Which is better for internships, Arizona State University or George Washington University?

The biggest practical tradeoff is location versus scale: George Washington University puts you in the middle of Washington, DC, where semester internships are unusually accessible, while Arizona State University gives you a much larger university ecosystem with strong employer connections in the Phoenix area but fewer walk-to-internship options during the school week. For internships while classes are in session, GW has a real advantage because many students can work part time at government agencies, nonprofits, think tanks, media organizations, hospitals, and companies without needing a car. ASU can absolutely lead to strong internships too, but they are more often built through recruiting pipelines, career fairs, summer positions, and regional employer partnerships rather than the DC-style model of fitting internships into a normal semester schedule.

If your interests are politics, international affairs, public policy, journalism, public health, law-related work, or nonprofit work, GW stands out. Its DC location matters a lot because access is not just about prestige, it is about convenience and repetition: students can interview, network, and intern nearby throughout the year.

ASU is especially solid for business, engineering, tech, supply chain, sustainability, healthcare, and entrepreneurship, and Phoenix is a growing metro with major employers. ASU’s size can work in your favor because there are many industry partnerships, a broad alumni base, and a lot of on-campus recruiting activity. The tradeoff is that internships may require more planning around transportation and scheduling, and the experience can feel less embedded in daily campus life than it does at GW.

For summer internships, the gap is smaller. Students from both schools can intern nationally, and by summer many employers care more about your experience, skills, and persistence than your campus address. But for semester internships specifically, GW has the clearer edge because DC functions almost like an extension of the classroom and career center.

So if “better for internships” means easiest access to meaningful in-semester internships, George Washington University is the stronger option. If you want a broader campus with strong recruiting and are aiming at industries tied to the Southwest growth economy, Arizona State can still be excellent, but it is less naturally built around semester-long internship access.