University of Illinois at Chicago or DePaul for internships: which school has better internship opportunities for undergrads?

UIC has the edge for internship opportunities overall, especially if you want broad access across fields like engineering, health, research, public sector, and corporate roles while staying in Chicago during the school year. Its location near the Illinois Medical District and downtown matters a lot, and the university’s scale gives undergrads access to a wider range of labs, hospitals, government offices, and large employers. For many students, that translates into more kinds of internships being realistic early on, not just senior-year opportunities.

One big differentiator is UIC’s connection to healthcare, research, and public-sector ecosystems. Being next to major hospitals and medical institutions creates unusually strong options for students interested in biology, public health, nursing, pre-med, psychology, health administration, or research-heavy paths. UIC also has a large commuter and working-student culture, which tends to make semester internships, part-time roles, and practical experience feel normal rather than exceptional.

Another reason UIC often comes out ahead is the range of majors where employers already recruit with the school in mind. In fields like engineering, computer science, business, urban studies, education, and the sciences, UIC’s size and public-university footprint can help create a broader pipeline into internships tied to the city, the state, and major organizations. If you are looking for volume and variety of opportunities, that matters.

DePaul is still very good for internships, and in some areas it can be especially strong, particularly business, communications, marketing, media, arts, and some industry-facing professional programs. Its downtown Loop presence is attractive for employer access, and the school has a reputation for helping students plug into Chicago companies.