Learn through study abroad. Work through global internships. Thrive through career readiness. TIG strengthens the Work pillar of API’s framework, and ConnectAIQ powers every step of the student journey.
AUSTIN, Texas–November 5, 2026–Academic Programs International (API), a global leader in academically strong, fully accredited international education, today announced its acquisition of The Intern Group (TIG), a leading provider of international internships that has placed more than 15,000 students of over 150 nationalities with thousands of host companies across nine global cities and remotely.
API’s mission is to expand access to life-changing global experiences. Internships have always been part of that work, and TIG strengthens and scales it. Together, the two organizations give students a single, connected journey to learn, work and thrive abroad, powered by ConnectAIQ.
Putting Students at the Center
Many students still see global learning as something meant for someone else. Questions about affordability, on-time graduation, safety, credit transfer, and whether the experience will benefit their career keep too many at home.
Together, API and TIG address those concerns: students can study abroad, intern internationally, or combine both, supported by the housing, safety, and on-site care that families trust.
“At API, students come first. It’s all about students,” said Patrick Vogt, Chief Executive Officer of API. “When students step into the world, they don’t just learn more. They become more. The Intern Group has spent 15 years opening professional doors for students around the world, and together we embed career relevance in global learning, not bolt on as an afterthought. This is about expanding what’s possible for students.”
Learn. Work. Thrive. Powered by ConnectAIQ.
The combination builds on API’s Learn, Work, Thrive framework: a single student journey from the classroom abroad to the first step of a global career. TIG significantly strengthens the Work pillar, and ConnectAIQ brings all three together.
Learn: Study Abroad. API celebrates 30 years of academic excellence abroad in 2027, and that anniversary is a testament to the company’s commitment to students. API’s commitment to access, safety, and career relevance underpins every pillar of its strategy.
Work: Global Internships, strengthened by The Intern Group. TIG brings that same commitment to students with 15 years of placement expertise and a network of thousands of host organizations across nine global cities and remotely, expanding API’s geographic reach and employer network. Students can complete a stand-alone international internship or pair one with a semester or summer abroad, building professional skills and international networks across a wide range of career fields.
Thrive: Career Readiness. Confidence, capability, and global citizenship that last. By connecting study and work, students return with real professional experience and a clear story to tell employers, on a timeline built around academic calendars and time to degree.
Powered by ConnectAIQ. API’s student-first, mobile-first, AI-enabled platform powers the entire journey. Students don’t start with a form. They start with themselves: their interests, academic goals, financial reality, and career aspirations. ConnectAIQ matches them with personalized study abroad and, now, TIG’s internship options, while everything they see stays aligned with university policies, academic requirements, and approvals.
What This Means for Universities
Institutions are being asked to do more with less: improve access, prove outcomes, support student well-being, and demonstrate career relevance. API’s more than 800 member and affiliate institutions now gain one trusted partner for all three pillars, from study abroad to global internships to career readiness. ConnectAIQ lets universities scale that impact without scaling complexity, simplifying advising and program discovery, supporting program design and approvals, integrating scholarships and affordability tools, and showing who is participating, who isn’t, and why.
TIG’s more than 150 university partners around the world gain new pathways for their students to access API’s accredited study abroad programs. Existing agreements with both API and TIG continue unchanged.
“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t,” said David Lloyd, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Intern Group. “Our students have always gone abroad to launch careers. As the ‘Work’ in API’s Learn, Work, Thrive journey, our internships can now reach far more students, connected to their studies and supported by ConnectAIQ.”
About Academic Programs International (API)
Founded in 1997 and based in Austin, Texas, Academic Programs International (API) exists to expand access to life-changing global experiences. Through its Learn, Work, Thrive framework, API connects study abroad, global internships, and career readiness for students at more than 800 member and affiliate institutions, with academically strong, fully accredited programs in nearly 80 cities across 30 countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East. ConnectAIQ, API’s student-first, AI-enabled platform, powers the journey, giving students personalization and clarity and giving universities oversight, governance, and data. Its new division, API Intern Group, was founded in 2011 and will continue to be a leading provider of international internship and career-focused experiences.
