The majority of students who receive internship offers accept them immediately without negotiating. This is understandable. The fear of losing the offer by asking for more is real and it keeps most people silent. But it is almost always the wrong move.
Companies that extend internship offers have already decided they want you. A professional, reasonable negotiation does not change that decision. What it does is signal that you understand your own value, which is exactly the quality companies want in the people they hire.
What You Can Actually Negotiate
Compensation is the obvious one. Many internship programs, especially at startups, have more flexibility than they let on with the initial offer. If the first number feels low, it probably is.
But compensation is not the only thing on the table. Housing stipends, start dates, remote work arrangements, and project assignments are all negotiable at some companies. Figure out what matters most to you before the conversation and go in knowing your priorities.
How to Find Out What You Are Worth
Research the market before you negotiate anything. Levels.fyi has internship compensation data for tech companies. Glassdoor has salary data broken down by company and role. LinkedIn shows compensation ranges on many job postings.
Talk to people who have done similar internships. Classmates, alumni, people in relevant Discord servers. The more data points you have on what the role actually pays at comparable companies, the stronger your position in the negotiation.
How to Actually Do It
Ask for time to consider the offer before you respond. This is normal and expected. Something like thank you so much for the offer, I am really excited about this opportunity, I would love a couple of days to review everything before I respond is completely professional and gives you time to do your research.
When you come back to negotiate, lead with enthusiasm for the offer and the company before you make your ask. Then be direct. Something like based on my research into comparable roles and my background in a specific skill, I was hoping we could get to a specific number. Is there flexibility there? That is it. No long justification. No apology. A specific ask and a genuine question.
What Happens After You Ask
Most of the time one of three things happens. They say yes and adjust the offer. They come back with something in the middle. Or they say the offer is firm and explain why.
None of these outcomes involves losing the offer. Companies do not rescind offers because a candidate asked a professional question about compensation. If they do, that tells you something important about the company that you are better off knowing before you start.
The Bottom Line
Ask. The worst realistic outcome is that they say no and the offer stays the same. The best outcome is that you earn more for the same work. Most students leave money on the table simply because they did not ask. Do not be one of them.