The Harvard Greater China Student Internship Program offers an eight-week internship and cultural immersion program at Chinese corporations, NGOs/NPOs, and multinational companies in Greater China, including a one-week field trip. Students experience modern China through their internship placements and gain an introduction to Chinese history and culture, all while learning first-hand about life in the workplace. The field trip offers an opportunity to visit important cultural institutions, and to meet with people from all walks of life—from farmers to entrepreneurs and professors.
In previous years, students have interned at companies in a variety of industries, including consulting, education, investment, healthcare, research, retail, environment, and NGO.
Since 2008, the Harvard Greater China internship program has grown into one of the largest and most successful summer internship programs at Harvard. In 2025, the summer internship will run fully in person. Please note that the plan is subject to change due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic situation. We urge you to consult Harvard’s official website regarding COVID-19 for the most recent travel guidance and healthcare resources.
The program is managed by the Harvard China Fund staff in Shanghai and Cambridge.
For more on the internship program experience:
- Blog from a 2024 participant
- Vlog from a 2023 participant
- Vlog from a 2019 participant
- Blogs from former interns
How To Apply
Program Dates: Friday, June 6 to Saturday, August 2, 2025.
Eligibility: Returning undergraduates from all concentrations are eligible to apply. Chinese language is not required to apply, but many internship positions require some knowledge of oral and written Chinese. Students must be able to commit to the entire 8-week program.
Potential Host Locations: Students may be able to participate in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, depending on individual situations.
Potential Host Institutions: Please check on CARAT.
Program Fee: $2500 (including $100 deposit). Upon eligibility, Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) will provide full funding for the program fee.
Funding: All participants will be eligible to receive funding for airfare, housing and a stipend from the Mignone Center for Career Success, the Harvard China Fund and/or host institutions. In addition, the week-long field trip will be fully covered by the program. Students do not need to submit any additional application to receive funding.
Application Deadline: Friday, January 31, 2025
Hybrid Info Session: Dec 10, 2024, 3:30 – 5:00 pm EDT. Please RSVP here. Please note that due to the capacity of the venue, we can only host a limited number of attendees on site.
Frequently Asked Questions: Please find the link to a list of frequently asked questions and answers in the “Detailed Description” section in CARAT.
Please submit the following materials when applying:
- 2025 HCSIP Application (download from CARAT)
- Essay (no more than two pages double-spaced, see application form for the topic)
- Unofficial transcript
- Resume (no more than one page)
- Letter of recommendation
Please submit all application materials through CARAT, Harvard’s centralized application tool, and select the funding source Harvard Greater China Student Internship Program. While all efforts should be made to submit the recommendation letter through CARAT, if your recommender is unable to access CARAT, please have them send their letter directly to Shirley Liu at shirleyliu@fas.harvard.edu.