Summer Funding: FAQ

Any student who has applied to a summer internship, music training program/festival or pre-professional experience that is unpaid or low-paid (subject to each fund's eligibility criteria) may apply for summer funding.  

Students with higher financial aid need levels (or unique financial circumstances, as described in the Statement of Financial Need) will receive priority consideration by the funding committees.

Students completing funded internships through the Junior Practicum program will not be eligible to receive additional funding through the Summer Internship program.

F-1 visa students are eligible for all funds. Read the information for F-1 visa students on the International Student and Scholar Services website for information about CPT.

Financial need is one of the factors considered for funding. All students who meet the other eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply and use the Statement of Financial Need on the budget to express their financial circumstances for the summer. Career Exploration and Development (CED) will consult the Office of Financial Aid for each student’s level of need, which will be confidentially assessed and shared with the selection committees. The MLK Fund is only available for students who qualify for a Pell grant and international students with comparable levels of need.

Also, read the eligibility criteria listed for each fund in the Fund Descriptions section.

Funding through Career Exploration and Development (CED) is available 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. (Please contact internships@oberlin.edu with questions about stipends and summer funding.)

MLK Fund recipients may receive pay from the sponsoring organization.

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.

• Research with faculty or work with offices/departments on Oberlin’s campus
• Tuition or fee-based program (i.e. theater program, language study, volunteer abroad, writing institute, etc.) that does not include an experiential component with at least 200 hours spent on activities that classify as an internship 
• Independent projects
• Students who have a summer internship (or other experience) that is funded by the Junior Practicum program are not eligible to apply for summer funding for that same summer

While we are able to provide funding for in-person or remote experiences, funding for remote experiences may be reduced to take into account fewer associated expenses.

Students applying before Friday, March 31 must have already received an internship offer to be reviewed during the Early Consideration funding cycle.

Students applying between April 1-21 are encouraged to secure their summer experience before they submit the application. During this funding round, committees will consider students that have applied to a summer experience and are awaiting a response from the organization. Funds will not be distributed until CED has received confirmation from the internship, festival, or other site.

Rather than selecting particular funds, students will answer a series of screening questions that will help staff determine which fund(s) are the best fit for their particular summer experience.

We realize that a number of organizations may provide a student with the career-related experience they want for the summer, but it is best to focus on one organization in the application. Applications will be judged on the student's ability to convey a clear understanding of the host organization, the quality of the experience, and how the experience relates to their post-graduate plans.

Specific questions about summer funding can be sent to internships@oberlin.edu.

Funding can only be applied to travel, transportation, housing, food, and utility expenses related to the experience. Students applying for funding to participate in a tuition- or fee-based program must provide a list with each expense covered by the program’s fee or tuition in their budget.  This often requires the student to contact an employee of the program directly, since these cost breakdowns are often not posted on program websites.  Since Oberlin has a policy of not paying tuition to other institutions, it is important to know how much of the tuition/fee is used for housing, food, transportation, and other allowable expenses.  Failure to provide the required cost breakdown may result in not receiving funding.

CED will not consider late applications. Students must complete the online application (including all required documents) by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 21, 2023. 

All applications received before Friday, April 21 at 11:59 p.m. will receive equal consideration; however, those who apply by the Early Consideration deadline (Friday, March 31) will receive a decision by Wednesday, April 26. All other applications will be reviewed after the final application deadline (Friday, April 21) and will receive notification on or before Friday, May 12. Regardless of when you apply, your application will be reviewed based on the eligibility criteria of the available funds.

Please take the time you need to complete your application thoughtfully and thoroughly, keeping in mind that we will not accept partially completed applications or those submitted after the final deadline (Friday, April 21).

For help in completing your summer funding application, in-person and virtual appointments are available with our career advising staff.  To learn more and ask questions about the application process, attend one of our summer funding information sessions:

• Info Session 1: Tuesday, February 21, 12:00-1:00 p.m. in Mudd A-019 (register on Handshake)
• Info Session 2: Thursday March 9 @ 12 p.m. (virtual - register on Handshake)
• Info Session 3:  Wednesday March 29 @ 4 p.m. in Mudd A-019 (register on Handshake)

Students may be eligible for funding if they receive a stipend from the host organization or financial assistance from another source. These requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis; please contact internships@oberlin.edu with questions.

MLK Fund recipients may receive pay from the host organization. We define low-paid summer experiences as payment comparable to the national minimum wage or less.

The selection committees will not review applications prior to each deadline (Early Consideration cycle: March 31, 2023 / Final Consideration cycle: April 21, 2023). Early Consideration applicants will be notified of their funding status by April 26, 2023. At the latest, all other applicants will be notified by May 12, 2023. 

If you are waiting to accept or register for a summer opportunity based on the need for funding assistance, we recommend that you inform the organization about your financial situation and that you’ve applied for funding through Career Exploration and Development.

Selection committees will begin to review funding applications shortly after the early consideration deadline of Friday, March 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.  Students will be notified of their application status by email on or before Wednesday, April 26. 

All other applications will be accepted until the final round ending on Friday, April 21 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Students will be notified of their application status by email on or before Friday, May 12.

The only circumstance in which an application will not be reviewed during the Early Consideration cycle is if the student has not yet received an offer. The committees will review all such applications after the final deadline of Friday, April 21.

It is the responsibility of the student to provide documentation of an offer or acceptance to their summer opportunity. Offer or acceptance letters received after the student has submitted the summer funding application should be sent to internships@oberlin.edu.

Selection committees will make funding decisions based on:

• Financial need
• Eligibility criteria listed for each fund
• Quality of application materials

Students will be notified of their application status by late April. All award recipients must attend a mandatory meeting to discuss the requirements for funding. In addition, written confirmation from the organization that the student has been accepted for the experience is required before the student receives their award. 

To receive their funds, all award recipients must:

• Attend a mandatory information meeting to discuss the requirements for funding
• Submit written confirmation from the organization that the student has been accepted for the experience (either through the application form or sent to internships@oberlin.edu)
• Set up direct deposit through OberView (paper checks will only be issued in special circumstances; please notify us of this at internships@oberlin.edu)