Summer Internship Funding Frequently Asked Questions

• The Harris Internship Fund offers a one-time stipend for full-time*, unpaid internships in the non-profit and public sectors
• The fund is finite, and offered on a competitive basis via an application process
• *Full-time is defined as at least 320 hours over the course of the summer. For example, both an 8-week internship requiring 40 hours per week, and a 10-week internship requiring 32 or more hours per week, would qualify for funding 
  • Internships requiring more than 320 hours do not receive additional funding

• Student eligibility: Harris 2- and 3-year full time program candidates are eligible to receive funding one time, and must utilize the fund when they are still a full-time enrolled student (not eligible after graduation or during their final quarter)
  • MPPs: Eligible
    • If you are a Pearson Fellow, you are eligible for Pearson's summer internship funding and should apply directly to that tailored funding program. As a result, Pearson Fellows are not eligible to apply for the Harris Summer Internship Fund
  • MSCAPPs: Eligible
  • MACRMs: Eligible
  • MAs: Ineligible
  • EMPs: Ineligible
  • PhDs: Ineligible

• Students are only eligible to receive funding from one university source for one internship opportunity, regardless of the total number of internships
  • You may consider applying to opportunities with the Institute of Politics (IOP), among others. However, you may only receive funding from one on-campus source

• The Harris Internship Fund provides a one-time, lump-sum payment of $6,000.00 USD.

• Travel costs will not be considered separately from the total award stipend. The one-time, lump sum of $6,000 is the maximum funding that can be received

• If you are an international candidate and are awarded Summer Internship Funding, be sure to check with Harris Financial Aid (harrisfinancialaid@uchicago.edu) to ensure that taxes are appropriately handled

The application portal will be available as on Friday, March 15, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. (CDT)

All application materials must be submitted by Monday, April 15, 2024 | 11:59 p.m. (CDT)

All applicants will be notified of their application status on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 | 5:00 p.m. (CDT)

All awardees must confirm their acceptance of summer funding by Sunday, May 5, 2024 | 5:00 p.m. (CDT)

All awardees must submit their necessary financial paperwork by Friday, May 10, 2024 | 5:00 p.m. (CDT)

• There will be one funding round. Applications will be open between March 15 and April 15, 2024. All applicants will be notified of their award status on May 1, 2024 and will be prompted to complete necessary financial paperwork by May 10, 2024.

• Given the competitive nature of this opportunity, CDO will only be reviewing applications that are completed and include an internship offer letter by the application due date of April 15, 2024
• CDO is available to assist students in considering appropriate funding alternatives and/or alternative internship search strategies if the timeline of the Summer Internship Fund does not align with opportunities of interest
• Consider applying to the IOP and BFIfunding opportunities, if eligible

• You will need your internship offer letter, personal information including UCID number, and you will need to respond to the following essay prompts:
  • What are the key internship responsibilities, skills to be developed and deliverables? (Up to 100 words)
  • Why are you interested in working with this particular organization? (Up to 150 words)
  • How will this opportunity build upon and/or complement your Harris education? (Up to 150 words)
  • How will completing this internship advance your long-term career goals? (Up to 150)

Here are some key resources that can support you in your internship search:

• Job Search Fundamentals
• Job Application Materials
• Networking Fundamentals
• Interview Preparation
• Offer Negotiation Fundamentals
• Personal Branding
• Professional Development & What’s Next
• Effective AI Use
• You may also book a one-on-one coaching session to get personalized guidance

• Please utilize this response for your employer: “The Harris Career Development Office offers funding on a competitive basis for unpaid internships. In order to apply, candidates must have a written offer – please use our Offer Letter PDF Generator to view and complete the full list of requested details for a student’s offer. Please contact harriscdo@uchicago.edu if you have any questions.”

• Read the email carefully to follow the instructions for your funding application
• Enter the unique code when prompted on your application

• The total number of hours for the internship must equal a minimum of 320 hours to qualify for funding
• CDO establishes at least 30 hours per week as full-time

• Internships will only be considered for funding as a single role/internship offer. Multiple part-time or brief-duration internships combined to make full-time will not be considered.

• Only internships at nonprofit or public organizations will be considered. Nonprofit-focused arms or projects at for-profit organizations will not be considered

• All candidates will initially be reviewed for eligibility
• Then, each eligible candidate will be scored on an Internship Funding Application Rubric.

• All applicants will be notified of their award status on May 1, 2024

• All applicants will be notified of their award status on May 1, 2024

• Candidates who are not initially awarded a stipend but have a compelling application, may be placed on a waitlist depending on availability of funds

• Please refer to your application completion notification email for payment instructions, due dates, and any remaining next steps

• Please contact Harris Financial Aid (harrisfinancialaid@uchicago.edu) if you have any issues with any materials pertaining to Workday or Payroll.

• Candidates who do not provide the necessary financial paperwork as instructed by May 10, 2024 may have their funding award withdrawn 

• The IOP
• The Becker Friedman Institute (BFI)

• We are not aware of any specific outside funding sources for internship funding. If you encounter a funding source that we should share with Harris candidates, please feel free to contact us at HarrisCDO@uchicago.edu

• Congratulations on your offer! There may be an opportunity to negotiate. Feel free to book a session with a career coach for personalized guidance