Center for Career Design Internship Funding
Welcome—we’re excited you’re here! Our Center is ready to work with you as you explore your internship options and the related financial considerations.
Thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends of Dartmouth, we are able to offer support for qualifying unpaid or underpaid internships. In the 2025-26 academic year, 463 students applied and 336 (72.5%) were awarded funding. The average award was $4,350. Awards are capped at $6,500.
Funding is not a substitute for compensation. Center funding is intended to help offset the costs of your Leave Term or Interim experience. Awards will not cover 100% of your expenses, and you should consider cost savings and other resources available to you..
Funding is not guaranteed. Students should not commit to spending funds until they are sure they have a funding source. It is strongly recommended that students have an alternative plan for the term in the event that they are not awarded funding.
Am I Eligible for Career Design Internship Funding?
The checklist below is a tool for you to explore your eligibility. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible internship scenarios. Funding decisions are made based on a holistic review of each application weighed against the total funding available and the full pool of applicants.
Check that each bullet point applies to you. All required items must apply.
- I am a currently enrolled Dartmouth undergraduate student and will be enrolled as an undergraduate for at least one term after the internship.
- I am in good standing with the College (i.e. eligible to participate in College-sponsored programs and not on suspension.)
Priority note: Students who have not previously received Center funding are given priority consideration. Prior recipients are still eligible to apply, and may be considered as funding allows, if all post-experience requirements from previous awards have been fulfilled (e.g. reflections and/or career coach meetings.).
The Center evaluates internships using National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) guidelines. All five criteria must apply to your internship.
- My internship has direct supervision by a professional with relevant expertise who provides productive feedback, guidance, and the resources needed to complete my work.
- There is a written position description with clear responsibilities and required/desired qualifications.
- The experience applies classroom knowledge to real-world work. It does not simply advance the employer’s operations or replace the duties of a regular employee.
- The skills and knowledge I gain are transferable to other employment settings.
- There are clearly defined learning objectives that support my academic and career goals.
If any of the following describe your internship, it will NOT be eligible for funding.
- I am seeking funding for an on- or off-campus Dartmouth-affiliated research project, study program or honors thesis or for a self-designed independent project. Funding for these types of experiences may be available through other campus offices. A list of offices and departments that fund undergraduate research is available on the SURFD website.
- My internship runs concurrently with another full-time commitment (30+ hours/week).
- I found my internship through an agency that charges a placement fee or there is a program fee to participate in the experience.
- My experience is part of a training/course/study-away/volunteer program that has an internship component.
- My internship is receiving funding from another Dartmouth source.
- My internship is with a student-run business.
- My internship is with a business owned by or I will be supervised by an immediate family member
Maximum award is $6500 for a full term, $2500 for Winterim. If approved, the following funding rates apply:
| Internship Type | Award Amount (pro-rated for part-time) |
| In-person or hybrid internship | -$100/week for food -Weekly housing from MIT or Numbeo cost of living calculator -Travel cost to destination up to $850 domestic or $2,000 international -Daily commuting costs (e.g. weekly bus/train pass) |
| Living at home | -$150/week -Travel cost to destination up to $850 domestic or $2,000 international -Daily commuting costs (e.g. weekly bus/train pass) |
| Remote—in Dartmouth housing | -$100/week food, $335/week housing |
| Remote—not at home, not at Dartmouth | -$225/week plus travel cost to destination up to $850 (destination cost must be less than cost to travel home) |
To explore further what amount of funding you might be eligible to receive, download our Budget Template.
Please consult this resource for a list of special considerations for internships outside of the U.S.
Section 6: Additional Rules & Notes
Most internship funding is awarded for a Leave term or Interim. During a Resident term, food and housing expenses will not be considered. Other costs directly resulting from the internship may be considered, such as transportation or mileage for traveling to and from the internship site.
Two-term internships are considered on a case-by-case basis, as funding allows. If approved, funding is awarded for the first term. A mid-point reflection is required before funding for the second term is finalized.
While you can only accept funding from one Dartmouth source per term — applying to more than one Center can give you options. Visit our Sources of Funding page to explore which Centers offer funding and apply strategically to sources that are a good fit.
Funding awarded for a specific internship cannot be applied to a different experience. A new experience requires a new application, subject to deadlines and funding rules at that time. If you have multiple possible internship opportunities, please submit a separate application for each one.
While students may apply for housing and food expenses when living in Dartmouth housing during a Leave term internship, Center for Career Design funding will not cover the full cost. Students are eligible for $100/week for food and $335/week for housing in Grafton County, NH, pro-rated for part time. This is based on the number of weeks of your internship, not the number of weeks in housing. International students who receive housing vouchers are only eligible for the food award.
International students in F-1 or J-1 status should consult with their OVIS advisor before accepting any internship offer to determine whether the proposed activity is permissible under the F-1 or J-1 rules and before accepting any funding that might jeopardize status.
Students who are receiving financial aid are encouraged to talk with their financial aid officer about the impact of an internship and any funding on financial aid status .
How Do I Apply?
- To apply, complete the Internship Pre-Funding Guide in Canvas. It will take you about 20 minutes. The application link is at the end.
- Make copies of these templates to upload to your application. (Application link is in Canvas).
- Proposal Template
- Offer Letter Template (To request from your hiring contact. Optional, but recommended.)
- Submit your budget
- Deadline for first round consideration: Wed., Oct. 14. Applications received by this date are reviewed together as a group. We encourage you to apply by this deadline if your materials are complete — incomplete applications may be deferred to the next deadline.
- Deadline for second round consideration: Wed., Oct. 28, as funding allows.
- Applications received after Oct. 28 will be waitlisted and considered if funding is still available at that point.
- The application will close when all funding has been allocated.
- The funding application usually opens by the second week of the term prior to your experience.
- The deadline for first round consideration is usually the 5th Wednesday of the term prior to your experience.
- Check back here next term for future dates.
Is there a min/max number of weeks the Center will fund?
Funds are usually for 8-12 weeks. We will not fund for weeks that fall in a Resident term, (e.g., we can fund weeks that fall before classes start or after classes end in your Leave term, but not weeks that you are enrolled as a Resident).
Can a student receive funding for a part-time internship?
Funding for part-time internships is pro-rated if the internship is less than 30 hours per week.
Can a student apply after the start of the internship?
The Center for Career Design will occasionally consider funding once an internship is under way if there are extenuating circumstances and if there are still funds available.
My internship host says they can only offer me an internship if I can demonstrate that I have $XXX in funding. Will Center for Career Design provide that?
Center for Career Design internship funding is intended to offset the cost of taking on an unpaid internship and is not in lieu of compensation. As such, we cannot match a specific required pay rate. The amount you would be eligible to receive takes into account a number of factors in your application, such as cost of living in the city where the internship takes place, your commuting expense, and transportation needs. Each award is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Is my research experience eligible for internship funding from the Center for Career Design?
ELIGIBLE to apply to Career Design: Research internship with a non-Dartmouth mentor/supervisor (e.g. research at another college/university or at a non-educational institution such as an NGO or biotech company).
NOT ELIGIBLE for funding from Career Design: Undergraduate research mentored by a Dartmouth faculty member (e.g. A&S, Geisel, Thayer, Tuck).
Are students in Dartmouth Engineering’s Partner School Dual-Degree Program eligible to apply for Center for Career Design internship funding?
Yes, if (1) they are enrolled full-time at Dartmouth for at least one term prior to their internship experience (2) they are returning to Dartmouth for at least one full-time undergraduate (not Master’s) term after their internship experience and (3) they are not enrolled in classes at another institution during the internship term (4) all otehr eligibility requirements must also be met (see Am I Eligible? above)
Does the internship funding award consider financial need?
No — awards are based on the internship itself (unpaid or underpaid), not on a student’s individual financial situation. The gap we’re trying to close is the one created by the opportunity — an internship that pays nothing or too little with respect to the cost of doing it — not a gap in a student’s overall financial picture. Any student who takes on an unpaid or underpaid internship is absorbing that same cost, regardless of their broader circumstances, so the award tracks the internship’s economics rather than a means test.
What if a student changes their internship plan after receiving funding?
The student must notify the Center. If an internship is incomplete, or if there is a change to duration, location, or compensation, students will be expected to return a prorated portion of the funds.
What Should I Expect After Applying?
- You might receive a request for additional information via Handshake. Please keep an eye on Notifications.
- Center for Career Design will notify you of your status (Approved, Declined, Pending) approximately two weeks from the application deadline or from your submission date, whichever is later.
- If approved, you will receive a link to our Funding Release and a reminder to register your travel.
- Upon completion of the release and travel registry, the Center for Career Design initiates the payment process. Student payments are submitted twice per week, and can take up to 10 business days to process.
- Recipients are responsible for conducting themselves in accordance with acceptable standards of behavior in the place or places where the proposed activities are to be conducted and, if required, for securing governmental or other approvals needed to conduct the proposed project.
- Recipients must notify the Center for Career Design immediately if there are any changes to their timeline, pay rate, or nature of the project.
- Recipients will be asked to share thoughts and expertise about their experiential learning activity with the Dartmouth community. This may include participating in general information sessions, contributing to promotional items (i.e., newsletters, TV screens, social media, marketing materials), debriefing with a career coach, etc. Information may be used in annual reports and/or shared with donors.
- Recipients agree to respond to a mid-internship and post-internship reflection survey and meet with a Career Coach virtually or in person within 3 weeks of the completion of the internship.
- Recipients are expected to complete the number of weeks as listed in the funding application unless other arrangements have been made.
- Applicants must indicate acceptance of the award by signing a Funding Release. (Release is provided with the decision notification.)
- Once the Center for Career Design has received the Release and confirms your Travel Registry, the disbursement process is initiated with the Finance Center. The estimated time for the processing to complete is 7-10 business days.
- Funds are disbursed by direct deposit unless student requests a check payment. If you request funding by check, checks must be deposited within 90 days of receipt. Checks will not be reissued after they have expired. For more information, see Student Digital Payments.
- Funds may be considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service if you are a U.S. citizen. Please consult your tax professional for further information.
- For international students, grants awarded may be subject to taxes and fees that could be subtracted from your grant.