You must be:
AND
Entering your penultimate or final year of university. This includes:
Post Graduate/Graduate Masters Degree students are NOT eligible to apply.
Students can re-apply for the programme if unsuccessful in securing an internship. You must still meet the above eligibility.
If you have previously undertaken an internship as a Saltire Scholar, you are not eligible to re-apply to the Programme again.
Applicants should have the appropriate student visa in place, and will be asked to provide evidence of their Right to Work in the UK.
Please check the eligibility criteria set by your university as this may have changed since your previous application.
Entrepreneurial Scotland’s Saltire Scholars Programme partners with Scotland's universities. Each institution provides a financial contribution to help make each internship possible.
As such, every student who becomes a Saltire Scholar has their high-quality internship experience part-funded by their university.
Each university makes independent budgeting decisions based on their own individual strategic plans which informs which types of internships they wish to fund.
Please check below if your university has any specific criteria prior to applying to the 2026 Saltire Scholars Programme.
Saltire Scholars Internships typically start early-mid June and last between 8-12 weeks.
Our advertised internships will disclose the start date and duration of the role. Please pay particular attention to these.
In 2025, the majority of international internships started on Monday 2nd June. The majority of UK internships starting on Monday 9th June.
Dates for International roles are NOT flexible. This is due to Visa application timescales and travel/accommodation arrangements. If you are in your final year, you will miss your graduation ceremony.
For UK roles, any date/duration changes are at the discretion of the host company so, flexibility is not always possible or guaranteed.
Saltire Scholars internships are full-time roles and you are expected to be available for the entirety of the internship. If you cannot commit to a 8-12 week internship because of prior commitments, (eg, a 2 week summer holiday,) you should NOT apply.
Yes, you can re-apply if you were unsuccessful in securing an internship. You must fit the eligibility criteria.
If you have undertaken an internship as a Saltire Scholar, you are unfortunately not eligible to re-apply to the Programme again.
Please check for any specific eligibility criteria set out by your university, as it is subject to change each year.
The Scholars team are responsible for sourcing your accommodation and will work with you to book your flight. Entrepreneurial Scotland pays for your accommodation and standard flights.
All Scholars must take the lead in submitting their visa paperwork and progressing through the required process. The Scholars team will provide support throughout. Scholars are respectively advised that we do not cover any incurred costs for Embassy interview visits or additional fees required at the interview. Where this arrangement may create financial hardship, Scholars are encouraged to speak to the Scholars team for further assistance.
Yes. If you are penultimate or final year of study, you are eligible to apply. It is your responsibility to be organised with interviews and application timelines, taking into account any time differences in your country. Any deadlines stipulated will be in UK local time.
Be aware of the internship start date as this could clash with your term time or exam dates.
If you are applying for an internship in the USA or Canada, you must be in the UK for at least 12-weeks prior to departure and must be available to attend an in-person appointment at the Embassy in London or Belfast on the earliest date available.
Internships are between 8-12 weeks. The duration of each project is determined by the host company.
We share the dates and durations of the internships on the advert.
The Saltire Scholars Programme is open to students from all degree disciplines. We encourage all students to consider their transferable skills to broaden their horizons. There may be internships directly related to your degree and you may have other relevant skills applicable to a different industry or role. For example, pharmaceutical students undertaking marketing roles, and engineers undertaking business analysis roles. It pays to think outside of the box!
We partner with a wide variety of companies who operate in a range of industries and sectors all over the world. This includes business, finance, engineering, manufacturing, life sciences, creative industries, not-for-profit, public sector, IT, pharmaceuticals, transport, food and drink and many more.
When sourcing internship projects, we focus on identifying roles which deliver tangible impact to the company whilst also contributing to your learning and development.
We will continue to offer In-person, Virtual and Blended Internships in 2026.
We partner with companies on an annual basis. We offer a range of internships with companies who have hosted interns before, as well as new companies. We pride ourselves on partnering with the world’s leading firms and entrepreneurial companies, some of which you may never have heard of before! Regardless of who we partner with and where they are located, each role will offer students a valuable and meaningful internship experience.
Our application window is open from 17th September - 13th October 2025. Whether you submit early, or on the very last day, every application will be considered equally. There is no benefit to rushing and submitting on the first day! We encourage all candidates to use the application period effectively. We do advise to be mindful of technical challenges if you cut it close to the deadline!
It is your responsibility to be able to meet deadlines; our application dates are not flexible.
If you apply close to the deadline, and encounter technical issues, we will not make allowances for this.
If you have any queries or require application support, you can reach out to your university’s careers service or check their online resources.
Brand Ambassadors (students who have been a Saltire Scholar in a previous cycle) can also help. You can find Scholars' Blogs on our website and you may be able to connect with a BA on LinkedIn.
All unsuccessful candidates are provided with a list of feedback points in their application outcome email.
If you email us to request further specific feedback we will endeavour to provide this. Our reply may be significantly delayed due to the volume of emails we receive at this time of year.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive in our initial process, there will not be a second round of applications.
All candidates selected for an Assessment Centre will be notified once the Scholars team have completed shortlisting.
You will be responsible for booking your assessment centre time slot from a range of appointments available.
Assessment Centres will take place from the end of October through November and will be held in various locations across Scotland.
There will also be a small number of virtual Assessment Centre appointments available.
In the unlikely event that you cannot find a suitable slot, we may be able to make alternative arrangements. However, we must see evidence that you cannot attend the slots available (i.e. evidence of university resits, medical appointments).
These are professional assessment centres, therefore dress as you would for a job interview. First impressions are always important.
Internship opportunities for the 2026 programme will be advertised on a rolling basis from January 2026 through to May 2026.
These opportunities will be advertised on our Internship Portal which is exclusive to the Candidate Pool.
No. Although this is our final application stage, we are a highly competitive internship programme. Approximately 1 in 3 people of our candidate pool will secure an Internship.
Please upload your tailored Cover Letter in Word or PDF format only. (maximum 400 words)
If in any doubt, you should address your cover letter to ‘Dear Hiring Manager'.
Cover letters must be kept to a maximum of 400 words.
CVs should be no more than two pages in length.
Please upload your tailored CV and cover letter as one document in PDF or Word format.
No, they are not included in the word count.
Please upload your tailored Cover Letter in Word or PDF format only.
Yes, you can still apply. However, it is unlikely you will be shortlisted as you do not to meet the essential requirements for this Internship.
The Host Company has identified this skill as crucial to the success of the Internship or the company is located in an area with no public transport links.
There are various reasons why a Host Company may place an age limit on an internship role.
For example, in the USA you must be at least 21 to work for a Company that has any links to alcohol.
If your internship has car hire, an essential requirement is, you must be over 21 before we can hire a car for you.
If you are 20 at time of application, but turn 21 prior to the internship start date, you can apply for the role.
No, it is your responsibility to make sure you meet deadlines.
You must upload your tailored CV and Cover Letter in PDF or Word format only. Applications submitted in a different format will not be considered.
You can apply for as many roles as you want.
Please bear in mind the skills and qualities that each internship role requires and ensure that you tailor your CV and cover letter specifically for each role.
For each application that is not successful for an interview, you will receive an email notification from us. This email will contain some generic feedback points to support any future internship applications.
Due to the volume of applications, we are unable to provide individual feedback at this stage of the process.
The Scholars team will host weekly drop-in sessions during the Application window (Jan-May '26). Applicants may speak to a member of the team to gain application feedback and support in a group setting with other candidates.
Find your university Brand Ambassadors and reach out to them on LinkedIn. Your university Careers team or our Scholars Blog page may help with this.
If you still haven’t managed to get in touch with any, then email the Scholars team and let us know what you are looking for.
The host company will reach out directly to organise the interview.
The format varies for each company. It may be in-person, phone or online. If you cannot attend the interview on the date proposed, it is your responsibility to take ownership and rearrange.
Be mindful and realistic of the opportunity offered and always endeavour to be flexible with your schedule. Be aware of any time difference and expect the interview schedule to be held on the host companies time zone.
Check emails regularly (including junk folder) and answer calls from unknown numbers.
No. Any financial costs that may occur with international calls or travelling to an in-person interview are your responsibility.
If you are facing financial challenges in travelling to your interview in person, please reach out to the Scholars team for further support.
Please do not contact the Host Company directly.
If two weeks have passed, please contact the Scholars Team so we can follow up with the company on your behalf.
Some companies like to receive a thank you message post interview. We are happy for you to do this; however, you are not permitted to ask them for feedback, an outcome or enquire about further employment or volunteering opportunities.
The company will contact the Scholars Team of their decision. All interview outcomes will be communicated via the Scholars Team.
No. If you are offered an internship, you have 24 hours to decide whether you wish to accept this role or not.
If you do accept it, you will sign a placement agreement within 24 hours and no further applications can be made on our programme.
If you decline, you will stay in the candidate pool and you can apply to future Internships advertised. The Candidate Pool is highly competitive and there is no guarantee that you will be shortlisted for any roles that you apply for at a later date.
Interns who remain in the UK are responsible for their own accommodation (there are exceptions to this which will be specified at the time of advertising). Here are our tips for sourcing a place to stay near to your host company location:
Your Internship will have agreed start and end dates. Travel is usually booked for the Saturday before your Internship starts to the Saturday after your last day. You cannot fly earlier than your given departure date. Scholars can elect to stay longer, in-country, after completing their Internship, returning later than the standard given departure date.
You should discuss this with the Scholars Team before we book your return flights.
Any additional costs associated with staying in-country beyond your internship will be yours to cover.
All flights are booked through our trusted travel partner and we know that the best possible flight option will be chosen for you.
You cannot choose what airline to fly with. All students have standard hold luggage included which is individual to the airline.
You may elect to take additional luggage with you. You will have to cover this cost. Please discuss with the Scholars Team prior to us booking your return flights.
Due to the visa application process, you must remain in the UK 12 weeks prior to departure.
If you secure an Internship that requires a Visa then the process is often fast-paced and can have deadlines.
The Visa process for certain countries requires you to attend their Embassy in person for an interview in London or Belfast. You need to be organised and be available to attend your visa appointment at short notice.
If your host company withdraws your Internship offer after you have accepted it, you will re-enter the candidate pool and can continue to apply for other Internships.
Other than in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic meant the cancellation of several placements, this does not happen very often.
Yes, you can contact the company to express your gratitude at being offered the role. Please refrain from asking them practical questions regarding your Internship. They will contact you with these details ahead of your start date. You can also ask previous Scholars any of these questions.
It is compulsory that you attend an onboarding call with a member of the Saltire Scholars Team so that important information about your Internship can be discussed.
The Scholars team want to ensure you are well-informed and well-equipped before starting your Internship. The call is an opportunity for you to ask any questions and go over details you don’t understand. It is also an opportunity for us to share specific information relating to the logistics, host company and country.
Scholars who attend onboarding calls promptly are better equipped to move through the logistical planning stages of their internship, hence why this call is mandatory.
If you plan to undertake an internship on our programme, we advise that you do not take/book any holiday plans for the duration of your internship.
Any holidays or time off must be approved by your line manager. Scholars are advised that approval of holidays is at the discretion of their line manager to meet business needs. There is no guarantee these will be approved.
If you are graduating during your internship, we will gladly speak to the Company on your behalf to ensure this essential time off. We have never encountered an issue in this area and Hosts are very accommodating of this special event. If your internship is international, due to visa requirements and restrictions, you will be unable to return to Scotland to attend your graduation.
Yes, you can. If you wish to do this, you must contact us with the specific information. We will obtain a quote from our travel agent directly. It will be your responsibility to cover any additional fees and you will pay these directly to the travel agent through a payment link. Changes are not confirmed until payment has been made.