Disney College Program

The Disney College Program is a U.S. national internship program operated by The Walt Disney Company, located at the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort. The Disney College Program recruits students (18 years and older) and all majors for a semester-long paid internship program working at the Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort

The first Disney College Program began in 1981. In the early days, the College Program consisted of just over 200 students from 20 schools working in only one theme park, the Magic Kingdom. At that time it was known as The Magic Kingdom College Program (MKCP). In October 1982, program participants could work at Epcot as well as the Magic Kingdom and the program was known as The Walt Disney World College Program, employing approximately 500 college students each spring, summer and fall session. From the beginning of the program until 1988, almost all program participants stayed in an off-property mobile home park called Snow White Village Campground (the remainder in Lake Vista Village apartments) in nearby Kissimmee, Florida. 1987 saw the opening of Vista Way apartments, which were much closer to the participants' employment. Following the resort's massive growth in the 1990s and the widespread popularity of the internet, the College Program has grown substantially, seeing three new participant housing complexes built and many more colleges represented. As of 2005, 8,000 students have participated each year, representing at least 301 colleges and universities with an average of 4,000 students at any given time.

In the Autumn of 2004, student opportunities at Disneyland were combined with the opportunities available at Walt Disney World. The program was renamed to the Disney Theme Parks and Resorts College Program. Currently, the program is being promoted as, simply, the Disney College Program.

There are specific requirements a student must meet before applying for the Disney College Program. All students must be of 18 years or older before the expected day of arrival. Students must be enrolled in an accredited university or college as a full-time or part-time student, and actively taking classes. Students may also participate in the semester immediately following graduation. Students must complete at least one semester of university or college before entering the Disney College Program, but can apply during their first semester for participation in the program during their second semester. In the case of schools with additional requirement criteria, a student must meet all of those eligibilities before being considered by the program.

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