January Term (or Fall Semester) Internship Funding

Piper Center Internship Grant Award Eligibility

• January Term – Internships must require a minimum of 120 hours over a minimum of 4 weeks; with at least 80% of the hours taking place during January. Award amount: based primarily on travel, food and lodging expenses.
• Fall Semester – Internships must require a minimum of 60 hours over a minimum of 8 weeks; with at least 80% of the hours taking place during the Fall Semester. Award amount: based primarily on travel expenses. In situations where students have minimal travel expenses we would still try to provide a modest award of $200-500, depending on the number of internship hours.
• Sophomore, Juniors and Seniors are eligible to apply
• Students are eligible to receive only one Piper Center Grant Award during their St. Olaf career
• Students can only receive Piper Center funding (JFOF or Piper Grant) for one international experience during their time at St. Olaf
• The only J-Term courses that students who receive funding are allowed to take are the Internship & Reflection Seminar (ID 295 or KINES 295) or a traditional academic internship (294/394).
• Students are not eligible to take other J-term academic courses and receive funding.
• See here for more information about academic internship options and policies.

*Compensation received from the employer will be subtracted from the award amount
*These guidelines will used to determine amounts of awards, regardless of expenses incurred. Students completing remote internships are eligible.
*’Funding to students could be subject to income tax withholding per IRS and Minnesota state guidelines.

Johnson Family Opportunity Fund (JFOF) Award

• To be eligible for the JFOF Award, students must have a level of high financial need that meets specific criteria to be eligible for the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund Award. Domestic students with an Expected Family Contribution of $10,000 or less, and “high need” international students, are eligible to apply. If you are uncertain about your eligibility, please contact to Financial Aid at finaid@stolaf.edu.
• To be eligible for “full funding” for a J-Term internship (expenses up to $2500):
  • The internship must require a minimum of 120 hours over a minimum of 4 weeks; with a majority of the hours taking place in January
  • Students are not eligible to register for a “regular” academic J-Term course. The only J-Term courses that students who receive funding are allowed to take are the Internship & Reflection Seminar (ID 295 or KINES 295) or a traditional academic internship. More details can be found on the academic internship website.
• Students can only receive Piper Center funding (JFOF or Piper Grant) for one international experience during their time at St. Olaf
• Eligible students who are seeking funding for graduate school expenses or other short-term experiences (less than 3 weeks or less than 80 hours) should apply for funding through the process outlined here
• Eligible students may receive a maximum total of $5,000 in JFOF funding during their time at St. Olaf, including both funding for Internships & Career-enhancing Experiences and Graduate/Professional School-related funding.

Award Levels for the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund

For JFOF eligible students who meet the requirements and apply by the deadline:

*Compensation received from the employer will be subtracted from the award amount.
*Award levels represent the maximum award for each experience and the maximum total for multiple experiences that take place during the same semester.
*’Funding to students could be subject to income tax withholding per IRS and Minnesota state guidelines.

First Deadline: November 18th
Recipients notified: By November 28th

Second Deadline: December 9th
Recipients notified: By December 19th
*Students may not receive payment until early January

Required Virtual Internship Orientation: See here for more information.

• Students who are not eligible to apply for funding:
  • Those who are completing internships or research on campus or who are receiving compensation from St. Olaf
  • Those who are participating in a St. Olaf study abroad/away program
  • Those who are receiving academic credit for the experience (other than academic internship credit/294 or Internship & Reflection Seminar credit/295)
• Students who choose to register for academic internship credit must follow Academic Internship Options and Policies
• International students receiving funding could be subject to income tax withholding per the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the state of Minnesota.

Academic Internship Policies: International Internships

Insurance information:

Students who receive funding or academic credit for international internships will be covered by St. Olaf’s international travel insurance through EIIA (unless the student is traveling to their home country). See here for links to the policy, FAQs, claim forms, etc.

Domestic students completing international internships

• If you are studying abroad in the fall or spring semester immediately prior/following an international January/summer internship – you are discouraged from completing both experiences back to back as passport/travel/visa complications can be significant.
• If you will receive funding or academic credit for an international internship that is not your home country – you are required to meet with Theresa Heath in the Smith Center before you apply for funding or submit the academic internship registration request. The meeting can be scheduled using this link.

International students completing international internships

• If you are studying abroad in the fall or spring semester immediately prior/following an international January/summer internship – you are discouraged from completing both experiences back to back as passport/travel/visa complications can be significant.
• If you will receive funding or academic credit for an international internship that is not your home country – you are required to meet with Theresa Heath in the Smith Center before you apply for funding or submit the academic internship registration request. The meeting can be scheduled using this link.
• If you will be leaving the U.S. for your internship –  you are encouraged to meet with Caitlin Lamont Kreienkamp regarding your re-entry documents. You are discouraged from participating in a January term if your U.S. visa needs to be renewed in order to re-enter the country for Spring semester.
• Because CPT is not an option, it is currently not possible for international students to complete internships that will require them to live in the United States for any length of time.

When you apply for funding, you will be asked electronically to upload files that are required for your application, including documentation of your opportunity, your resume and budget worksheets (JFOF and PACON Awards only). Each of these documents must be saved electronically in PDF format, and each document must be uploaded directly when you submit your application for funding.

BEFORE YOU APPLY – Prepare your application materials

STEP 1 – Secure a qualified opportunity (unpaid or underpaid internship, research experience, or similar career enhancing experience that meets the minimum requirements outlined above). Utilize the Piper Center for assistance.

• If the internship takes place in another country please see the International Internships section for additional information and expectations.

STEP 2 – Secure written confirmation (letter or email in electronic format as a PDF) of your experience from your internship or research site.  The written confirmation must include the following:

• be addressed to the intern and include the site supervisor’s name and title;
• include a brief summary of your role/responsibilities (bullet points are sufficient);
• include confirmation of start and end dates and time commitment;
• appear on the letterhead of the employer/supervisor or be sent directly from your employer’s/supervisor’s work email.

STEP 3 – Prepare your Resume and save it electronically as a PDF.
If you need assistance starting or updating a resume, you can access Piper Center Resume Resources and/or schedule an appointment with a career coach.

STEP 4 – Complete the Payment Authorization Form (this form authorizes payment by Direct Deposit)

• Complete the Payment Authorization Form (see here for an example)
• Save as a PDF using your first and last name with “DD” (i.e., AlexSmithDD)
• Upload to the secure document exchange after signing in with your St. Olaf email

STEP 5 – Complete a W-9  (only required if you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien)

• Note that W-9 is not the form you completed for student employment
• Complete a W-9 form  — for a signature, please either use an electronic signature or print and sign (see here for an example)
• Save as a PDF
• Upload to the secure document exchange after signing in with your St. Olaf email

STEP 6 – Complete you J-Term (or Fall Semester) Internship Funding Budget Worksheet

STEP 7 – Complete the ONLINE APPLICATION by 11:00 pm on the application deadline

As part of the online application, you will need to submit the following documents electronically (saved as PDFs)

• Confirmation Letter or Email
• Resume

After You Apply

Await Notification from the Piper Center
Within two weeks of the application deadline, all applicants will be notified via email whether or not they have been awarded funding.
Funding will not be awarded until mid-January.

For Award Recipients – Final Steps

Complete an online form that indicates that you would like to accept the award (you will receive a link to the form with your award notification)

All award recipients are expected to do the following:

• Watch the virtual internship orientation
• Complete the internship or experience as described in the application. Recipients who do not complete the internship as described in their application may be required to pay back part or all of the award.
• Complete a post-internship survey
• Write a thank you note to the donor who provided funding for your internship
• Give permission for your internship site, title, location and dates to be included in the searchable St. Olaf Internship database.

If after reviewing the information on this website you still have additional questions, please reach out to Marietta Ruppe  <ruppe2> if you have questions about applying for the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund and Nate Jacobi <jacobi> if you have questions about applying for the Piper Center Grant Award.