Northwestern University vs Boston University: Which offers better access to internships?

The biggest practical difference is convenience: Boston University sits inside Boston along the MBTA, so many employers are reachable without a long commute, while Northwestern students have access to Chicago but typically travel from Evanston for city-based internships. That makes BU especially convenient for academic-year roles that require regular in-person hours. Northwestern’s Chicago access is substantial, however, and its quarter system can create useful windows for off-cycle or shorter internships.

BU benefits from Boston’s dense concentration of hospitals, biotech and life-sciences firms, universities, startups, financial organizations, nonprofits, and media outlets. Its location can make it easier to build a part-time internship around classes, particularly for students in communications, public health, research, business, or technology-adjacent fields. BU’s career center, school-specific advising, employer events, and alumni network can help students find openings, but students still need to apply early and network actively.

Northwestern offers a different but very strong market through Chicago, with notable opportunities in consulting, finance, marketing, journalism, media, civic organizations, healthcare, and larger corporate offices. The university’s career services, alumni communities, and programs such as Chicago Field Studies can connect coursework with internships. Some Northwestern schools also have especially direct industry ties, such as Medill in journalism and communications, though the strength of access varies by major and how willing a student is to commute.

For consistent academic-year internship access, BU has the edge because Boston is immediately around campus and employers are woven into daily student life. Northwestern is the more compelling option when Chicago’s industries fit your interests or when you value its particular academic programs and alumni connections enough that a commute is a reasonable tradeoff.