Allegheny College Internship Funding **Waitlist begins 5/2/23**
***This is the application page for Allegheny College Internship Funding through Career Education***
Important information
Allegheny College is fortunate to have multiple partnerships with generous alumni, their families, and other donors. Based on this generosity, Career Education supports an annual internship funding program to help students intern in variety of places and industries. Funding is not intended to replace, pay, or fully fund internships; rather, this funding is meant to offset the costs associated with housing, transportation, and food for the duration of an internship. All students who receive internship funding are required to share photos, videos, reflections, and/or thank you letters with the College (more information will be available as funding is awarded).
What qualifies as an internship?
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) offers a widely accepted definition of an internship: An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.
Guarantees: Funding is not guaranteed. After a student accepts an internship and they determine that they are in need of financial support, they are encouraged to submit an application for funding as soon as possible.
Rolling Application: The internship funding program accepts applications on a rolling basis (usually between October and May), and summer experiences are prioritized due to the academic schedule and budget limitations.
Limitations: In order to ensure support for as many students as possible when considering available funds, there are some limitations to consider:
- Students must be enrolled full-time to be eligible and must be enrolled full-time for at least one semester after the applicable internship occurs.
- Students who choose to pay tuition at another institution or for third-party services that secure or place a student at an internship are not permitted to use funding from this program to offset such costs.
- Students with no financial need at Allegheny are limited in what they can be awarded through this program. Students can connect with financial aid if unsure about their levels of need. Only after May 1 can students with no financial need be considered for upwards of $500 each - based on budgeted need and availability of funds.
- Students who have been awarded funding through Career Education previously are welcome to reapply; however, there is a maximum amount of funding available per student and students cannot be awarded internship funding more than twice.
Approach to Funding: In order to support as many students as possible through this program, the following rules are necessary:
- Total funding should not exceed $5,000 per student from this program.
- If a student was awarded $5,000 from this program in a previous year, they may not be eligible for additional funds.
- When requesting the same amount, someone with financial need at the College will qualify for more funds than someone with no need.
All applicants need to complete the following for full consideration
- (A) Meeting with a career coach
- (B) Submission of an effective resume
- (C) Submission of an effective cover letter
- (D) Submission of an effective budget
- (E) Submission of an employer verification letter (can be submitted later)
(A) Meeting with a career coach should be set up in advance of a student's application. During this meeting, a career coach will seek initial information on a student's internship plans, provide additional insights on the funding process, guide the student on the Budget Worksheet, etc.
(B) Effective resumes are most likely one page in length, are free from spelling or grammatical errors, and follow general best practices for undergraduate resume writing. Since applicants' resumes are submitted electronically, it is important to avoid use of templates and to think about how best to create or revise a resume so that it is Applicant Tracking System (ATS) friendly.
(C) Effective cover letters are most likely one page or less in length, are free from spelling or grammatical errors, and follow general best practices for cover letter writing. Additionally, cover letters for internship funding should include:
- A brief description of the internship, including name of the company/organization, job title/department, noteworthy persons, places, responsibilities, and hopeful outcomes. Also, include information on affiliated wages and other forms of compensation, such as housing.
- A clear description as to how the upcoming internship aligns with a student's sense of career and self-development within a liberal arts college environment. Be as specific as possible.
- An account of other internship or experiential awards/funding available to you, including other Allegheny funding programs or external grants/scholarships. Include other funding sources that you may be pursuing - if not already known.
- Please include your college ID number at the top of the page.
(D) Effective budgets adhere to the directions and guidelines provided in the Budget Worksheet (attached). It is important that funding requests are specific, reasonable, well-researched, and that appropriate citations or sources are referenced (e.g. a link to roundtrip airfare information, or a link to summer housing options at another college).
(E) Employer verification letters should be sent electronically to Autumn Parker (aparker@allegheny.edu) and can be sent after the application is submitted. Note that funding can only be awarded to students who complete this step. Employer verification letters include:
- Student's name
- Company/Organization name
- Estimated number of internship hours
- Compensation information, including any large non-monetary benefits (like housing)
ALL internship funding applications should be submitted through this posting in Handshake. Be sure to include all required materials for full consideration. If an error is made, connect with Autumn Parker (aparker@allegheny.edu) immediately.