Which is better for internships: Chapman University or George Washington University?

George Washington University has the clearer edge for internships overall. Its location in Washington, DC puts students close to federal agencies, nonprofits, consulting firms, media organizations, policy groups, hospitals, and major employers that actively use part-time interns during the academic year. At GW, internship access is built into the student experience in a way that is hard for most campuses to match.

The biggest differentiator is school-year opportunity. Being in DC makes it realistic to intern during the semester without needing to leave campus life behind, and that matters because repeated part-time internships often lead to stronger resumes than relying only on summers. GW students can reach workplaces by Metro, and many employers there are used to hiring students for ongoing roles while classes are in session.

Chapman does offer meaningful access too, especially in Southern California fields like film, television, entertainment business, communications, and some local business internships. Its Dodge College is especially well connected for media and production-related work, and Orange County plus nearby Los Angeles can open doors. But those opportunities are more dependent on commuting, industry focus, and personal initiative in navigating a spread-out region.

GW also benefits from the kind of employers clustered around one city ecosystem. For political science, international affairs, public health, economics, journalism, law-related work, and government-adjacent business, the density of organizations near campus is a real advantage. Even students outside those majors often benefit because so many offices in DC hire interns for research, operations, communications, and outreach.

Chapman can be the stronger option for a student specifically targeting entertainment and certain creative industries, where Southern California proximity matters a lot. But if the question is which school is more powerful for internships across the widest range of fields and makes in-semester internships feel most realistic, GW stands out.