Internship Funding

Funding for Unpaid Internships: Summer 2025

Grant funding is available for full-time summer internships that:

  • Are approved for academic course credit
  • Are unpaid by the employer
    • Supplemental funding is available for internships that are paid by the employer, when the pay rate is not sufficient to cover expenses at the specified level, or for internships that are only partially funded by other programs (i.e. Bonner Scholars, EPG, etc.)
  • Provide 300-400 total work hours within a period of 8-10 consecutive weeks. Interns are expected to work the dates and number of hours specified by the employer.

The level of funding is determined by the type of internship (in-person or remote) and the city/geographic area within the contiguous states. The amounts are sufficient to generously cover the typical costs of roundtrip travel, housing, commuting, meals, and personal expenses for 8-10 weeks, and an internship enhancement allowance of $500 that may be used at the intern’s discretion. International students who normally have 14% taxes deducted from labor earnings should also expect a 14% deduction from internship funding, so they may need personal funds to make up the difference. Adjustments to the deposit will be made in some cases for airfare or other expenses deemed necessary by staff. Funding will also be adjusted to deduct payments from other sources, such as employer compensation. Internships under existing program agreements will be funded according to the agreement in place (i.e. Shepherd Internship Program, Aspirnaut and Pipeline Internship Programs, Central City Opera, and others).

The Internship Program staff will create a DocuSign Funding Form during the final meeting. The total amount of the student’s estimated expenses (transportation, housing, meals, and personal expenses) should be less than or equal to the level of funding specified for the type of internship and geographic area.

The direct deposit of funding occurs approximately 2 weeks after the final approval meeting with Internship Program staff. Funding is awarded in advance on a good-faith basis, and assumes successful completion of all internship requirements and a grade of A, B, or C.

Level 1 Grant: Housing Provided by Employer
in-person internship
 Funding           $3,000*
*with possible adjustment for transportation
Level 2 Grant: Remote, Low-Cost Area, On-Campus, at Home,
or with Relatives/Family Friends
Funding             $4,500
Level 3 Grant: Moderate Cost Area
e.g. Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Atlanta, etc.
Funding                 $6,000
Level 4 Grant: Moderate-to-High Cost Area
e.g. Nashville, Denver, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., etc.
Funding                  $7,500*
*with possible adjustment for transportation
Level 5 Grant: High-Cost Area
in-person internship
e.g. New York, Boston, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Diego, Los Angeles, etc.
Funding                  $8,500*
*with possible adjustment for transportation