Employer FAQs

Vassar uses Handshake as our primary recruiting platform. We welcome you to join Handshake and connect with Vassar College to post roles free of charge.

We often say the Vassar network is the greatest career resource available to our students. To ensure your opportunity is highlighted to our students and alums with the attention it deserves, please follow these steps:

Submit the Vassar-Connected Opportunity Form: Using this form allows our team to prioritize and market your opportunity as a “Vassar-to-Vassar” connection. A member of our team will review your submission and contact you shortly to discuss the best path forward. For more specific inquiries, please reach out to us at hirevassar@vassar.edu. 

If you are interested in hosting an event—ranging from traditional information sessions to informal “coffee chats”—please complete our General Employer Engagement Form. This helps our External Engagement team understand your goals, preferred format, and target audience.

Once you have submitted the General Employer Engagement Form, a member of our External Engagement team will be in touch with you directly. We will handle the heavy lifting for your visit, including:

• Coordinating room reservations and space on campus.
• Assisting with audio-visual needs and technology setup.
• Providing recommendations and coordination for catering and refreshments.
• Contacting relevant academic departments, administrative offices, and student organizations.

The CCE provides dedicated space and coordination for formal interview schedules. The Employer Relations team routinely works with employers to organize interview days (on-campus and virtual). Employers are invited to email hirevassar@vassar.edu to get the conversation started or to request a “Schedule” through the Handshake “Interviews” module.  For step-by-step instructions, please refer to Handshake’s guide on How to Request an Interview Schedule at a School.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has a number of resources to support employers as they build internship programs, including their piece on Best Practices for Internship Programs. 

Furthermore, to ensure an experience meets eligibility for Vassar’s Summer Internship Funding, we recommend:

• Duration: 6+ weeks.
• Time Commitment: At least 20 hours per week.
• Supervision: Must have a designated supervisor who is a professional employee of the organization (not a family member).
• Nature of Work: Must be substantive professional work (internships with a primary focus on clerical or administrative tasks are generally ineligible for high-level fellowships like the Burnam).
• Learning Goals: Identify clear goals for the internship that are based upon mutually agreed upon learning outcomes.
• Time for Reflection: Provide regular feedback to the student and encourage the student to reflect on their learning and experience.

Internships posted at Vassar can be paid or unpaid; however, Vassar strongly encourages employers to compensate interns to cultivate a more competitive applicant pool. Solely offering unpaid internships often excludes highly qualified students, as they may not be in a position to consider unpaid opportunities. Under the Federal Labor Standards Act, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit, private sector employers. For more information about the Department of Labor's criteria for unpaid internships, review NACE’s position statement and the DOL’s primary beneficiary test for internships.

Yes. At Vassar, students can pursue academic credit for an internship through the Office of Community-Engaged Learning or by pursuing an Independent Work (298/399) credit with a related academic department or program. If your organization requires that a student receive academic credit for an unpaid internship, we encourage you to include this language in your Handshake description:

“While this is an unpaid internship, [Organization Name] will provide the necessary documentation for the student to receive academic credit from Vassar College.”

Yes! Vassar’s international students are a vital part of our talent pool. Most are on F-1 visas, which allow for work authorization through CPT (Curricular Practical Training) for internships or OPT (Optional Practical Training) for post-graduation employment. There is typically no cost or significant paperwork for the employer to host an intern under CPT. For more specific details, the CCE can connect you with our Office of International Services.

Vassar College is committed to a fair and transparent recruiting process. All partners should adhere to the Center for Career Education’s Recruiting Policies and NACE’s Principles for Ethical Professional Practice.

Offer Timeline & Decision Deadlines

To ensure students can make informed and committed professional decisions, we ask employers to provide reasonable timeframes for offer evaluation. 

• Fall Recruitment: For offers extended during the fall semester, students should be given until November 1 or two weeks after receipt of the written offer, whichever is later.
• Spring Recruitment: For offers extended during the spring semester, students should have at least two weeks to provide a decision.

On our end, we are dedicated to ensuring that students are educated on interview etiquette and the professional consequences of “no-shows” or reneging on an accepted offer. If you have concerns regarding a candidate’s professional conduct during the recruitment process, please contact us immediately at hirevassar@vassar.edu.

We encourage all employers to work directly with our Employer Relations team rather than reaching out independently.

• Build Rapport: Coordination through our team helps us strengthen long-term relationships and trust with faculty and campus partners.
• Educational Impact: It allows us to teach these campus groups about our work and yours, ensuring they understand the specific value of your opportunities.
• Strategic Alignment: We identify the best digital newsletters and channels to reach the most relevant student audience.

Standard recruiting (interviews and info sessions) is free. There is a registration fee for our annual Job & Internship Fair to help offset event costs.

Please consult our Plan Your Visit page for lodging and dining recommendations close to campus.

If Vassar College is closed due to inclement weather or an emergency, all Center for Career Education (CCE) activities are suspended. Our Employer Relations team will contact employers directly to reschedule any affected programming. For real-time updates on campus status, please monitor the Vassar Alerts page.

Yes. We are happy to receive and store your materials before your event. Please ensure your items arrive at least 2–3 business days before your scheduled visit and are clearly marked with your Organization Name and Event Date.