Experiential Education Funding

The Center for Career & Experiential Education, with generous support from the Donald Strauss Endowment for Innovative Programs, is accepting applications for the Strauss Unpaid Internship & Experiential Learning Scholarships.

Application Deadlines:

  • Fall – September 1
  • January/Winter Session – December 1
  • Spring – January 1
  • Summer – May 1

Scholarship Options

Unpaid or Underpaid Internship Option

This scholarship, although not equivalent to an hourly wage, is meant to offset the impact of selecting an unpaid or underpaid internship opportunity (“underpaid” means no hourly wage, but perhaps a stipend, access to professional development, etc.). This scholarship provides a one-time scholarship payment of $500 per 10 hours of internship time being completed (per week/per semester), up to $2000 max (see breakdown below).

  • 10 hours per week for minimum 10 weeks = $500 one time scholarship payment
  • 20 hours per week for minimum 10 weeks = up to $1000 one time scholarship payment
  • 30 hours per week for minimum 10 weeks = up to $1500 one time scholarship payment
  • 40 hours per week for minimum 10 weeks = up to $2000 one time scholarship payment

Application Process:

  1. Identify an unpaid or underpaid internship (“underpaid” means no hourly wage, but perhaps a stipend, access to professional development, etc.)
  2. Complete the application (follow link below)
  3. If accepted, we will contact you, confirm your internship, and send necessary paperwork.
  4. Once we have confirmation of your acceptance and start of your internship, we will process your one-time payment. Please note that the scholarship is sent through your university account and as such will be applied to any outstanding bills before being sent to you in the form of a refund.
  5. Upon completion of your internship, we will reach out for a brief reflection on your Internship experience

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Undergraduate student enrolled in an internship course at URI (CCEE credit and zero-credit internship course options can be found here). If you need assistance enrolling in a course, please contact your Career Education Specialist or Sarah Miller at sgmiller@uri.edu.
  • Internship must be a minimum of 10 hours per week for 10 weeks
  • Unpaid opportunity presents a financial hardship

 

Experiential Learning Option

The goal of this scholarship is to assist with covering the additional fees and expenses that come with engaging in experiential education activities, specifically those that might prevent students from accepting or applying to opportunities.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Open to all currently enrolled URI undergraduate students with at least one full-time semester of URI coursework completed
  • Must be pursuing approved credit-bearing experiential education activities (see below) and be enrolled in an experiential education course at URI. If you need assistance enrolling in a course, please contact your Career Education Specialist or Sarah Miller at sgmiller@uri.edu.

What does the Experiential Education Funding support?

  • Immediate experiential education activities (current or next academic term).
  • Fees for Experiential Education based courses with required additional expenses (ex: Faculty led programs, Jterm travel courses, software licenses, etc.).
  • Expenses related to course based Experiential Education research projects, senior capstone projects, or related major/minor experiential requirements (ex: software/technology for experiential course, access to campus zipcars to get to and from internship, etc.)
  • Cannot be used towards online self-paced trainings, or certifications. Funding must support immediate experiential learning activities.

If you are unsure whether your experience would qualify for funding, please feel free to email Sarah Miller at sgmiller@uri.edu.

How much can I apply for?

  • Funding amounts range based on type and need, but are currently capped at $1000 per application.

Application, Selection, and Notification Process:

  1. Complete application (follow link below)
  2. Application includes: Overview of activities, connection with larger career & professional goals, estimated budget/expenses, post-experience activity reflection/presentation.
  3. Application and selection is based on the strength of application, including: connection to future work, justifiable budget, and future engagement.
  4. Recipients will be notified within 2 weeks of submitting application or 2 weeks after semester deadline (see deadlines above)
  5. Scholarship funds are sent through your university account and as such will be applied to any outstanding bills before being sent to you in the form of a refund.

 

Questions?

Unsure whether your experience would qualify for funding or which program is right for you? Email Sarah Miller, at sgmiller@uri.edu.