The Center for Career Engagement is committed to supporting students in pursuing internships as an important step in gaining valuable professional experience. The Summer Internship Fund provides financial awards to undergraduate students to help alleviate the costs associated with completing unpaid or low-paid summer internships.
The Summer Internship Fund is not intended to cover the full costs associated with a summer internship. Students can apply for awards from the Center for Career Engagement Internship Fund in the spring semester for upcoming summer internship opportunities.
Due to a high demand for internship support, the Center for Career Engagement is only able to accept applications from current undergraduate students returning in the fall to support their summer internships. Please note that funding is limited and priority will be given to students with demonstrated financial need.
If you are interested in an internship during the academic year, please schedule an appointment with a career coach to discuss your career goals and explore internship search strategies. You can find paid on-campus employment opportunities posted on Handshake.
Eligibility Requirements
Students should have a direct supervisor who will provide ongoing support, coaching, and mentorship thoughout the summer internship.
Time Commitment
Minimum 160 Hours (or minimum hours met within a 6 week timeframe)
Summer internships should occur between the months of May and August.
Location
In-person & hybrid internship opportunities will receive priority consideration.
All internships must be externally offered by non WashU departments or affiliates.
Funding
Priority consideration will be given for unpaid internship opportunities.
Students with high demonstrated financial need may also receive awards for low-paid internship opportunities with less than $2,500 in compensation.
Ineligible Experiences
- Fee-based internships or study abroad programs- including internships where the host organization charges a fee to apply or participate.
- Political Campaigns
- Unpaid opportunities offered by WashU departments or affiliates
- Startups founded by WashU students and alumni should seek funding from the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
- WashU internship, fellowship, and funding programs- students will not receive funding for their internship or fellowship from multiple WashU funding programs simultaneously. Students are ineligible if they are receiving funding for summer opportunities from other WashU departments/divisions.
Funding and Communication Timeline
Internship Fund Application Deadline: Due April 30, 2026
Applications that meet the following criteria will be considered for a Summer Internship Fund award up to $3,500.
- In-person and hybrid internship opportunities
- Unpaid internship opportunities
- WashU undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need as determined by Financial Aid
Applications that meet the following criteria will be considered for a Summer Internship Fund award up to $1,000.
- In-person, hybrid, or remote internship opportunities
- Unpaid or low-paid internship opportunities. Eligible low-paid opportunities are internship experiences with less than $2,500 in compensation. Students must have demonstrated financial need to be considered for a low-paid internship award
- All WashU undergraduate students (with or without) demonstrated financial need as determined by Financial Aid
**Late applications may be accepted and reviewed based on any available funding once awards have been distributed.
Communication Timeline
Committee Review:
2-3 weeks following application deadline.
Applications will be reviewed for eligibility requirements on a rolling basis.
Award Communication:
All awarded and unawarded applicants will be informed of their status by the first week of June.
Award Distribution:
Awards will be distributed via direct deposit or paper check starting June 30th.
Application Materials
The following items are needed to complete the Summer Internship Application
- Internship Supervisor Name & Contact information
- Internship Opportunity Link: Helps the committee review the opportunity for eligibility
- Total Hours for summer internship
- Unpaid/Paid information: Total summer earnings and hourly pay (hourly pay not required)
- Short Essay: The CCE’s mission is to help students secure pre-professional experiences related to their future career or career journey.
- Summer Internship Offer Letter
- Refer to the FAQ section to see offer letter examples.
- Report their summer internship in WashU Career Insights platform here: washu.12twenty.com
Applications for the 2026 Summer Internship Fund cohort will open in January !
Step 1. Log in to the website via your WUSTL Key to begin the application.
Step 2. Complete the application.
*CCE Tip: Write your application essays in a Word document. This will help with spell check, formatting, and if you run into any issues with the application system.
Step 3. Submit the application.
*Once you have submitted your application, a confirmation similar to the one below will be emailed to you. If you do not receive a confirmation email, your application was not successfully submitted. Example of confirmation email;
Please login to complete the application
Awarded Student Requirements
Summer Internship Funding recipients must complete pre-departure and post-experience items. Details will be emailed to all recipients who receive funding with deadlines for completion.
- Students will be required to attend a pre-departure meeting with Maria Bruns to submit paperwork, set goals, and prep for the summer.
- Students will be required to submit a thank-you note to the program donors, and can volunteer to be featured on our student spotlight page.
- Students will be required to fill out a post-evaluation survey. Details will be emailed at the end of the summer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Applications will be quickly reviewed for eligibility requirements, and students will be notified if they do not qualify. Once the deadline has passed, all applications will be reviewed in depth for funding decisions.
This funding award is required to be considered as part of your financial aid award for the upcoming school year. Student Financial Services is notified of all awards, and must review to ensure compliance with federal regulations. As each situation is unique, please reach out to your SFS Counselor to discuss any potential impacts. You can find your financial aid counselor here: https://financialaid.washu.edu/contact-us/.
Reporting Stipend Income On Your Tax Return: https://financialservices.wustl.edu/wfin-topic/payroll/tax-issues-fellowship-stipend-recipients/reporting-stipend-income/
Students planning to conduct an internship abroad must read the University’s International Travel Policy and register their trip in WashU’s International Travel Registry through Global Travel Safety, regardless of funding. Per the University’s International Travel Policy, Travel Suspension Conditions apply to certain countries and regions, making experiences in these locations ineligible for funding.
Your offer letter should include;
- Position Title
- Length of internship: Start date and end date or length in weeks
- Hours per week: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday thru Friday or 35 hours a week
- Internship Format: In-Person, Hybrid, Virtual
- Compensation: Unpaid or compensation per hour or week.
- Any relevant information from your internship organization.
This allows our committee to review your offer letter and determine your eligibility for the fund. Review our offer letter examples if needed: (please note pertinent information has been redacted or changed to protect student and employer confidentiality. These are to be used as example offer letters that have been submitted and meet the requirements)
This also allows students to review what will be expected of them during the summer and ways to add skills to their resume. If at any point their duties change during the duration of their opportunity, they can also take note and add them to their resume.
To be considered for funding, students must submit all required application materials at the time of submission. Incomplete applications; including missing offer letters, budgets, or other supporting documents will not be eligible for review.
Students may receive Center for Career Engagement funding (Summer Internship Fund & Chancellors Career Fellows funding) up to two times throughout their undergraduate career. While we do understand how impactful this funding is in helping your career journey, we want to be able to assist as many students as possible.
We encourage students who have previously received funding to meet with their career coach to explore alternative funding options to support their career goals.
No, unfortunately, if the opportunity is tied to costs associated with participating (tuition per credit hour) it is not eligible for funding.
The Center for Career Engagement aims to fund as many students as possible while prioritizing students of high financial need. The CCE receives hundreds of applications during our application period. Students should apply with an understanding that not everyone will be awarded. If you need help with budgeting for an unpaid summer opportunity, please visit the Office of Financial Well-being.
Questions about the Summer Internship Fund?
For questions about the Summer Internship Fund, contact Maria Bruns, Assistant Director, Internships & Experiential Learning in the Center for Career Engagement, or attend our info sessions or drop-in hours.