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 activity. It is one of many options to consider as students make plans to finance their summer experiences. 

 

2024 Summer Experience Funding

Application Deadline: April 26, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. EDT

Recipients notified: Beginning mid-March through the deadline of April 26, 2024

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Students will be informed of funding decisions beginning in mid-March, please allow for 3-4 weeks after application submission for email notification*

Funds distributed: Mid-April through end of May

 


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 unpaid or low-paid, off-campus, full-time experiences sponsored by an established nonprofit organization, for-profit employer or government agency. CED will consider funding students who receive a stipend from their host organization or financial assistance from another source. These experiences may include internships, music training programs or festivals, or other pre-professional activities.  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.

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 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