An internship survey template is a reusable set of questions for collecting feedback from interns, supervisors, or both about an internship experience. Use the printable form below as a starting point, then adjust its questions to match the program’s goals, timing, and audience.
What an Internship Survey Is For
An internship survey gathers structured feedback about how an internship is working. It can help an organization understand whether interns receive useful assignments, clear guidance, opportunities to learn, and a reasonable way to raise concerns. A survey can also give interns a place to describe what went well and what could improve.
There is no single correct survey for every program. A short check-in during the placement serves a different purpose from an end-of-internship reflection. Similarly, an intern’s view of a supervisor’s communication is not the same as a supervisor’s assessment of an intern’s progress. Decide what you want to learn before choosing questions.
A survey is one source of feedback, not a complete evaluation of an intern or a definitive measure of program quality. Responses make more sense when considered alongside conversations, project outcomes, and the program’s stated learning objectives. Avoid treating one answer as proof of a broad pattern.
Choose the Audience and Timing
Start by identifying who will complete the survey. Many programs use separate versions for interns and supervisors because each group can report on different parts of the experience. Interns can describe onboarding, access to guidance, workload, and learning opportunities. Supervisors can comment on role clarity, communication, support needs, and progress toward agreed objectives.
Timing affects the quality of feedback. An early check-in can surface unclear expectations or access problems while there is still time to address them. A midpoint survey can reveal whether assignments and support are developing as intended. An exit survey captures an overall reflection, but it may be too late to fix a problem for that intern.
- Early check-in: Ask whether the intern understands the role, knows whom to contact, and has the tools or information needed to begin.
- Midpoint survey: Ask about learning, feedback, workload, and whether the placement is matching the original expectations.
- Exit survey: Ask what the intern learned, which parts were most useful, and what a future intern should know.
- Supervisor survey: Ask what support the supervisor needs and whether the placement structure is working for the team.
If a placement is short, one well-timed survey may be more practical than several. For a longer placement, brief check-ins can help catch issues sooner. Explain why you are asking for feedback and when respondents should expect to complete the form.
Writing Questions That Get Useful Answers
Use direct questions about one topic at a time. “I received clear instructions and useful feedback” combines two ideas: a respondent may agree with one and disagree with the other. Split it into separate items if you need to understand both. Keep wording neutral; a question such as “How helpful was the excellent training?” assumes the training was excellent before the respondent answers.
For rating questions, show the full scale and define its endpoints. For example, a five-point scale might run from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree,” with the same order throughout the survey. Include “Not applicable” when some respondents may not have experienced the situation. Do not treat a skipped answer or “Not applicable” as a negative rating.
Mix closed questions, which are easier to summarize, with a small number of open questions that invite explanation. Too many open-ended prompts can make a survey tiring and leave respondents unsure how much detail to provide. A specific prompt tends to be more useful than “Any other comments?” For example, ask, “What is one change that would have helped you learn more from your assignments?”
Possible topics include:
- Clarity of responsibilities and expectations.
- Access to tools, information, and people needed for the work.
- Frequency and usefulness of supervision or feedback.
- Opportunities to practice skills or understand the field.
- Whether the workload and assignment difficulty felt manageable.
- Suggestions for improving onboarding or the next internship cycle.
Ask only for information you will use. Personal details that are not necessary can reduce trust and make responses harder to interpret. If you need identifying information to follow up, explain that purpose separately from any promise about confidentiality.
Internship Survey Template
Blank intern survey: Mark one response for each rating item. Add comments only where you wish. If the survey is anonymous, do not write identifying details in the comment fields.
| Question | Response | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1. I understood my responsibilities and expectations. | 1 2 3 4 5 N/A | |
| 2. I knew whom to contact when I needed help. | 1 2 3 4 5 N/A | |
| 3. I had the information and resources needed to do my work. | 1 2 3 4 5 N/A | |
| 4. I received feedback that helped me improve. | 1 2 3 4 5 N/A | |
| 5. My assignments gave me useful learning opportunities. | 1 2 3 4 5 N/A | |
| 6. My workload was manageable. | 1 2 3 4 5 N/A | |
| 7. Which part of the internship has been most valuable? | ||
| 8. What is one change that would improve the experience? | ||
| 9. What skill or knowledge would you like to develop next? | ||
| 10. Is there anything else you would like the program team to know? |
Rating key: 1 = Strongly disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neither agree nor disagree; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly agree; N/A = Not applicable.
Short filled-in sample (fictional):
| Question | Sample response |
|---|---|
| I knew whom to contact when I needed help. | 4 — Agree |
| Which part has been most valuable? | Presenting a project update and getting feedback. |
| What is one change that would improve the experience? | Share the weekly priorities at the start of each week. |
Adapt the Form to Your Program
The template is intentionally general. Replace, remove, or add questions to reflect what the internship actually offers. If interns rotate through teams, ask about each rotation or provide a comment field for differences. If the program includes formal learning objectives, ask about those objectives by name rather than using a vague question about whether the intern “learned a lot.”
A supervisor version should not simply copy the intern form. It might ask whether the role was scoped clearly, whether the supervisor had enough time to provide guidance, and what would make the next placement smoother. Keep performance feedback and program feedback distinct when possible: a question about an intern’s work should not be mistaken for a question about the quality of the internship structure.
Before sharing the survey, test it with someone who understands the program but is not responsible for interpreting every question. Ask them to identify confusing wording, missing response options, and any item that seems to ask two things at once. A paper form should leave enough space for handwritten comments; an online form should make the same prompts easy to read and answer.
How to Share the Survey and Handle Responses
Tell respondents who is collecting the feedback, how it will be used, and whether names are requested. Be precise about privacy. “Anonymous” means the form does not collect information that identifies the respondent; it is not the same as “confidential,” where someone may know the identity but limits access to the response. Small teams or detailed comments can also make a person recognizable even when a name is omitted.
Do not promise anonymity or confidentiality unless the process can support that promise. If responses may be shared with a supervisor or program team, say so in plain language. Give respondents a realistic deadline and an estimate of how long the survey takes, but do not claim a completion time without checking the form yourself. Make participation expectations clear and offer an appropriate way to discuss sensitive concerns outside the survey.
Keep access to responses limited to people who need them for the stated purpose, and follow the organization’s record-handling policies. A survey is not necessarily the right channel for urgent safety issues, harassment concerns, or other serious matters that need prompt attention. Tell respondents where to raise those concerns directly. If a situation requires legal, tax, medical, or financial-planning advice, ask a qualified professional.
Reviewing Results and Taking Action
Begin by separating rating responses from written comments. For rating items, look at the distribution of answers rather than relying only on an average: a middling average can conceal a mix of very positive and very negative experiences. Compare results only when the questions, scales, and respondent groups are sufficiently similar. A small number of responses may not support meaningful comparisons, and percentages can be misleading when very few people answered.
Read comments for recurring themes, not just memorable one-off remarks. For example, several comments about unclear weekly priorities may point to a practical improvement, such as sharing a short task plan. One comment can still merit follow-up, especially if it raises a serious concern, but it should not automatically be described as a trend.
Close the feedback loop. Summarize what the program heard, identify actions that are feasible, and say what cannot be changed and why. Avoid sharing identifiable comments without permission or exposing a respondent through unnecessary detail. If the same issue appears in multiple surveys, decide who will own the response and when the program will check whether the change helped.
Common Survey Problems to Avoid
- Too many questions: Long forms can discourage completion. Keep only questions tied to a decision or improvement you can make.
- Leading wording: Replace praise or blame built into a question with neutral language.
- Unclear scales: Label the endpoints, keep the direction consistent, and include a suitable “Not applicable” option.
- Mixing audiences: Do not ask interns to assess supervisor capacity or ask supervisors to report an intern’s private perspective.
- Collecting feedback too late: An exit survey cannot solve a problem during the placement; use a check-in when timely action matters.
- Asking without responding: If no one explains what happened after the survey, respondents may not see a reason to provide thoughtful feedback next time.
A frequent misconception is that anonymity automatically produces honest or more useful answers. It can make some people more comfortable, but anonymity also prevents direct follow-up and can be difficult to protect in a small group. Choose the approach that fits the purpose, explain its limits, and provide a separate route for concerns that need individual attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What questions should an internship survey include?
Ask about role clarity, access to support and resources, feedback, learning opportunities, workload, and suggestions for improvement. Choose only the topics relevant to the placement and use open questions sparingly.
Should an internship survey be anonymous?
It depends on the purpose and the group size. Anonymous responses may encourage candid feedback, while identified responses allow follow-up. Explain exactly what information is collected and avoid promising anonymity if comments or context could identify someone.
When should interns complete a survey?
A check-in early or midway through the placement can reveal issues while there is time to respond. An exit survey is useful for reflection and future program changes. Longer placements may benefit from both, as long as each survey has a clear purpose.
How long should an internship survey be?
There is no universal ideal length. Keep the form as short as possible while still covering the decisions you need to make. Remove questions whose answers will not be reviewed or used.
Can supervisors use the same survey as interns?
They can share some program-level questions, but separate versions usually produce more relevant feedback. Interns and supervisors observe different parts of the experience, so tailor questions to what each group can reasonably assess.