The Columbia College Summer Funding Program provides funding to Columbia College students participating in unpaid or low-paid summer internships related to their career pursuits and/or academic studies.
Please carefully review the eligibility for the Summer Funding Programs and Work Exemption Program by visiting each program from our Funding Programs page. Please read the guidelines below and connect with us via cce-funding@columbia.edu if you have further questions. Remember we are here to support you during the application process.
Through the Columbia College Summer Funding Program students are awarded stipends via a competitive process that includes a written application and review by a committee of College staff from across campus.
The Columbia College Summer Funding Program:
All qualified students who apply to the Columbia College Summer Funding Program and receive Columbia grant-based financial aid with a summer work expectation (Student Contribution) are encouraged to also apply for a Work Exemption Program (WEP) grant. Students do not need to submit a separate application to the Work Exemption Program. Simply check the Work Exemption Program box at the start of your funding program application form to be considered. The WEP grant will replace a student’s summer work expectation (Student Contribution).
Columbia College Summer Funding Program awards are made possible thanks to the generosity of Columbia College alumni/ae, parents, and friends. Students selected to receive an award will be matched with one of the following funds based on the fund criteria.
Institutional funding through this program is made available with the sole intention of supporting students’ living expenses (such as housing, food, and travel expenses). This support enables students to participate in unpaid or low-paid opportunities. Funding is not provided in lieu of compensation for work and supervisors are required to acknowledge in the Employer Verification Form that participating organizations are compliant with the US Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other applicable state and local legislation.
Here are a few suggestions to search for unpaid or low-paid internships.
* First semester seniors who will be returning for their second semester in the Fall are eligible for Summer Funding Programs (second semester seniors are not eligible). Please reach out to the Summer Funding Programs Committee at cce-funding@columbia.edu to ensure that your application is reviewed accordingly.
** Many Columbia College Summer Funding Program donors require that selected students are recipients of Columbia grant-based financial aid. If you are unsure if you receive grant-based financial aid, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid & Educational Financing.
The Columbia College Summer Funding Program accepts applications for unpaid or low-paid summer internships only.
Monday, April 8, 2024, at 12:00 noon (EDT).
The current plan is to share notifications the week of Monday, April 29, 2024. For accepted students, we want to get the funds to students as quickly as possible; however, due to various University procedures in place to distribute stipends, we anticipate that students will receive their funding by the end of May.
**** THE SUMMER FUNDING PROGRAM APPLICATION PERIOD FOR SUMMER 2024 IS NOW CLOSED. WE ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS. APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR APPLICATION STATUS THE WEEK OF APRIL 29, 2024.***
We cannot review your application prior to the deadline. Applications are reviewed collectively by a committee that meets after the application deadline. The timeline for applications is based on internship deadlines for the majority of students.
We encourage you to submit an application. There are a handful of donor funds that do not require students to be in receipt of Columbia grant-based financial aid.
All qualified students who apply to the Columbia College Summer Funding Program are encouraged to also apply for a Work Exemption Program (WEP) grant. Students do not need to submit a separate application to the Work Exemption Program. Simply check the Work Exemption Program box at the start of your funding program application form to be considered. The WEP grant will replace a student’s summer work expectation (Student Contribution).
Yes. The committee will consider funding students with low-paid internships. Low-paid is defined as compensated at less than the equivalent of New York State minimum wage — less than $16/hr.
The Columbia College Summer Funding Program is highly selective and funding is limited. Interested students are encouraged to submit a strong, well-written personal statement that clearly articulates their internship and their goal in pursuing their opportunity.
Deadlines for the Summer Funding Programs are set after carefully considering a date that will allow the greatest number of students an opportunity to take advantage of the program. The funding program committee aims to notify students of a decision on their application with enough time for them to consider their employment plans if they are not selected for the program.
The funding program committee begins reviewing applicants immediately following the application deadline. Students who are selected for the program are chosen within the context of the applicant pool for that semester and additional, individual reviews for students who miss the application deadline are not offered. We do not offer extensions to the deadline.
If you will be waiting to receive a final offer of employment at the time of the application deadline please contact the funding program committee directly at cce-funding@columbia.edu to discuss where you are in the interview process. Because the committee meets to review applicants immediately following the deadline, extensions to the deadline are not offered.
If you will be pursuing more than one internship, research, or volunteer opportunity during the semester or summer you may apply for a funding program award to support these multiple opportunities. At the start of the application, you will be asked to select how many opportunities you have. Based on your selection, you will then have the ability to enter application information for up to three opportunities. Please review our website for application instructions and ensure that you respond to the personal statement prompts for both opportunities. It will also be important to discuss how you will manage your time pursuing multiple professional endeavors. Your supervisors will each need to submit Employer Verification forms detailing your work commitment at each organization. You only need to submit one letter of recommendation and budget form (during the summer).
As long as you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you can apply again for funding.
Your letter of recommendation should come from the person who knows you best, can speak well of your academic, extracurricular, and professional accomplishments, and who can comment on your character such as a professor, advising dean, or supervisor. We advise against asking a teacher/coach from high school to write your recommendation. We will not accept letters of recommendation written by family members, friends, resident hall advisors, student leaders, members of student organizations, or classmates. Letters of Recommendation should not be written by the supervisor of your potential opportunity unless that person has already supervised you previously. Your letter of recommendation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed.
If you are reapplying to receive the WEP grant for an opportunity for a consecutive semester (such as summer continuing into fall; fall continuing into spring; spring continuing into summer) you must submit a new recommendation for the same opportunity.
In past summers, recipients have interned locally, nationally and internationally at organizations such as The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation in NYC, Boston Children’s Hospital, the Center for Microfinance in India, Engineers without Borders in Uganda and Ghana, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs in NYC, the Women’s Foreign Policy Group in Washington DC, and numerous laboratories and research centers on Columbia’s campus.
Eligible students can apply to the Work Exemption Program for exemption of their in-school work expectation during the fall and spring semesters. The Fellowships Office also has a comprehensive database of opportunities and their staff are available to meet with students.
Stipends will be disbursed in one installment by late May. A stipend processed through a student account can be issued by direct deposit or by check. We strongly encourage students to receive their stipends by direct deposit. To do so, you must register via Student Services Online (SSOL) in advance. For information on setting up direct deposit, see here. For information on taxes, please see here.
International students should review the following information regarding stipend payments. For international students, please note the IRS generally requires taxes be withheld at the rate of 14% and the scholarship/fellowship amounts be reported to both the IRS and the student on IRS Form 1042-S. Only those international students who are eligible for tax treaty benefits are exempted from tax withholding on the non-qualified amounts.
Yes, there are numerous fellowships and grants available to fund summer opportunities. The Fellowships Office also has a comprehensive database of opportunities and their staff are available to meet with students. Students could also reach out to professors, departmental administrators, and teaching assistants to learn of fellowships and/or awards in their field of study.
The Fellowships Office also has a comprehensive database of opportunities and their staff are available to meet with students. Students could also reach out to professors, departmental administrators, and teaching assistants to learn of fellowships and/or awards in their field of study.
The reflection project is completed and submitted at the end of the semester. The project allows you to showcase and express your experience in a way that best suits your interest. The primary focus of this exercise should be on the professional experience you are having. Your project can be any of the following: video, blog or journal, essay, social media posts, Big Interview practice interview.
