International Students
The University of Cincinnati hosts approximately 3,300 international students from more than 100 countries. As an international student, you bring a unique cross-cultural perspective to our university community.
As you begin to think about career, we encourage you to take advantage of resources to target co-ops, internships, networking and job opportunities in the U.S., your home country and the rest of the world.
Finding Your Path
Start Early
Start by identifying your skills and opportunities for growth. Here are common areas students can use support:
Gaining Experience
To gain experience outside the classroom, think broadly about what "experience" means. You can gain experience through many activities during your time at UC. Employers will look at your academic performance in addition to your unique experiences.
Networking
You may have heard that the number one way that people successfully land jobs, co-ops and internships is through networking. Networking is simply talking to and building relationships with people.
- Bearcats Connect allows you to network with UC international alumni. Under the Network tab, select “More Filters” followed by “Do you identify with any of the following categories?” and finally “International Student.”
- Career Conversations (informational interviews)
- MeetUp: Use this platform to find in-person and virtual gatherings with like-minded professionals in industries that interest you.
- 18 Easy Conversation Starters for Networking Events from Careerealism.com: This article provides pointers on how to start conversations at networking events.
- Mastering the Art of Small Talk from Fast Company: This article provides five tips to make conversations great.
Pathways after Graduation
We recommend a global job search that includes opportunities in the United States, your home country and the rest of the world, as international graduates from all 50 states compete for just 85,000 H1-B U.S. visas issued by lottery each year.
- Handshake - UC’s Career Platform: Consider filtering opportunities by work authorization (options include “will sponsor or doesn’t require US work visa” and “Accepts OPT/CPT”)
- Watch this video to learn how University of Cincinnati international students can use Handshake to find employers who will sponsor, don't require a U.S. work visa and accept OPT/CPT.
- Watch this video to learn how University of Cincinnati international students can use Handshake to find employers who will sponsor, don't require a U.S. work visa and accept OPT/CPT.
- CareerShift: Use CareerShift‘s robust company and contact database to find current job connections and make meaningful new connections. You can also upload documents and save jobs and contacts within the system.
- MyVisaJobs uses quantitative modeling methods to analyze labor certifications for H1B Visa and new job openings from visa sponsors.
- Uniworld provides contact information for headquarters, subsidiaries, branches and executives of multinational firms with headquarters in more than 200 countries and 20,000 industries.
- H1B Grader: Search and analyze H1B sponsoring companies, salaries and approvals from millions of records from official disclosure data by U.S. Department of Labor, USCIS.
Employment and Immigration
Do you have questions about how co-ops, internships, full-time jobs, etc. might impact your visa status? UC International is the best resource to answer these questions.
Additional Resources
Support and Questions
Searching for a co-op, internship or job can be a challenging and stressful process. Make a career coaching appointment through Handshake.