Eligibility
Who is eligible to apply for funding?
Students applying for Career Services Summer Funding must:
- Be a currently-enrolled, full-time, undergraduate Penn student returning to Penn for the Fall 2024 semester
- Graduating students and students who are on leave during the spring 2024 semester are not eligible to apply
- Receive financial aid from Penn and have a family income over $75,000
- Students who are Highly Aided (receiving financial aid from Penn and family income less than $75,000) should apply through the Highly Aided Summer Funding program, not through Career Services
- Have an offer for a summer opportunity such as an internship, service program, or research opportunity
- Opportunities must be at least least 8 weeks in length and at least 30 hours per week
- You must attach the offer letter to Career Services with your application to be considered
- Study abroad programs and summer courses, even those with an internship or volunteer component, are not eligible for funding
- Fee-based internship programs are not eligible for funding
- Be willing to write a brief (450 word) summary of your experience at the end of the summer, which will be shared with our donors and posted on our blog
- Please note that no documentation is required to apply
- Applicants can be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, international students, DACAmented students, or undocumented students
I have received or am still also applying for other funding. Can I still apply?
Yes, you may still apply for Career Services Summer Funding Award if you are also applying for other sources of funding. However, so that we may fund as many applicants as possible, we require that applicants disclose where else they are applying for funding, and if applicants receive alternate sources of funding before the decision about Career Services funding is made, they are required to send an update to Gareth Bohn at garethb@upenn.edu with that information as soon as possible. We also require applicants who have already received awards to partially fund their summer experience to disclose the amount in their Career Services application. While we will review and consider such applications (as long as they do not include a program fee), the maximum combined award cannot exceed $5,000.
I have received summer funding from Career Services before. Can I still apply?
Yes, applicants who have previously received funding from Career Services can re-apply and will be considered but preference will be given to those who have not yet received funding from our office. Students may only receive funding from Career Services twice during their time at Penn.
I need funding to cover a summer course which includes a volunteer or internship component. Am I eligible for funding?
No.
I need to earn money this summer to support myself during the academic year. Can I apply for funding to cover those costs?
Unfortunately, no. Summer funding is awarded only to support costs associated with summer experiences.
I am applying for an opportunity that requires a fee. Am I eligible for funding?
Opportunities that charge a fee are not eligible for Career Services summer funding.
I am a first-year student. Can I still apply for summer funding?
Yes.
What if I am receiving a summer stipend/salary but it is not enough to cover my expenses? Can I still apply?
Yes, summer funding is designed to offset costs associated with your summer experience. You will be asked to account for a budget of expenses as well as to share your summer stipend/salary.
Can I apply with an international opportunity?
Yes; if you are accepted for Career Services Summer Funding, you will be required to register your trip with Penn in order to best receive support should you need it while abroad.
Is there a requirement about the length of the summer experience?
Summer experiences must be a minimum of eight weeks in length and a minimum of 30 hours per week.
Application
How do I apply?
Please consult our How to Apply section for more details on what is required.
What if I have not yet secured my summer opportunity?
Students must have confirmation of an offer of their summer experience in order to apply for Career Services Summer Funding. This confirmation can be a formal offer letter or an email confirmation of the summer experience from your direct supervisor or human resources department. Documentation confirming your offer of this opportunity must be included in the PDF that you submit with your application.
I submitted an application for funding but am no longer pursuing that opportunity or have received other sources of funding. How do I withdraw my application?
Please email Gareth Bohn at garethb@upenn.edu to inform Career Services of your change in status regarding your application request.
I am considering more than one summer experience opportunity. How many summer funding applications may I submit?
Please only submit one summer funding application. If you have offers for more than one opportunity, you may indicate that as part of your application and explain in your essay how they each fit into your career interests. However, you may only submit one budget and so Career Services can only consider multiple opportunities in the same location (i.e. with the same approximate costs involved). You may apply for a different opportunity during a later cycle if an earlier application is not accepted. You may not apply for the same opportunity in a subsequent deadline.
Application Review & Awards
Are applications reviewed on a rolling basis or only after the deadlines?
Applications are only reviewed after the application deadlines. All attempts are made to review applications promptly so that decisions regarding funding can be made expeditiously.
When will I be notified if I will receive funding?
See the Deadlines section for information about the timeline of decisions and award disbursements.
How likely am I to receive summer funding?
The application process is competitive. Each year Career Services receives more applications than funding available to meet the demand for requests, though we attempt to fund as many eligible students as possible. Beginning in Summer 2021, SRFS committed an additional $500,000 per year to support summer internship and research experiences for undergraduate middle-income students (for Summer 2024, students receiving financial aid from Penn and family income more than $75,000). Highly aided students should apply directly through the SRFS process and not through the Career Services process.
How many students received funding from Career Services last year?
In 2023, Career Services awarded summer funding to 148 recipients.
I applied for Career Services Summer Funding last year but my application was not successful. Will that count against me if I apply again?
No. Career Services views each application cycle separately.
Can I receive feedback on my summer funding applications from an advisor in Career Services?
Peer Career Advisors are available on a limited basis to offer general feedback on your summer funding application materials – be sure to submit your request as far in advance before the application deadline for the round you plan to apply. We will do our best to review requests submitted in a timely manner before the application deadline, but cannot guarantee review of last-minute requests before each round’s deadline date. If you have a general question about the application/program, please contact Laura Brasch, Associate Director, at lbrasch@upenn.edu.
What is the typical summer funding grant amount from Career Services?
Award amounts vary per awardee up to a maximum of $5,000. In 2023, awards ranged from $500 – $4,500, which was the maximum possible award. The average award amount in 2023 was $3,406.
Why does the application ask about human rights opportunities?
The Turner Schulman Endowed Human Rights Internship Award is granted from our pool of funding to allow Penn students to follow their passions to further human rights causes here and around the globe. Students who are applying for opportunities not related to human rights are not at a disadvantage in receiving funding. (Please note that receiving financial aid from Penn is not a requirement to be considered for the Turner Schulman award.)
More funding info & resources
Are there other summer funding resources at Penn?
There are a number of other sources of funding for summer experiences available at Penn and externally.
Click here to find all the details about Career Services Summer Funding
Click here to view the FAQs for employers
Click here to read blog posts from previous summers’ Career Services Summer Funding recipients
