Your summer experiences provide you with an opportunity to explore your interests, develop insight into various career fields, and build your skill set. Whether it is an internship, summer job, or volunteer opportunity, your experience will be a valuable one, but may involve some personal expense, even in paid opportunities. These costs may include travel to and from your destination, housing/accommodations, living expenses, participating in a fee-based placement program, tuition for internship credit, and/or having an unpaid internship.
The Career Center can help you identify funding opportunities to support your internship. The list below is provided to assist you in thinking about the types of scholarships, grants, and financial assistance that may be available to you. Use this list as a beginning in exploring funding sources that are both internal and external to the University.
UVA Scholarships, Grants, and Financial Assistance
Charles H. Koch Jr. Scholarship
Application deadline: Monday, January 1, 2019
The Koch Fellowship provides up to $5000.00 in financial support for expenses incurred on internships related to foreign affairs during the summer months. Students in the College of Arts & Sciences are eligible. The judges of the competition will give priority to funding unpaid internships and internships that require travel abroad. In order to maximize the fellowship's beneficial impact, the committee may decide to divide the funds among more than one student.
Applications should include:
1. A cover letter not more than two pages in length describing how the student’s need and the nature of the internship.
2. A budget estimating how the fellowship funds will be used.
3. A resume
4. A transcript
5. The name and email address of UVA faculty member willing to serve as a reference should the need arise.
All application material should be submitted via email to Lynn Sanders, Director of Undergraduate Program, Department of Politics at lms5x@virginia.edu.
Parents Fund Internship Grants
Application deadline: Monday, April 8, 2019 at noon
Parents Fund Internship Grants of $3,000 each are awarded in the spring of each academic year and are intended to provide funds that support 2nd and 3rd-year students who have secured unpaid internships in any of the five areas of public concern as defined by the Virginia 2020 Commission: Civic Engagement and Public Policy; Economic and Business Development; Education (both K-12 and Lifelong Learning); Environment (both planned and natural); Health.
Wallerstein Scholarship
Application deadline: April 22, 2019 (extended to May 5, 2019 11:59 pm)
The Wallerstein Scholarship was established in 1973 at the University of Virginia by a gift from Ruth C. and Morton L. Wallerstein to foster interest in and/or research in Virginia local government. The Virginia Municipal League, the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and the UVA Internship Placement Program (IPP) administer the Wallerstein Scholarship collaboratively. The scholarship provided financial and academic support for students attending the University of Virginia to intern in Virginia local government. Six (6) $2500 scholarships are awarded annually to students participating in the UVA Internship Placement Program Summer Session. Applicants must secure an approved internship in Virginia local government under the auspices of the UVA Internship Placement Program (IPP).
Larry Simpson Internship Scholarship
Application deadline: Friday, April 12, 2019 at noon
This scholarship is designed to encourage rising 4th year students in the College of Arts & Sciences to participate in summer internships. The award will total up to $2,000 per summer. In evaluating applications, high priority will be placed on financial need, the connection between academic and career goals, level of responsibility, and quality of the application.
Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows Program
Application deadline: Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 11:59pm
The Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows Program provides talented undergraduates with a unique government service experience through 10-week, full-time, high-level summer internships with elected officials and agencies at the federal, state and local levels. The Program’s mission is to expose students to government work and its impact.
UVA Global Internships
Application deadline: See website below for details. Typically due in December or January of the current academic year.
These scholarships have been established to provide support to any student at the University of Virginia who has secured an internship in an international and/or “global” setting. Selection criteria include demonstration of financial need, academic merit, and quality of application. Priority will be given to applicants in unpaid positions. Please visit UVA Global Internships Scholarships for full details and sign up to receive our bulletins with direct updates bout application deadlines, processes, open internship competitions, and third party program information.
UVA Global Internships Scholarships
UVA College of Arts & Sciences
Application deadline: TBA
The Aigrain Fund Grant was established to provide support to any student in the University of Virginia’s College of Arts & Sciences interested in (1) carrying out a research project in a developing nation or (2) taking an internship position in an emerging market. The Department of Economics and the Program in Global Studies will co-administer the grant. Recipients may be awarded up to $4,000.
UVA Alumni Hall
Z Society - Gilbert J. Sullivan Award
Application deadline: Applications for the first round are due by 11:37pm on Saturday, March 30th, 2019. Applications for the second round are due by 11:37pm on Saturday, April 27th , 2019.
The Z Society offers the Gilbert J. Sullivan Scholarship, a $2,000 scholarship awarded to a returning undergraduate student of the University. It is intended to provide an opportunity to take a summer internship otherwise unattainable because of financial constraints. Applications can be emailed to zsociety3711@gmail.com. Please use “Sullivan Award 2019 Application – FirstNameLastName” as the subject line of the email submission. *Please apply for either the first or second round based on which timeline better suits your needs.
Gilbert J Sullivan Award Application
Beckman Scholarships
Application deadline: TBA
Each year, UVA's Beckman Scholars Program offers three $19,300 scholarships to research-oriented students interested in working in a laboratory. The scholarship covers compensation for two summers of work in a mentor's lab, as well as part-time work over one school year. Additionally, the grant covers costs related to traveling to and from two conferences. To apply, students must propose a research plan with one of the mentoring professors.
Royster-Lawton Fellowship
Application deadline: TBA
The Royster-Lawton Fellows in Social Enterprise is offering:
- $3,000 in funding to support a summer internship in social enterprise.
- Private coaching on cover letters, resume development, and more!
- Matching with world-changing social ventures (or you can choose your own)
SE@UVA Global Field Experience Scholarships
Application deadline: TBA
Summer scholarship to global field experience classes in Dominica and the Caribbean region.
Other Global internship scholarships
Additional Scholarship, Grants and Financial Assistance
Association for Women in Sports Media
Since 1990, AWSM has placed more than 90 female college students interested in sports media careers in paid internships. All interns receive a $1,000 scholarship from AWSM in addition to whatever pay the internship provides.
Researching other sources
- Research and inquire about nonprofit, religious, business, or community/civic-based organizations that might provide funding through grants or scholarships.
- Ask if your family members’ places of employment offer benefits that include scholarship or grant opportunities for college students.
- Intern part-time and work in a paying summer job part-time to earn money to help finance an unpaid experience.
