In the US, internships have very specific laws around who is eligible for them, especially for unpaid internships[1]. This has been coupled with a large number of allegations about unpaid internships being abused for free labor and much more scrutiny from DA offices and other government orgs. There are state laws that are applicable as well. There either is or was a requirement that the internship be counted toward class credits.

[1] https://www.symplicity.com/employers/campus-recruiting/resou...