Michigan vs George Washington for internships: which school gives better access to opportunities in D.C. and beyond?

The biggest practical tradeoff is proximity versus scale: George Washington puts you in Washington, D.C., where internships during the school year are built into campus life, while Michigan gives you a much larger university ecosystem, broader alumni reach, and stronger recruiting depth across more industries, even though many internships happen in the summer rather than alongside classes. At GW, being in Foggy Bottom means federal agencies, nonprofits, consulting firms, think tanks, media organizations, and advocacy groups are close enough for part-time semester internships. At Michigan, the advantage is not physical closeness to D.C. but the volume of employers, the size of the alumni base, and the reach of its brand well beyond one city.

For D.C.-specific access, GW has the clear edge. It is much easier there to take on internships during fall or spring, attend employer events in person, and build a local network gradually while classes are in session. That matters a lot if you want politics, public policy, international affairs, government relations, or nonprofit work, where repeated in-person exposure can turn into stronger professional connections.

Michigan is stronger if you want internships beyond D.C. in a wider mix of fields. Its recruiting infrastructure is especially robust for business, engineering, tech, finance, consulting, research, and large national employers that hire at scale. The Michigan alumni network is famously active, and the school’s size creates more student organizations, project teams, labs, and pre-professional communities that can help you build experience before applying.

Career support is solid at both schools, but it functions differently. GW benefits from location-driven access, where opportunity often comes from being physically near employers. Michigan benefits from institution-driven access, where large career fairs, employer pipelines, and alumni connections create a more structured internship market.

If your top priority is getting into D.C. during the academic year and staying closely tied to that ecosystem, GW makes that path more immediate. If you want the strongest overall platform for internships across D.C. and beyond, especially across multiple industries, Michigan is the more powerful long-term option.