WordPress Credits: Contribution Program for Students

WordPress Credits is a contribution-based practice program by the WordPress Foundation that brings students into the heart of the WordPress open sourceOpen Source Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project. The program helps students develop transferable skills, gain practical experience, and join a global community of open source contributors.

Through the program, students collaborate with volunteers and professionals from companies in the WordPress ecosystem. While we encourage connections that could lead to paid opportunities, the program itself does not offer compensation.

What Is the Program?

WordPress Credits is designed to help students gain real-world experience contributing to WordPress, while fulfilling academic requirements. The program offers:

Structured onboarding
Mentorship by experienced contributors
Hands-on, personalized contribution projects
Public visibility of all contributions
Flexible arrangements with educational institutions around the world

The program was launched in partnership with the University of Pisa and announced on stage at WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They’re one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2025. Since then, it has received growing interest from students, academic institutions, and companies across the WordPress ecosystem.

Two tracks to fit your program

WordPress Credits is offered in two formats, so institutions can match the program to their academic requirements and the time students have available.

WordPress Credits — 50 hours. A condensed track built around a single guided contribution project. A good fit for shorter modules, electives, or a first introduction to open source.

WordPress Credits — 150+ hours. The full program. It starts at a minimum of 150 hours and can be extended to fit an institution’s needs (so far we’ve run it up to 400 hours). It includes everything in the condensed track plus extra onboarding courses, building a personal website with regular progress updates, mid-course feedback, and active participation in the global WordPress community and events. A good fit for internships, capstone projects, or a full-semester course.

Both tracks finish the same way: students present their work, complete a feedback form, and receive a certificate.

Download the document to compare both paths:

WordPress Credits – Program Comparison (50h vs 150h)Download

Who Can Join?

The program is open to:

Students from all fields of study
Educational institutions interested in integrating open source contribution into their academic curriculum
Companies and sponsors interested in supporting student learning and mentorship

Partner Institutions

WordPress Credits is made possible thanks to the collaboration of forward-thinking institutions that recognize the value of open source education. Together, we are bridging academia and real-world contribution by integrating WordPress into academic programs and traineeship pathways.

Our current partners include, in order of affiliation date:

University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy)
Fidélitas University (San José, Costa Rica)
Franz Tamayo University (Unifranz) (Santa Cruz – Cochabamba, Bolivia)
Riga Nordic University (Riga, Latvia)
Ahmad’s Education (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Krakow University of Economics (Krakow, Poland)
Cracow University of Technology (Krakow, Poland)
Central New Mexico Community College (Albuquerque, New Mexico, US)
IES Azarquiel (Toledo, Spain)
Creative Campus – Universidad Europea (Toledo, Spain)
Drew University (Madison, New Jersey, US)
Escuela de Arte Toledo (Toledo, Spain)
Escuela de Arte de Huesca (Huesca, Spain)
ERAP Research and Learning LLP (Kolkata, India)
Juraj Dobrila University of Pula (Pula, Croatia)
Escuela de Arte de Zaragoza (Zaragoza, Spain)
IES Venancio Blanco (Salamanca, Spain)
Zaragoza Dinámica (Zaragoza, Spain)
D Y Patil Agriculture and Technical University, (Talsande, Kolhapur), India
Instituto de Educación Secundaria Mar de Alborán
ERAP Research and Learning LLP, Kolkata, India
IES Venancio Blanco
Juraj Dobrila University of Pula
CPR Liceo La Paz
Wschodnioeuropejska Akademia Nauk Stosowanych w Białymstoku
E-zone School of Computing
Liceo HHC Experimental Bilingue José Figueres Ferrer
Universidad de Diseño Innovación y Tecnología – UDIT
Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences
CNM Ingenuity
Texas International College, Kathmandu, Nepal
DYPSEM – D Y Patil School of Engineering and Management (Kasaba Bawada, Kolhapur), India

Each institution plays a key role in helping students gain hands-on experience, develop professional skills, and contribute to one of the world’s most influential open source projects.

Program Structure

The program can run for an academic semester (typically 3–4 months) or follow flexible formats based on the institution’s requirements. For example, the University of Pisa allows year-round participation with a contribution goal of 150 hours.

Flexible ways to integrate WordPress Credits

Each institution decides how the program fits its academic structure. The most common approaches are:

As an internship — students complete supervised hours that count toward an internship or work-placement requirement.
As an embedded module — integrate the program, or selected courses from it, into an existing subject.
As a pre-graduation project — use it as the practical or capstone project students complete before finishing their studies.
As an elective or extracurricular credit — offer it as a standalone elective.

These are the most common models, not the only ones. We’re happy to discuss any arrangement that works for your institution — our goal is for the time and work students invest to be formally recognized by their school or university.

Each program includes three main phases. Below is an example from the pilot program with the University of Pisa, where students complete 150 hours of contributions over 15 weeks, averaging 10 hours per week:

1. Onboarding

Students receive foundational training and become familiar with the tools and culture of the WordPress community.

Create your WordPress profile
Complete the courses
Join the WordPress team on the global Slack
- Join your country based team on the local SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/
Connect with your mentor

Depending on prior experience, students complete one of the following learning paths:

Beginner WordPress User
Intermediate WordPress User
Advanced WordPress User
Create your personal website to document your journey

2. Project Work

Students design and complete a contribution project aligned with their skills and interests.

Define and begin developing your personal contribution project
Publish regular updates on your personal website
Participate in at least one WordPress team meeting
Host/speak at a WP event (online or in person) to share and connect with the community
Join mentor check-ins for guidance and reflection
Join WPF check-ins to stay aligned with the program goals

Examples of contribution projects include (but are not limited to):

Translating interfaces or documentation
Creating multilingual subtitles for educational videos
Writing or editing content
Assisting with community event organization
Developing training materials for Learn WordPress
Contributing code or performing testing
Supporting product development or design
Creating open source tools

3. Wrap-up

Students complete the program with a final reflection and evaluation.

Prepare and deliver a final presentation (remote or in person)
Submit feedback to help improve the program
Ensure their project and site are complete and publicly accessible

Mentorship and Support

Each student is paired with a mentor. A dedicated WordPress Foundation contact ensures alignment with program goals and academic requirements. Mentorship includes guidance, feedback, and regular check-ins.

Tracking Your Progress

All students track time spent on each task and project activity. This data helps the WordPress Foundation improve the program and report on its impact.

Get Involved

Universities and educational institutions interested in participating can reach out by filling the interest form.
Students from our partner institutions, visit the Student guide and apply to join the program.
Teachers and community members interested in guiding the students through the program, please read the Mentor guide and apply to become a mentor.
Community members interested in learning more and help with admin tasks, please join the team at the #wpcredits Slack channel.
Companies and sponsors, please visit the Sponsor guide and decide how to support the program:
- Sponsoring mentors
- Providing tools or learning resources
- Offering project-based funding

Company	Product	Offer
WordPress.comWordPress.com An online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/	Hosting	Domain + 1 year of free hosting + 50% off renewal
Weglot	PluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.	One year of Weglot’s Business Plan for free (€290 value) to translate your website
Cloud86	Hosting	Domain + 1 year of free hosting
WPBakery	Plugin	Free lifetime WPBakery page builder plugin license
Smarthost	Hosting	Domain + 1 year of free hosting
SeoRepairKit	Plugin	100% discount on Yearly Plan
Novamira	Plugin	Lifetime license for Novamira Pro

WordPress Credits: Contribution Program for Students

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