Email template · Recruiting events and campus
Internship rejection email
In short
An internship rejection email tells a student or recent graduate that they were not selected for an internship. A good one is prompt, clear in the first lines, kind without being vague, and points to a real next step such as the next intake or a talent community. Below are templates for after an application, after interviews, a waitlist and a high-volume batch.
When to send it: Send it as soon as the decision is final, and well before students' other offer deadlines. Students time their internship decisions to the academic calendar, so a late rejection can cost them other offers.
Internship rejection email: 4 versions
After application
SubjectYour application for the [Internship Title] internship
Hi [First Name], Thank you for applying for our [Season and Year] [Internship Title] internship. We received [Number] applications for [Number of Places] places this year, and we won't be moving your application forward. This isn't a judgment on your potential. With so few places, we had to turn down many strong students. Applications for [Next Program] open in [Month]. If you'd like a reminder when they do, you can join our student talent community here: [Link]. Good luck with the rest of your search. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
After interviews
SubjectUpdate on the [Internship Title] internship
Hi [First Name], Thank you for interviewing with [Interviewer Names] for the [Internship Title] internship. I'm sorry to let you know that we won't be offering you a place this year. The team was impressed by [Specific Strength, e.g. how clearly you explained your capstone project]. The candidates we selected had [Brief, Honest Reason, e.g. more hands-on experience with SQL], which was the deciding factor for this team's projects. I'd genuinely like to see you apply again for [Next Program or Entry-level Program]. If it helps, I'm happy to share a little more feedback on a 10-minute call. Just reply with a couple of times that work. Best of luck this semester, [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Waitlist
SubjectYour [Internship Title] internship application: waitlist
Hi [First Name], Thank you for interviewing for the [Internship Title] internship. All our places are currently filled, but you were a strong candidate and we'd like to keep you on our waitlist until [Waitlist Date]. If a place opens before then, I'll contact you right away. Please don't hold off on other offers for us; if you accept something else, just let me know. Thanks again for your time and interest. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
High-volume batch
Subject[Company] [Season] internships: application update
Hi [First Name], Thank you for applying to [Company]'s [Season and Year] internship program. Our places are now filled, and we're not able to offer you a position this time. We hire interns every [Hiring Cycle], and many of our interns applied more than once. Applications for the next program open in [Month]: [Careers Link]. Thank you for your interest, and best of luck with your studies. [Company] Campus Recruiting
Subject line ideas
- Your application for the [Internship Title] internship
- Update on the [Internship Title] internship
- [Company] [Season] internships: application update
- Your internship application: waitlist
- Thank you for interviewing with us
- Internship application status
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], it's [Your Name] from [Company]. Thank you for interviewing for the [Internship Title] internship. We won't be offering you a place this year, but we'd like you to apply again for [Next Program]. Details are in your email.
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Internship Title], [Season and Year], [Number], [Number of Places], [Next Program], [Month], [Link], [Interviewer Names], [Specific Strength], [Brief, Honest Reason], [Waitlist Date], [Hiring Cycle], [Careers Link], [Your Name], [Title], [Company]
Timing follows the academic calendar
Students juggle several applications against fixed deadlines, often set by other employers' exploding offers or their school's co-op rules. A rejection that arrives in week six, after they turned down another offer while waiting on you, does real damage and travels fast through campus groups and career centers.
Set a decision date for each stage before the program opens and stick to it. Close out applicants who didn't make the screen within two to three weeks of the application deadline. Close out interviewed students within a week of the final interview, and before your own offer deadline, so declined students can still accept elsewhere.
Rejecting students is different from rejecting experienced hires
For many applicants this is their first professional rejection, and for some it is their first contact with your brand as an employer. Three things matter more than usual:
- Say it in the first two lines. Students often skim on a phone between classes.
- Separate the decision from their potential. Internship programs are typically very selective, and most rejections reflect the number of places, not the student's ability. Say so when it's true.
- Give a real door back in. The next intake, a new-grad program or a talent community they can join. Many companies hire returning applicants, and some of your best interns will have been turned down once.
For students you interviewed, add one specific strength and, if you can, one honest reason. Keep feedback about skills and experience, never about age, background, school prestige or anything else unrelated to the work.
Feedback without risk
Students ask for feedback more often than experienced candidates, and a short, honest answer is one of the best things you can give them. Base it on your structured interview scores: "Your case answer was solid, but the team needed someone who could start on SQL reporting in week one" is fair and useful. Avoid comparisons with named candidates and anything that suggests a protected characteristic played a part. Paid interns are generally covered by federal equal employment laws, and many states and cities extend similar protections to unpaid interns. Rules vary by state.
If your program is large, offer feedback only to finalists, and say so in the email so no one waits for a reply that won't come.
Running it at campus scale
A program with 40 places can draw several thousand applications. Nobody writes those rejections one by one. Build a small set of stage-specific messages in your email templates, send screen-stage rejections in batches with personalization tokens, and save the personal versions for interviewed students. Tag every rejected applicant with the program and year so you can invite the strongest ones back next cycle.
Keep the rejection consistent with the rest of your campus communications, from the career fair follow-up email to the internship offer email. For general applicants outside campus programs, use the standard application rejection email. Our glossary covers how an internship program fits into wider campus recruitment.
Mistakes to avoid
- Never replying at all. Silence is the most common complaint students have about internship recruiting.
- Using "unfortunately" three times and burying the outcome in the fourth paragraph.
- Promising to "keep your resume on file" when no one will look at it.
- Sending a no-reply batch rejection to someone who spent a day on interviews and a take-home exercise.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write an internship rejection email?
Thank the student, state the decision in the first two lines, add one specific strength if they interviewed, point to the next intake or a talent community, and keep it short and kind.
How do you tell an intern applicant they were not selected?
By email, promptly after the decision and before other employers' offer deadlines. Students who reached the final interview can also get a short call or a feedback offer.
Should internship rejection emails include feedback?
For students you interviewed, a short, job-related reason based on interview scores is helpful and appreciated. For screen-stage rejections in large programs, a clear outcome and a next step are usually enough.
Can a rejected intern applicant apply again?
Usually yes, and you should say so. Many employers welcome reapplications for the next program, especially from students who reached interviews.
What should an internship not selected email avoid?
Burying the decision, vague promises to keep a resume on file, comments about anything other than job-related skills, and generic no-reply messages to students who interviewed.