Internship Funding

Summer 2024 Policies

Policies and application information have been updated for summer 2024. Please review all policies prior to submitting your application or intent to apply. There is important information below so please send any questions to sif@hamilton.edu. 

• Students must have a secured opportunity in order to apply for funding, but students who have not yet secured an opportunity should submit an intent to apply. An intent to apply is not required but is encouraged, so we have a sense of how many applicants we may have. Also, we will use your intent to apply to send you opportunities based on your interests and provide support to help you with your search. The link to the form will be available after February 1, 2024.
• Students on financial aid may be eligible for an additional supplemental stipend. Those students will not need to submit any further documentation. The committee will review all eligible applicants. If awarded, the supplemental amount will be distributed when all required final reports are submitted at the end of the summer/opportunity.
• Funding is available to first-years, sophomores, and juniors. We do not provide funding for graduating seniors. 
• While there is no set deadline, we will review applications and award eligible students for as long as funds remain. A notice will be sent when we are no longer able to accept applications/fund more students. No retroactive funding will be issued. Students must apply prior to starting the opportunity. 
• Students are eligible to receive funding more than once during their time at Hamilton College as long as there are available funds. However, students who have not received funding will be prioritized.
• Opportunities (including remote) must take place after classes have ended and conclude by the time classes resume in August. The funding period will be between May 20 and August 16. You may be funded for a maximum of 12 weeks, and we will not approve or include weeks/hours that occur during the academic year. The committee will not accept applications or additional requests for funding after the funding period or once the internship has concluded.
• Students cannot receive funding to work for a family business or be supervised by a family member or other person sharing a significant relationship with the student.
• COVID-19 and International restrictions: If you are considering international opportunities, the college does not allow travel to State Department Level 4 destinations. The committee will review international opportunities for any travel restrictions regarding terrorism, civil unrest, or country-specific COVID-19 restrictions prior to approval.
• Students are not eligible for funding while on personal leave from the college during spring prior to or fall following the funding period. Students participating in college-approved off-campus study still qualify (e.g. abroad programs). If you are unsure, please email sif@hamilton.edu
• Funding cannot be provided for Hamilton College’s on-campus research projects or departmental positions. Additionally, students can only accept one form of funding. Example: A student who has accepted an Emerson grant or Levitt funding is not eligible to receive internship funding or participate in both opportunities.
• Unpaid or minimally paid:  examples of minimally paid internships include stipends or hourly wages that do not sufficiently cover cost-of-living expenses. Wages, stipends, or other forms of compensation must be included in your application and will be verified with your internship contact. The committee may deduct any compensation from the potential award. Students may receive “gap” funding if the compensation does not exceed the award amount. Internship Funding is intended to assist with cost-of-living expenses only  (e.g. housing, food, transportation, moving expenses, internet, utilities, required uniform) and is not intended to provide an income. While we do not require students to provide a detailed budget or receipts, students are expected to use their funding to offset their cost-of-living expenses throughout their experience. Tips: get a roommate, pack your lunch, carpool/rideshare, etc.
• Proposals to participate in a tuition-based or fee-based program will be considered only if there is an internship component to the program that meets our hourly requirements. Summer Internship Funding can be offered to cover those expenses related to the internship component of such a program, including transportation, training, housing, and food. 
• The organization must provide supervision and training, and provide exposure to a career field of interest.
• All applicants are required to provide an employer confirmation form from their internship contact. The Google form is included in the application. No funds will be distributed without the appropriate confirmation. This form must be submitted by the employer. Any forms completed by the student will be rejected.
• Requirements for opportunities that are remote or commuting from home:
  • The organization must provide supervision and training. 
  • The minimum number of hours for remote opportunities or commuting from home is 240 hours over a minimum of 6 weeks.  
  • Total stipends can range from $1200-$2400 depending on the number of weeks/hours and if there is compensation. 
• Requirements for opportunities away from home/in a location that requires moving to another city or not commutable from your home address:  
  • The organization must provide supervision and training.
  • The minimum number of hours for opportunities away from home is 240 hours. Opportunities can be arranged in a variety of ways:
    • A combination of 2 or more internships.
    • Work fewer hours per week for a greater number of weeks
    • Work more hours per week for a shorter period 
    • Total stipends can range from $3000-$6000 depending on the number of weeks/hours and whether you receive a stipend or compensation for your work.  

Timeline (approximate)

The following timeline is to serve as a general guide for the selection process. We receive hundreds of applications each year and give each application the same attention in order to consider as many students as possible. Review, notifications, and decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Therefore, we request your patience throughout the process.

February 1: The application process opens. Students must submit their application or intent to apply. Students can update their intent to apply once their opportunity is secured.

March 27: Application review begins. The committee will review all submitted applications to this point. The process will continue as long as funds are available. We will make an announcement if we need to close applications.

April 10: The notification process begins. Applicants will receive a notice of:

• Award - Will include funding contract and amount.
• Waitlist 
• Declined - The most common reasons for a declined application are not enough hours, compensation exceeding the award amount, opportunity not aligning with the policies, or the opportunity is with an on-campus department/research. For summer 2024, students may be declined if funds have been depleted before the time you secure an opportunity.  

The Internship Funding Committee uses a standardized system for prioritizing applicants. The following factors are considered when reviewing applications (updated for summer 2024). 

• Financial need - Financial aid levels are obtained from the Financial Aid office. We assess extenuating circumstances if they are not reflected in an applicant’s reported financial aid level. The Financial Aid office provides the committee with an aid level: 3=high, 2=medium, 1=low, 0=none. We do not review aid documents such as guardians’ taxes, scholarships, etc. 
• Class year 
• Whether a student has received funding in previous years. We will fund a student multiple times as long as funds are available. However, we will prioritize a student who has not received funding yet. 

The application form will be available after February 1, 2024, at which time we will post a link to the funding form. We recommend you use Google Chrome to access the form.

Please see our FAQ section for answers to commonly asked questions. All inquiries must be sent to sif@hamilton.edu.