Summer (or Spring Semester) Internship Funding

• Students are only eligible to receive only one Piper Center Internship Grant Award during their St. Olaf career
• Class Year: Sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply for all awards. First years are eligible to apply for the Piper Center Grant Award but not the JFOF Award. Students who graduate in May 2027 (or earlier) are not eligible to apply for summer internship funding.
• Minimum Weeks and Hours (Summer Internships): The unpaid or underpaid summer internship or similar career experience generally requires a commitment of at least 8 weeks and 240 hours  (students in participating in internships/experiences that require 4-8 weeks may also be eligible, but will typically receive less funding). Students who will complete more hours may qualify for a larger award than students who complete less hours.
• Minimum Weeks and Hours (Spring Semester): The unpaid or underpaid spring internship or similar career experience generally requires a commitment of at least 8 weeks and 60 hours  Students who will complete more hours may qualify for a larger award that students who complete less hours.
• Students must have high financial need to be eligible to apply for the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund Award (see details below)
• Students who are not eligible to apply for funding:
  • Those who are receiving compensation from St. Olaf or who are completing internships or research for a St. Olaf employee (staff or faculty)
  • Those who will be participating in St. Olaf Cohort Internship Program (e.g., Svoboda Legal Scholars, Health Scholars, Entrepreneurial Scholars, etc.) during the same term
  • Those traveling to countries with State Department travel warnings (Level 3 or Level 4), unless the experience will take place in the student’s home country.
  • Those who are participating in a internship that is part of a St. Olaf study abroad/away program (with the exception of the Colorado Social Action Institute internship program)
  • Those who are receiving academic credit for the experience, other than academic internship credit (294/394) or Internship & Reflection Seminar credit (295)
  • Ordinarily, those who are not enrolled during the spring semester will not be eligible to apply for funding for experiences that take place the following summer. However, exceptions may be made for students who temporarily disenroll from St. Olaf in order to pursue an unaffiliated study abroad or similar intentional educational experience.
• Students do not need to complete an academic internship in order to be eligible for funding.
• Students who have previously received funding for an international internship/experience will only be considered for a modest amount of in-country expenses, limited to $300 for J-Term internships and $600 for Summer internships. See below for more details.
• International students receiving funding could be subject to income tax withholding per the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the state of Minnesota:  For international students that are nonresident aliens for tax purposes, any income received may be subject to a 14% or 30% Federal withholding tax. Minnesota withholding tax may apply when your individual income tax returns are filed each calendar year but not at the time of payment. In some instances, if your tax residence country and the United States have a tax treaty agreement for scholarship/fellowship payments you may be able to claim the treaty and no tax may be withheld, income limits may apply. International students that are resident aliens for tax purposes will not have any tax withheld.
• Frequently Asked Questions

Priority Deadline #1: April 7th
Recipients notified: By April 17th

Priority Deadline #2: May 3rd
Recipients notified: By May 13th

*Final Deadline: May 20th
Recipients notified: By May 28th

Required Virtual Internship Orientation: See here for more information.

• Award Amount: Provides up to $2,500 towards eligible expenses associated with an unpaid or underpaid internship.
  • Compensation received from the employer will be subtracted from the award amount.
  • Depending on demand and available funding, students may receive less than the amount they are eligible to receive.
  • Students with minimal expenses (including those completing virtual internships) will likely be eligible for a minimum award of at least $800 (even if eligible expenses are less than $800)
  • First Year students participating in Student Support Services (SSS) may also be eligible to receive Prosper Award funding that provides an additional $1000-1500
• Students are eligible to receive only one Piper Center Internship Grant Award during their St. Olaf career.

• To be eligible for the JFOF Award, students must have a level of high financial need that meets specific criteria. 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, or believe you may have extenuating circumstances that may affect your eligibility, please reach out to Financial Aid at finaid@stolaf.edu.
• Award Amount: Provides funding to cover eligible expenses associated with an unpaid or underpaid internship PLUS as a “stipend” of up to $2000.
  • Criteria – Awarded on a competitive basis based on the following criteria: description of the opportunity, connection between the experience and the student’s career goals, resume, attention to detail and overall quality of the application.
  • Compensation received from the employer will be subtracted from the award amount.
  • Students with minimal expenses (including those completing virtual internships) will likely be eligible for a minimum award of $1200 – 1700 (even if eligible expenses are less than $1700)
  • Example: A student who completes an unpaid internship with expenses of $2200 would be eligible to receive a maximum award of $4200 ($2200 towards expenses + $2000 stipend). The actual award will be based on the strength of the application and the demand for funding.
  • Students completing experiences with high expenses will typically only qualify for a small stipend
• Students must have completed their sophomore year to be eligible to receive the Johnson Family Opportunity Fund Award
• 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.
• Academic Standing – Students must be in good academic standing and not on Academic Probation, when they apply for funding.
• Eligible students who are seeking funding for graduate school expenses or other short-term career enhancing experiences (non internships) should apply for funding through the process outlined here

• Students who choose to register for academic internship credit must follow guidelines and deadlines for Domestic Academic Internships or International Academic Internships
• Domestic students: 
  Completing an academic internship is optional (unless it is required by the employer).
• International students:
  You are required to register for academic internship credit and receive CPT authorization if you will be living in the U.S. while completing part or all of the internship (even if the employer is outside of the U.S.). You are not required to register for an academic internship if you will be living outside of the U.S. for the entire duration of the internship.

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 a January/summer internship – you are discouraged from completing both experiences back to back as passport/travel/visa complications can be significant.
• If you are receiving 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 a January/summer internship – you are discouraged from completing both experiences back to back as passport/travel/visa complications can be significant.
• If you are receiving 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.
• If you will be completing the international internship remotely while remaining in the U.S. – you must apply for academic internship credit and CPT. See here for details.

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. 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). Utilize the Piper Center for assistance is identifying both posted and hidden positions.

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 stop by the Piper Center between 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, to have your resume reviewed by a Peer Advisor.

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 a Summer Internship Funding Budget Worksheet

STEP 7 -Complete the ONLINE APPLICATION by 11:55 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.

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 about your experience with information that can be shared with the donor who made your internship possible (you will receive an email next Fall with instructions)
• 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> and Nate Jacobi <jacobi>.