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Getting into the Disney College Program doesn’t require a wish upon a star.
Four past participants in Disney’s internship for college students and recent grads say that energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity are the keys to getting accepted into the Magic Kingdom.
The Disney College Program alumni said applicants should be ready to gush about their favorite Disney character or park ride in an interview — and share whether they can handle the heat.
These alumni recently spoke with Business Insider about the best practices for applying and interviewing for Disney’s internship program, and how to succeed in it. Disney started accepting applications for its class of 2026 this week.
Disney’s college program places students enrolled at a university or who’ve graduated in the last two years in different positions across Disney World for four to eight months. Afterward, some participants stay in the program for up to a year or stay on at Disney part-time or full-time.
Each of the program participants — who started from 2021 to 2024 — said they had a positive experience and stayed on at Disney World as “cast members,” or employees.
The Disney internship isn’t just for Disney superfans and can be a strong résumé builder for those who don’t live for the Mouse House, these alumni said. One said they had applied as a backup plan after hearing about it from a parent, and another just wanted a change of scenery.
“It set me up with almost everything I needed in life, to get out of where I was,” a Disney World employee who started in 2021 said.
How to stand out and nail the interview
Applying to the Disney College Program is a simple process, the alumni said. (Candidates must be authorized to work in the US and conform to the “Disney Look” guidelines.)
Students fill out the application online and can select their role preferences within Disney World. Applicants are asked if they’d have “low” or “high” interest in custodial, housekeeping, or food and beverage roles before putting in additional positions they’re interested in, like working at attractions or as a character performer.
Within a few weeks, applicants who catch recruiters’ eyes will hear about a phone interview.
Disney’s college program interview is personality-based and relies on situational questions, like how people handle disagreement and respond to failure, two alumni said.
In the interview, applicants should be prepared to problem-solve and share about their motivations, role preferences, and what they hope to gain from the college program.
“They want to see that you have some sort of drive,” said a Disney World worker who started in 2023. High-energy people who are curious and want to serve guests stand out, they added.
Anyone hoping to work at the “Most Magical Place on Earth” should be cheery and ready to bring “unbridled joy” to the interview, as one program veteran put it.
“The interviewer can tell if you’re smiling on the phone,” a 2024 program participant said.
Applicants should be prepared to talk about their favorite Disney characters and properties — and may even be asked point-blank how they would deal with the Orlando summer heat.
Those who get into the Disney College Program and hope to stay on after should be reliable and show up to work on time to avoid discipline, alumni said.
College program pros and cons
Program participants’ pay will start at $18 per hour in 2026, up from $17 and $16 in past years, and is in line with what many Disney World employees earn. Interns are paid weekly, as are the other staffers.
Life at Disney isn’t cheap. Disney World interns, and some employees, live in the dormitory-style residence Flamingo Crossings Village, which costs $227 to $275 per week, or approximately $1,000 to $1,200 per month. On an $18 per hour wage, that can add up.
Still, Disney World employees said Flamingo Crossings is first-rate and in a convenient location. It also has amenities like pools, a 24-hour gym, basketball and volleyball courts, and grills.
One downside of the program for alumni was the work hours and schedules. Disney World interns should expect to work five days a week, and several said college students often get stuck with the worst shifts.
“The joke is that ‘CP’ doesn’t stand for ‘college program,’ but ‘closing position’ — because we always work late,” the 2024 program participant said.
The alumni said one of the best parts of the job was working to bring joy to families, some of whom have saved for years to enjoy the parks.
One alumnus said that while park employees have plenty of pins to hand out, when a little boy gets one on his birthday, it can feel like it’s just for him.
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