VCU Internship Funding Program
Will you be participating in an internship this summer that is unpaid or doesn't pay enough to cover your expenses? Don't let your funding needs cause you to miss out on opportunities for personal and professional development. Apply for funding for your summer experience through the VCU Internship Funding Program!
Funding will be awarded as a direct deposit and can be used to supplement costs for travel to your internship, housing, childcare, professional attire, supplies, and more!
Summer 2024 applications are closed. All applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by Friday, April 19. For any other questions, please review of FAQs or email Jeanette Hickl.
Complete and eligible student applications will go through a competitive selection process that includes multiple rounds of review by a committee of approximately 40 faculty and staff from both campuses. Funding is not guaranteed to all applicants, but we hope to support as many students as possible. Awardees will be notified by mid-to-late April, and payments will be dispersed by mid-May.
Questions? Contact VCU Career Services at careers@vcu.edu, and visit our drop-in hours (Tues-Fri, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Commons).
Basic Information
In order to be eligible to apply, students must:
- Be a current VCU undergraduate student.
- IFP funding is not currently available for previous IFP awardees, incoming students, graduating seniors, or alumni.
- Eligibility is not restricted by citizenship. If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (green card holder), you most likely need to obtain visa-related employment authorization before starting an internship of any kind, including an unpaid or a micro-internship. Detailed visa-related guidance about internships for VCU students on F-1 visas is online at GEO's website at Internships and Volunteering and Immigration Guidance for VCU REAL. For more information, please email GEO Immigration Services.
- Eligibility is not restricted by financial aid.
- IFP funding is not currently available for previous IFP awardees, incoming students, graduating seniors, or alumni.
- Applicant may not have any financial holds on their account.
- Plan to enroll for at least one semester (fall 2024) after your funded internship in a VCU undergraduate program or be a continuing student in an accelerated (5-year) Master's program at VCU.
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress during spring 2024.
Eligible internship experiences must:
- Entail working with, for, and paid by an organization external to VCU.
- Internships within or paid by VCU offices/departments will not qualify for IFP funding this year. However, we encourage VCU offices interested in internship support to dedicate their departmental funds to hiring VCU students.
- Internships within or paid by VCU offices/departments will not qualify for IFP funding this year. However, we encourage VCU offices interested in internship support to dedicate their departmental funds to hiring VCU students.
- Be supervised by a professional staff member within the employer organization.
- IFP support cannot be used for entrepreneurial startup funding, pay-to-play programs with required placement fees or tuition to participate in the internship, including abroad except when, as an applicant, you can write about the specifics of your internship and the experience is verified by GEO, SimpleSearch, or unstructured learning experiences.
- IFP support cannot be used for entrepreneurial startup funding, pay-to-play programs with required placement fees or tuition to participate in the internship, including abroad except when, as an applicant, you can write about the specifics of your internship and the experience is verified by GEO, SimpleSearch, or unstructured learning experiences.
- Be unpaid or underpaid based on applicable expenses.
- See the budget worksheet.
To apply, you will need to submit the following:
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A completed application through the RAMS Scholarship Hub (Complete the General Application and then search "VCU Internship Funding Program").
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An outline of your proposed budget using a completed copy of the Budget Worksheet Template. This file is View Only. To make your copy, 1) go to File on the taskbar, 2) scroll down to Download, and 3) select Microsoft Excel (.xlxs). When the file downloads to your computer, name it using your V number and upload the completed version. Check out our budget worksheet tips.
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Answers to three 500-word essay questions.
The Writing Center is available to assist you with your application. Students active in Navigate can schedule one (1) appointment per day up to three (3) days a week. Their call hours for questions or scheduling are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. To reach the Writing Center during these hours, call (804) 828-4851. For questions or concerns outside of those hours, please email writingctr1@vcu.edu, but be aware appointments can only be scheduled through Navigate.
Watch these helpful videos on Financially Planning for a Summer Internship and Summer Housing. Please consider scheduling an appointment with the VCU Financial Success Center by Virginia Credit Union for budget worksheet support. However, please note that funding eligibility is determined by the scholarship review committee only.
Frequently Asked Questions
For answers to Frequently Asked Questions, please refer to this Google document.