Program Creates Career Opportunities Through Enriching, Competitive and Rigorous Internships Across MTA’s Operating Agencies

MTA Has Hired 52 Interns into Full-Time Roles Across All Agencies Since 2022

The City University of New York (CUNY) and The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the beginning of the application period for its 2025 joint internship partnership program, which offers CUNY students from across all 25 campuses full-time, paid summer internship opportunities at the MTA at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The program bridges the nation’s largest transportation network with the nation’s largest urban public university to build on each other’s initiatives while supporting equity, diversity and social mobility. The popular program received more than 34,000 applications for the Fall 2024 internships for 110 slots, double the number of applicants from the previous year.  

Since the beginning of the program in 2022, the MTA has hired 52 interns into full-time roles across all agencies, in addition to other interns who continued their experience through other MTA-sponsored internships such as the Authority’s College Aide and Technology and Engineering programs. 

“CUNY’s internship program with the MTA, bringing together the nation’s largest urban public university and the nation’s largest transportation network, provides students invaluable work experience while supporting a system so central to all our lives,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “CUNY and the MTA play a vital role in New York’s economy and are proud to continue this partnership that benefits our students, our transit and our entire city.”  

“Through this internship, CUNY students gain invaluable knowledge learning how the nation’s largest transit system operates,” said MTA Chief Administrative Officer Lisette Camilo. “The MTA is thrilled to be able to grow these young professionals as they navigate the first steps in their careers.”  

“The MTA focuses on nurturing talent,” said MTA Chief People Officer Mersida Ibric. “Our partnership with CUNY allows us to find the next generation of transit leaders from a diverse pool of applicants who bring unique perspectives, while giving college students real-world career experience.”   

In some cases, students who participate in full-time positions during the summer are able to transition to a part-time status once the school year begins. Students working full time are eligible to receive benefits, including medical, through the Research Foundation of CUNY (RFCUNY). There are currently 118 interns wrapping up their internship with the MTA, marking the program’s third full year.    

Internships are available across all MTA agencies: New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, Construction & Development and Bridges & Tunnels with openings in fields such as legal, finance, architecture, technology, project management, environmental science, engineering, real estate, station operations, safety, transportation and communications.    

CUNY’s extensive reach with colleges in all boroughs and a vast portfolio of programs provides the MTA with a diverse pool of talent to select from while providing New York City students the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience with North America’s largest transportation network, which serves a population of over 15.3 million. The initiative is funded by the MTA and the students are employed through RFCUNY.  

Interested students have until February 28 to apply on the CUNY x MTA Internship Program webpage.   

Previous interns in the program include:  

  • Sualeha Tahir, a Baruch College student who helped plan the sale of retired materials including station signs, vintage train tokens, subway seating and even destination signs from retired subway cars
  • Alex Rian Fiano, a Queens College student working on archival MTA materials
  • Dylan Mckinley Straker, a Kingsborough Community College student working with boots on the ground
  • Maria Antonov, a Baruch College student working in MTA Construction & Development where she provides tech support for contractors, designers, and engineers throughout the system

The internship program is part of a growing partnership between the two institutions. Last fall, the MTA collaborated with CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College in the college’s first datathon in which teams of students analyzed the MTA’s public datasets to offer solutions to key challenges. The winning team used fare evasion data to determine how to target promotion for the city’s Fair Fares transportation discount program.