Rakuten Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Quick Facts

Last updated: October 2026

Rakuten International's summer 2027 internship isn't posted yet. Last year's program was announced on March 3, 2026 with roles "added on a rolling basis," about three months before a June start, so the next one is expected around February to March 2027 (low confidence, one documented cycle). One other US intern requisition is live today on Rakuten's Workday board: a part-time University Recruiting Intern in San Mateo, California, starting January 2027 at $20 to $25 an hour. An Early Career AI Engineer, Intern in Bellevue, Washington, a 6-month on-site term at $30 to $50 an hour, closed on October 26, 2026 (gone from the board on October 27). In plain words: you apply in early 2027 to intern in summer 2027, not this fall.

What Is a Rakuten Internship?

A Rakuten internship in the US is a paid placement at Rakuten International, the San Mateo, California division of Japan's Rakuten Group, Inc. Rakuten says the division has more than 4,000 employees worldwide. Its business units include Rakuten Advertising, Rakuten Rewards, Rakuten TV and Rakuten Viki. The main route is the Rakuten International Internship Program, a summer program running June to August across US offices. Its 2026 practices included business development, AI engineering, product marketing, project management, human resources, and cybersecurity and operations. Rakuten also posts one-off intern reqs outside the summer cycle, as it does today. Rakuten Group's Tokyo programs, Rakuten Kobo's Toronto roles and the Dublin, Barcelona, Singapore, Shanghai and Seoul intern roles are separate and outside this guide.

When Do Rakuten Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

Rakuten's summer program looks like a short-lead, single-cohort cycle. The Rakuten International Internship Program 2026 was announced as "Now Open for Applications" on March 3, 2026 for a June to August summer, with new roles added on a rolling basis, so the lead time was about three months. We found no dated individual req from last cycle, so the expected window for summer 2027 (roughly February to March 2027) rests on that one announcement date, which makes it low confidence. The University Recruiting Intern req, which starts in January 2027, says its holder will help prepare for the summer internship program, which fits a program that's planned and not yet posted.

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

Rakuten's urgency is rolling, not a hard deadline. Its own announcement says roles for the 2026 program were added on a rolling basis, and it publishes no closing date. We have no dated req from last cycle, so we can't say how long individual roles stayed open. Because roles appear one at a time and each is a single seat in a specific business unit, applying in the first days of each posting keeps you ahead of the roles that fill. Two of this fall's reqs show how short a listing can be: the Early Career AI Engineer, Intern closed on October 26, 2026, and the University Recruiting Intern record runs to November 30, 2026.

Which Rakuten Internship Programs Should You Target?

Rakuten's US intern roles fall into one summer program and off-cycle reqs: one is open today, and a second closed on October 26, 2026.

Rakuten's own 2026 program announcement explains how the summer program works and how to filter its job board.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

Rakuten hasn't published summer 2027 criteria. This fall's two off-cycle reqs (one still live, one closed October 26) show what it asks for.

• Education (University Recruiting Intern): currently enrolled in a bachelor's degree program, preferably in human resources, business administration, marketing, communications or a related field.

• Education (AI Engineer, Intern): bachelor's degree or above in computer science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. The req doesn't say the intern must be currently enrolled.

• Experience: Rakuten's 2026 announcement says intern candidates "may have little directly related professional experience" and should highlight campus, volunteer and academic projects. The AI req welcomes engineers without direct AI experience.

• Work model: the AI intern role (closed October 26) was on-site at least 4 days a week in Bellevue, not remote. The recruiting intern is part time, at least 25 hours a week.

• GPA and work authorization: neither of this fall's reqs states a GPA minimum, or says anything about visa sponsorship or work authorization.

Do I Need Prior AI or Recruiting Experience?

Not required for either of this fall's reqs. The recruiting req lists prior HR or recruiting-operations experience as a plus. The AI req lists AI-related project experience as strongly preferred, yet says it welcomes software engineers who have no direct AI experience. The summer program's criteria will only be known when its reqs go up.

What Skills Does Rakuten Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Only two US intern reqs posted this fall, and one closed October 26, so the evidence is thin. The AI Engineer intern req asked for front-end skills (HTML, CSS, JavaScript and a framework such as React), back-end work in Python, Java or Node.js, database design in MySQL, PostgreSQL or MongoDB, and tests at every level. The University Recruiting Intern req asks for organizational skills, attention to detail, communication, independence and teamwork, and Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The 2026 summer practices (business development, product marketing, project management, human resources, cyber security and operations) suggest the summer reqs will span business, product and security work as well as engineering.

Note: Skill chart not shown: Rakuten posted two US intern requisitions this fall, an engineering role (closed October 26) and a recruiting role with no skills in common, so there's no job-description set to count across. The closed 2026 summer reqs aren't retrievable. The skills above are quoted from those two reqs, read on October 25, 2026; this section will add a chart when the summer 2027 reqs appear.

How Is Demand for Software Engineer Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

Each skill in this fall's reqs maps to a remote Externship you can finish before the early-2027 window.

The overlap is closest on the data and product side. These are skills Rakuten's fall reqs name, so treat the cybersecurity row as a bet on the summer cycle, based only on last year's practice list.

What Is the Rakuten Application and Interview Process Like?

Rakuten publishes little about its interview steps. What the evidence shows:

1. Find the role. Go to rakuteninternational.com/job-listings and select "Intern" under Job Type, or browse the Workday boards for Rakuten Advertising, Rakuten Rewards and the headquarters teams.

2. Research the business unit. Rakuten's own advice is to understand the unit you apply to well enough to explain how your skills fit its operations.

3. Apply through Workday. Each role is posted on a business unit's Workday site, with new roles added on a rolling basis.

4. Prepare with school resources. Rakuten's announcement also suggests career-center resume reviews and mock interviews, and building your network.

5. Interviews and offers. Not published, and we found no first-hand account of them.

No Rakuten source describes interview questions or timing for US interns, so we don't list any.

What We Found on Reddit

We searched Reddit for first-hand accounts of a Rakuten International, Rakuten Rewards or Rakuten Advertising US internship and found none. The threads that turned up were about Rakuten Advertising in Paris and Rakuten Japan, so we're not quoting them. We'll add intern reports when they appear.

How Do You Stand Out at Rakuten?

First, pick a business unit and say why. Rakuten's own advice is to research the unit you apply to, and its program spans advertising, cash-back and rewards, streaming and headquarters functions. Second, show project work. The announcement tells applicants with little experience to highlight campus, volunteer and academic projects, and a finished deliverable you can describe, such as a data analysis, a small app or an Externship project, does that job. Third, be early to the window. Roles appeared on a rolling basis last cycle, so check Rakuten's job board weekly from late January. Rakuten doesn't publish class size, applicant counts or a return-offer rate, so we won't estimate them.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

If you're aiming at e-commerce and consumer tech, these employers recruit from the same pool:

Our tech internships summer 2027 guide maps the wider field of software, e-commerce and consumer-tech employers.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Rakuten internship?

No. Rakuten's 2026 program ran June to August and was announced March 3, 2026, so it's over. What's open now is one off-cycle US intern req, a University Recruiting Intern; an Early Career AI Engineer intern req closed on October 26, 2026. Summer 2027 isn't posted yet and is expected around February to March 2027.

When do Rakuten internship applications for summer 2027 open?

Not yet. Last year's program was announced March 3, 2026, with roles added on a rolling basis, so we expect summer 2027 around February to March 2027, with low confidence from a single documented cycle. Check rakuteninternational.com/job-listings weekly from late January and filter Job Type to Intern.

Are Rakuten internships paid?

This fall's two reqs state pay: $20 to $25 an hour for the University Recruiting Intern (still open) and $30 to $50 an hour for the Early Career AI Engineer intern (closed October 26). Rakuten doesn't publish a rate for its summer program on its own pages, so treat figures on other sites as unverified.

Where are Rakuten's US internships located?

Rakuten says its summer interns work in US offices including the Bay Area, New York and Chicago. The live req is in San Mateo, California. The AI intern role in Bellevue, Washington, on-site at least four days a week, closed October 26. Rakuten Kobo's Toronto roles and overseas intern roles are outside this guide.

Who is eligible for a Rakuten internship?

Summer criteria aren't published yet. The University Recruiting Intern req asks for current enrollment in a bachelor's program, and the AI Engineer intern req asks for a bachelor's or above in computer science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Neither states a GPA minimum or sponsorship rules.

Are Rakuten internships rolling?

Yes, in the sense Rakuten uses it. Its 2026 announcement says new roles were added on a rolling basis, and no closing date is published for the summer program. We don't have dated reqs from last cycle, so we can't say how long a role stayed open. Apply as soon as you see one.

Is Rakuten's internship the same as Rakuten Japan's?

No. This guide covers Rakuten International, the San Mateo division that hires US interns through its own Workday boards. Rakuten Group's Tokyo new-graduate and internship programs are separate, run from Japan, and not covered here. Rakuten Kobo hires in Toronto, so those roles are also outside the US scope.

Do Rakuten interns get full-time offers?

Rakuten doesn't publish a return-offer rate, and we found no sourced conversion figure. The University Recruiting Intern req says its internship may be extended through August 2027 pending success, which shows extensions exist for some roles. Treat any percentage quoted elsewhere as unverified.

Check Rakuten's job listings weekly from late January and apply the week a summer 2027 role appears. Until then, a remote Externship gives you a finished product or data project to talk about in those interviews.