Students & first jobs
Internship cover letter example
An internship cover letter has to show that you can contribute from week one, using projects, coursework and campus jobs as proof that you can learn fast and ship working code.
Opens with the matching internship resume, in the same design, so the two read as a set.
The letter, as text
Dear Mr. Fraserburgh,
Driftwood Maps builds tools that people check on the way to somewhere, and my two favourite projects have been exactly that kind of app. I am a second-year computer science student at the University of British Columbia, applying for your Summer 2027 Software Engineering Internship.
My first project, StudySpot, is a React and Node app that shows live seat availability in campus libraries. It reached 1,100 student users in its first term. Shipping it to real users taught me things coursework did not, like prioritizing the bugs people actually run into and writing code that someone else can pick up.
At a 300-person hackathon, my team of four built TransitBuddy, a transit delay predictor, in 24 hours and placed second. I also work as a teaching assistant for Intro to Programming, running weekly Python labs for 40 first-year students, and the office hours I hold helped raise the lab’s average assignment score by 8%. My coursework in data structures, algorithms, software construction and databases, along with a 3.9 out of 4.33 GPA, has given me a solid base in TypeScript, Python, Java and SQL.
I would enjoy talking about how your team handles real-time data, and I am happy to walk through the StudySpot code on a call. I am available for a full-time placement from May to August.
Best regards,
Ji-woo Park
Why this internship cover letter works
- It connects the student’s projects to the employer’s product category in the first sentence.
- StudySpot is described with a real user number, which turns a student project into evidence of shipping.
- The hackathon and teaching-assistant results show teamwork, speed and the ability to explain technical ideas.
- The close gives exact availability dates, which internship coordinators need.
Tips for your own internship cover letter
- Lead with your strongest project and give one sign it was used, such as users, downloads or a prize.
- List relevant coursework and your GPA if it is strong, alongside the languages you actually used.
- State the exact months you can work and whether the placement can be full time.
Questions
How long should an internship cover letter be?
Three or four short paragraphs, about 250 words, never more than one page. Hiring managers skim; every sentence should add proof the resume does not already give.
Do I need a cover letter for an internship job?
Send one whenever the application allows it, unless the posting says not to. It is your chance to connect your experience to this employer’s needs, and many candidates skip it.
Can I use this cover letter for free?
Yes. Open it in the builder with the matching resume, replace the details with your own, and download both as PDF or Word, free, with no account and no watermark.
Write yours in minutes
Start from this letter and its matching resume. Same design, both free to download as PDF or Word.