USF Tampa Engineering, AI & Tech Career Fair – Fall 2026
USF's tech-only fair is the single best day of the fall for Tampa software students.
4103 USF Cedar Cir, Tampa, FL 33620
What this event is
USF's Engineering, AI & Tech Career Fair runs 11 AM to 3 PM on September 29 at the Marshall Student Center for students in engineering, AI and technology. Employers recruit for jobs and internships and students register through USF Handshake (career fair 66117). A separate Civil Engineering fair follows on September 30.
Roles you will actually see
Who should go
USF computer science, computer engineering, AI and IT students and recent grads.
Tampa's big tech employers recruit at USF before anywhere else, so this fair beats any hotel job fair by a mile. Go early, because the fintech and healthtech booths get long lines by noon. Defense contractors are heavy in Tampa and mostly need citizenship, so if you need sponsorship, prioritize the banks, insurers and software firms. Follow up on Handshake the same day.
Show up prepared
- 1Register on USF Handshake and star target employers
- 2Print ten resumes and load a portfolio on your phone
- 3Draft a tailored follow-up message before the fair so you send it that night
Sponsorship reality
Sponsorship varies by employer. No organizer publishes sponsorship. Check each employer you plan to meet against H-1B disclosure data before you go, and ask in the first two minutes so neither side wastes the conversation.
Showing up is half of it.
The other half is being first to the roles these employers post, and having something real to show when you get there.
See roles the minute they go live, tailor one resume per employer, and reach the hiring manager directly. Walk into the event as a follow-up, not a stranger.
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