Andhra Pradesh makes 360-hour semester internships mandatory for UG students

A mandatory semester internship is supervised practical learning that students must complete during one semester to fulfil their degree requirements. Andhra Pradesh is adding this requirement to the final year of three-year and four-year undergraduate programmes. APSCHE says it is intended to strengthen industry-academia links and improve employability.

A three-year degree student will complete the internship in the sixth semester. A four-year student, including one in an Honours with research or professional programme, will complete it in the eighth semester. The placement carries 360 hours and 12 academic credits.

Students must register through APSCHE’s Institute-Industry Connect portal. Universities and colleges will appoint nodal officers, internship coordinators and mentors. These staff will support registration, track progress and oversee evaluation, while approved employers post opportunities and screen applications.

The internship requirement totals 360 hours and carries 12 academic credits. It is not an optional activity added around classes; APSCHE is incorporating it into the final-year curriculum. The credits make the internship part of the formal academic progress required for the degree.

Students in three-year undergraduate degree courses will undertake the internship during the sixth semester. Students in four-year programmes will complete it during the eighth semester. The four-year category includes Honours with research and professional courses.

The rule begins on November 16, 2026, for undergraduate students across State universities and affiliated colleges. APSCHE has directed institutions to use its Institute-Industry Connect portal, where students register and employers post opportunities. Universities and colleges will monitor progress and oversee evaluation through appointed staff.

The new rule applies broadly across Andhra Pradesh’s State universities and their affiliated colleges. It covers undergraduate students in both three-year and four-year programmes. The internship becomes a compulsory part of the final-year curriculum rather than a separate voluntary experience.

For a three-year programme, the required placement occurs in semester six. For a four-year programme, including Honours with research and professional courses, it occurs in semester eight. Every undergraduate student must register on the Institute-Industry Connect portal, which connects with DigiLocker to retrieve an APAAR ID.

The requirement takes effect from November 16, 2026. APSCHE has instructed Vice-Chancellors, Registrars and affiliated institutions to circulate the guidelines and comply. Colleges and universities must appoint nodal officers, coordinators and mentors to support registration, monitoring and evaluation.

Making internships compulsory could give students structured workplace or project experience before graduation. APSCHE says the policy is designed to strengthen industry-academia linkages and improve graduate employability. It also places practical learning inside the degree curriculum, with 12 credits attached to the experience.

For example, an approved technology organisation could post an internship in artificial intelligence, state its stipend, hours and learning outcomes, and screen applications through the portal. Students would register, apply and have their progress monitored by institutional staff. Opportunities may be physical or virtual.

The immediate change is administrative as well as academic. Employers must register, verify their profiles and submit documents before posting placements. Universities must appoint staff to coordinate and evaluate internships. The article does not guarantee jobs or stipends, but it establishes a common system for connecting students and organisations.

APSCHE sets the requirement and manages the Institute-Industry Connect framework. It directs universities and affiliated colleges to comply, prioritise stipend-based placements and approve verified industry partners. APSCHE also oversees the portal’s broader operation and partner approvals.

Universities and colleges must appoint nodal officers, internship coordinators and mentors. These institutional staff help students register, monitor their progress and oversee evaluation. Students use the portal and its DigiLocker integration to retrieve their APAAR IDs. This creates a defined institutional support chain rather than leaving students to arrange everything alone.

Industry and enterprise partners have a separate role. They register on the portal, complete profile verification and submit organisational documents, including incorporation certificates, PAN, GST registration and three years of income-tax returns. After APSCHE approval, they post internships and screen applications. The article does not name a separate external evaluator.

Students do have an alternative, but it is limited. APSCHE has directed universities and colleges to prioritise stipend-based internship opportunities listed through the Institute-Industry Connect portal. A non-stipendiary internship may be used only when a suitable stipend-based opportunity is unavailable.

The portal can list opportunities from companies, MSMEs, government departments, public sector undertakings, defence establishments, research institutions, NGOs and technology organisations. For instance, a student might choose an opportunity in solar energy or quantum technology. The listing can include the stipend, working hours, learning outcomes and facilities.

Yes, the internship may be completed virtually. The article permits both physical and virtual modes. Students must still register on the portal, and the institution must monitor progress and oversee evaluation. The mode does not remove the 360-hour, 12-credit requirement or the preference for stipend-based opportunities.

An academic credit is a standard unit used by an education system to record completed learning toward a qualification. Credits are awarded after a student meets the requirements for an approved course, project or internship. They allow degree progress to be counted across different parts of a curriculum.

For this Andhra Pradesh internship, APSCHE assigns 12 academic credits to 360 hours. Numerically, that is 30 hours per credit for this requirement. However, that arithmetic should not be treated as a universal rule for every course or institution. The article gives the internship’s total hours and credits, but does not explain a wider conversion formula.

The practical result is clear: completing the approved internship can contribute 12 credits toward the undergraduate degree. Students must register, complete the placement and undergo institutional monitoring and evaluation. The credits therefore connect supervised work or learning with formal graduation progress.