to PXI to CompactDAQ. In October 2023 Emerson Electric acquired NI for $8.2 billion, folding its roughly 7,000 employees into a $18-billion industrial technology conglomerate. The NI brand still ships products, but the careers page now redirects to Emerson's Oracle ATS. You apply during fall 2026, you intern in summer 2027, and the NI-division postings are already live: as of September 28, 2026, Emerson's portal lists Austin Test & Measurement intern roles posted September 9 to 23 (Mechanical Engineering Internship, Summer 2027; Software Engineering; Applications Engineer; Test Engineering; Analytics Engineering). Emerson's prior cycle closed on a 7 January deadline.

What Is a National Instruments (NI) Internship?

A National Instruments internship is a paid, full-time, 10–12 week placement on an engineering team that builds the software and hardware used to automate testing across virtually every industry: semiconductors, aerospace, automotive, academic research, and life sciences. Interns write production code in LabVIEW, C/C++, or Python, design PXI modules, build automated test systems, and present project reviews to senior engineers. NI was founded in 1976 in Austin, Texas and generated $1.66 billion in revenue in 2022 before its acquisition by Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR) for $8.2 billion in October 2023. Under Emerson's roughly 71,000-employee umbrella, NI retains its product lines and Austin campus while gaining access to a broader industrial automation ecosystem. Glassdoor ratings hover around 4.0 out of 5 historically.

When Do National Instruments (NI) Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

NI's internship calendar now follows Emerson's corporate recruiting cycle. For summer 2027, the first NI-division postings appeared on Emerson's Oracle ATS on September 9 to 23, 2026, with interviews running through winter and offers extending on a rolling basis into spring 2027. Because review is rolling, a LabVIEW project, a CLAD certification and test-and-measurement engineering work on your resume matter now, not later in the season. The pattern: postings appear in fall, the online assessment and interviews run through winter, and offers land by early spring.

How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.

Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open

Rolling review under Emerson's system means the earliest complete applications face the most open seats. NI's test-and-measurement niche is small but deep: only 50–100 intern postings appear across NI, Keysight, Tektronix, and Rohde & Schwarz each cycle, and the specialized skill requirements (LabVIEW, PXI, embedded C) filter out most generalist applicants. That scarcity works in your favor if you apply early with the right credentials, but it also means that once seats fill, there are no overflow positions. The Emerson acquisition added lateral opportunity: strong NI interns may be considered for adjacent roles in industrial automation, process control, and IoT within Emerson's 71,000-person platform. Set an alert on the Emerson ATS and submit within the first two weeks of postings going live.

Which National Instruments (NI) Internship Programs Should You Target?

NI runs internships across software engineering, hardware design, test engineering, and business functions. Under Emerson, the NI division retains its product-focused teams: LabVIEW development, PXI modular instruments, CompactDAQ/CompactRIO, and automated test platforms. The track you target should match the skills you can already evidence, because the online assessment and technical interview will probe domain-specific knowledge in C/C++, embedded systems, or graphical programming depending on the role.

See all open roles at the Emerson Oracle ATS. Note the LabVIEW tilt: NI’s graphical programming platform remains the company’s core product, and familiarity with it is a differentiator for software and applications roles.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

NI/Emerson's intern requirements combine standard academic criteria with domain-specific preferences:

• Enrollment: currently pursuing a B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related STEM field.

• Return-to-school requirement: must return to school for at least one semester or quarter after the internship concludes. This distinguishes the intern track from the new-grad track.

• Work authorization: many Emerson US intern roles require work authorization without sponsorship. Students on CPT may still be eligible since CPT does not require employer sponsorship. NI historically sponsored H-1B for full-time engineering roles post-graduation.

• Technical preferences: familiarity with C/C++, LabVIEW, or embedded systems is strongly preferred for engineering tracks. CLAD (Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer) certification is a notable differentiator.

Does NI/Emerson Have a GPA Cutoff?

No published minimum GPA exists for NI specifically. Under Emerson's umbrella, intern roles generally use a 2.75–3.0 minimum threshold. A GPA of 3.0 or higher combined with strong relevant projects in LabVIEW, embedded systems, automated test, or signal processing is competitive. Project work and CLAD certification carry more weight than a decimal point on your transcript.

What Skills Does National Instruments (NI) Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Read across NI software engineering intern job descriptions and the product requirements for LabVIEW, PXI, and CompactRIO, and the skill pattern is distinctive. C/C++ programming is the foundation: NI's instrument drivers and runtime software are written in C/C++, and the online assessment tests it directly. Data structures and algorithms are table stakes for the coding rounds. LabVIEW graphical programming is the differentiator that separates NI from generic SDE roles. Digital logic and embedded systems knowledge matters because NI's hardware products bridge software and physical instruments. Python rounds out the stack as the scripting layer for test automation and data analysis.

How Is Demand for Test & Measurement Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

And every skill in that chart maps to a remote Externship where you finish a real project before a role opens.

How close is the overlap? The Wayfair project is agent-engineering work that yields the algorithm-design and system-architecture evidence NI's OA and technical interviews probe for, and the Hydroficient project hands you an IoT-and-embedded story that maps directly to CompactRIO and PXI instrument work.

What Is the National Instruments (NI) Application and Interview Process Like?

NI's interview funnel (now administered under Emerson) is a 3-round process that typically completes in 3 to 4 weeks:

1. Apply on the Emerson Oracle ATS. Search for "Test & Measurement," "NI," or "LabVIEW" under the student/intern job category. Apply within the first two weeks of postings going live for the best odds.

2. Online Assessment (OA). Approximately 20 multiple-choice questions on C/C++ fundamentals (pointers, memory management, OOP concepts) plus 2 data structure and algorithm coding problems. Timed. Focus on arrays, strings, trees, and graph traversal.

3. Technical Interview. A live session with an NI engineer covering system design, coding ability, and domain-specific knowledge. Expect questions about signal processing, instrument control, or test automation depending on the track. Showing your thought process matters as much as the final answer.

4. HR Behavioral Round. Standard behavioral interview using STAR methodology. Questions about teamwork, handling ambiguity, and why you want to work at a test-and-measurement company specifically. Under Emerson, expect a question about how you see the NI division fitting into the broader industrial technology platform.

5. Final Decision. Offers typically extend within 1–2 weeks of the final round. Rolling review means earlier applicants receive decisions first.

The two skills to drill: C/C++ fluency for the OA (brush up on pointers, memory management, and standard DSA problems) and a genuine, specific answer to why test-and-measurement engineering matters to you. LabVIEW experience or CLAD certification will set you apart from candidates who only know web development frameworks.

What the Community Says

NI carries a historical Glassdoor rating around 4.0/5 and was consistently recognized as one of Austin's best workplaces before the Emerson acquisition. Here is what the community reports.

How Do You Stand Out at a Test & Measurement Company?

Three moves, all before a role opens. First, earn the CLAD certification: the Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer credential is free to attempt for students through NI's academic program and immediately signals domain commitment that generic CS candidates lack. Second, build a test automation project: use NI's free Community Edition of LabVIEW to build a data acquisition or instrument-control project, ideally interfacing with real hardware like an Arduino or DAQ device. Third, understand the Emerson context: NI is no longer a standalone company, so articulate how test-and-measurement engineering fits into Emerson's broader industrial automation platform. Interviewers want to see that you understand the acquisition context and can work inside a larger corporate structure while maintaining the engineering depth NI is known for.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

NI is not the only test-and-measurement company hiring engineering interns. If you are building an instrumentation and embedded-systems internship list, these are the obvious neighbors:

Our tech internships summer 2027 guide maps the whole landscape, timeline by timeline.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 NI internship?

No. The summer 2026 NI and Emerson intern reqs closed on a 7 January 2026 deadline and the class started in May 2026. The next open cycle is summer 2027, and its NI-division postings are live on Emerson's Oracle ATS as of September 28, 2026: Austin Test & Measurement roles in mechanical, software, applications, test and analytics engineering, posted September 9 to 23. Apply now; review is rolling.

Does NI still hire interns independently after the Emerson acquisition?

No. NI's careers page redirects to Emerson's portal. All NI internships are now posted under Emerson's Oracle ATS. Search for "Test & Measurement," "NI," or "LabVIEW" within Emerson's student/intern job category to find NI-division roles in Austin.

When should I apply for an NI summer 2027 internship?

Watch Emerson's career portal from September 2026. Based on Emerson's cadence, NI and Test & Measurement intern roles post September through November with a deadline around early January 2027 (the summer-2026 reqs closed 7 January 2026). Apply early: rolling review closes postings once seats fill.

How much do NI interns earn?

Self-reported data shows $25–$27 per hour for Austin software engineering interns, plus a housing stipend of approximately $666 per month and a transportation allowance of $166 per month. A $1,000 sign-on bonus was also reported. Texas has no state income tax, boosting take-home pay.

What is the NI internship interview process?

Typically three rounds. First, an online assessment with approximately 20 multiple-choice questions on C/C++ fundamentals plus two data structure and algorithm coding problems. Second, a technical interview. Third, an HR behavioral round. The total process takes about three to four weeks.

What GPA do I need for an NI internship?

No published minimum GPA exists for NI specifically. Under Emerson's umbrella, intern roles generally range from 2.75 to 3.0 minimum. A GPA of 3.0 or higher combined with strong relevant projects in LabVIEW, embedded systems, or test automation is competitive.

Does NI/Emerson sponsor international students?

It depends on the specific posting. Many Emerson US intern roles require work authorization without sponsorship. Students on CPT authorization may still be eligible since CPT does not require employer sponsorship. NI historically sponsored H-1B for full-time engineering roles post-graduation.

Where are NI internships located?

The primary intern hub is Austin, Texas at NI's headquarters campus. NI also has R&D offices in Penang, Bangalore, Debrecen, and other global locations. Under Emerson, adjacent roles may appear in Round Rock, Texas. The vast majority of US NI interns are placed in Austin.

NI's test-and-measurement niche is small and specialized, which means the right preparation makes you stand out immediately. Spend the runway building proof: a remote Externship turns 'interested in automated test' into a finished project you can point at when Emerson's portal opens in fall 2026.