Career Exploration and Development

Summer Experience Funding

Summer Experience Funding

Thanks to the generosity of Oberlin alumni donors and friends of the college, Career Exploration and Development offers funding for professional development experiences. These funds help offset expenses related to an internship, music training program, festival, or other pre-professional experiences. 

The funding is accessible to freshmen, sophomores, juniors*, or seniors who are currently enrolled and will return to Oberlin College for the next academic year.  Graduating seniors are not eligible to apply for the funding.

*Note to third year students (juniors*): it is strongly recommended that you register for the Internship+ Program for funding your summer experience. 

 

2024 Summer Experience Funding

Application Deadline: May 17, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EDT

Recipients notified: Beginning of April 

*Applications will be reviewed in two rounds or until allotted funding is exhausted. Students will be informed of funding decisions via email beginning in April.*

Funds distributed: Mid-April through end of May (distribution timing based on when and if funding is approved)

 

What can you do before you apply for funding?

Funding through Career Exploration and Development (CED) is available once a student has fully accepted an offer for an unpaid or low-paid, off-campus, full-time experience sponsored by an established nonprofit organization, for-profit employer or government agency. These experiences may include internships, music training programs or festivals, or other pre-professional experiences.

CED will consider funding students who receive a stipend from their host organization or financial assistance from another source; however, if the host stipend exceeds the maximum award amount of $4000 funding may not be awarded. 

Career-related summer experiences allowable for funding include:

  • Internships (must be full-time for at least 8 weeks or 320 hours)
  • Pre-professional experiences including off-campus research and performance (must be substantial in intensity, although the length may vary)
  • Students applying for funding to participate in a tuition or fee-based program (i.e. theater program, language study, volunteer abroad, writing institute, etc.) MUST have a clearly defined experiential component with at least 200 hours spent on activities that classify as an internship.

FUNDING NOTE: Available funding in this program is limited, need-based and competitive; applying for funding does not guarantee that the funding request will be approved.

Funding can only be applied to travel, local transportation/commuting, housing/rent, food expenses, and program fee(s), if applicable, related to the experience. The budget should only include summer expenses.

Housing is usually one of the highest expenses during the summer. Housing expenses could be reduced substantially if you start to explore low-cost, and possibly free, housing early.
Tips For Housing

This information can help you generate ideas for potential summer opportunities.

Previous Recipients:

Contact

For questions about Summer Experience Funding contact us via internships@oberlin.edu