Dozens of Italian university students will soon begin contributing to WordPress project as part of a new internship program launched by the WordPress Foundation.

WordPress Credits offers university students a structured pathway into the open source project, combining training with mentored, hands-on contributions to WordPress Make teams.

The pilot, developed in partnership with the University of Pisa, will kick off this fall with 25–40 linguistics students — and is already attracting interest from other departments at the university, according to alumnus Isotta Peira, who launched the program

on WordPress.org this week.

“While WordPress thrives on contributions from a global volunteer community, many students and newcomers face barriers to entry, such as a lack of structured guidance or real-world experience in open source projects,” said Peira, an Automattic-sponsored contributor and WordPress Foundation officer. “This new program is designed to bridge that gap, nurturing future contributors and ensuring WordPress remains innovative, inclusive, and sustainable for years to come.”

Announced on stage at WordCamp Europe 2025 by WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard and project co-founder Matt Mullenweg, WordPress Credits combines training, mentorship, and project-based work. Students will get an introduction to open source principles and key tools — including Slack, GitHub, and Make blogs — before choosing a contribution area and designing their own personal project.

Possible projects include translating documentation, writing or editing content, organizing community events, contributing code, testing, or creating educational materials for Learn WordPress. Each student will be paired with a mentor in their chosen area and supported by the Foundation.

All student contributions, whether code, translations, documentation, or educational materials, will be publicly visible and integrated into official WordPress projects and resources, directly benefiting the wider community, Peira said.

At the University of Pisa, students will complete 150 hours of contributions — part of a year-round internship model the university already supports. Other institutions will be able to adapt the structure to match semester schedules or credit requirements.

On LinkedIn, Peira thanked the University of Pisa — specifically, the Department of Philology, Literature and Linguistics — for being the first institution to join the program. She credited Weglot’s Elodie Labrousse with sparking the first collaboration. Peira also thanked Weglot for sponsoring Francesco Di Candia and Celi Garoe, who will join her in running the program.

While feedback from Pisa has been positive, the scale of the pilot prompted questions at this week’s core committers meeting with project leadership. Committers were told that onboarding, mentorship, and scoping work is underway to ensure students have a positive and productive experience, with further planning to take place in public to ensure contributors, mentors, and community members have clear expectations and support.

Peira said the foundation is now inviting more universities to participate and is also calling on WordPress companies to get involved by sponsoring mentors or providing tools and infrastructure.

The new program follows the recent launch of Campus Connect, a separate initiative bringing WordPress education to schools. Together, they reflect a shift toward more deliberate student outreach, and a long-term investment in the next generation of contributors.

Photo by Michael Wise on Unsplash.

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