Internship Funding

Source: https://careeradvancement.uchicago.edu/student-opportunities/grant-funding/internship-grants/ Parent: https://careeradvancement.uchicago.edu/

To support students in reaching their career goals and help offset cost of living expenses during the internship experience, Career Advancement offers a limited pool of funding for unpaid, student-sourced opportunities in industries that traditionally do not offer intern compensation. Funding is provided through the University’s Jeff Metcalf Internship Program.

The primary grant for summer internships is the Metcalf Summer Experience Grant, and there are several additional potential funding sources depending on the nature of your opportunity (see "Funding Sources by Opportunity Type" section below). Reference the Metcalf Summer Experience Grant application timeline for 2025-26 Academic Year.

In response to high student demand for summer funding and to support as many students as possible, the Metcalf Summer Experience Grant only funds summer experiences.

If you're interested in an academic-year position, our career advisers are happy to meet with you to discuss your career goals and explore strategies such as applying for paid on-campus employment positions and paid off-campus internships. Schedule an appointment on Handshake – we look forward to working with you!

As part of the University’s financial aid support of Odyssey Scholars, limited funding is available to support academic year, unpaid internships for Odyssey students. Learn more on the Odyssey Career Resource Center.

While all of these grants are highly competitive, career advisers are available to help you create a back-up plan. Your adviser can support you with finding paid opportunities and introducing you to potential employers.

Eligible Experiences

All currently enrolled, active undergraduates are eligible to apply for Metcalf grants. Students’ self-sourced opportunity should be a substantive, high-quality experience:

• Work structure: Internships can be remote, in-person, or hybrid. Hybrid and in-person opportunities receive priority consideration.
• Guided experience: Students should have a direct supervisor who will provide ongoing support, coaching, and mentorship.
• Location: Metcalf grants support internships with off-campus employers. Limited funding is available for on-campus positions in healthcare, law, and STEM.
• Length: a full-time experience during the summer is considered 320+ hours (or ~8+ weeks).
• Pay: Students may request funding for experiences that are unpaid or where the compensation they receive from the employer is less than the University stipend for the same number of hours (see Internship Hours and Award Amounts section below).
• Stipend award: A standard stipend amount for a full-time experience is $4,000. Odyssey Scholars, merit scholarship recipients, and students from specialized career cohorts are eligible to receive $5,000 for a full-time, summer experience.
• Prior funding: Priority consideration will be given to students who have not previously received Metcalf funding to ensure that as many students as possible can benefit from a funded summer experience.
• Ineligible experiences: Metcalf grants do not support opportunities with fee-based internship programs (including internships where the host organization charges a fee to participate) or with political campaigns. As a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, the University is prohibited from participating in political campaign activities.

Application for Metcalf Summer Experience Grant

First Years (Class of 2029 and Transfer Students Admitted in Autumn 2025): If you have secured an unpaid, substantive summer 2026 internship, apply for your stipend by completing this form by Wednesday, May 6. Please connect with your career adviser with any questions. The maximum stipend award is $5,000 for a full-time summer experience (8+ weeks, or 320+ hours). Experiences less than this would be prorated using the chart at the bottom of this page.

All Other Years: Apply for the Metcalf Summer Experience Grant following the application timeline for 2025-26 Academic Year included in the grid below.

Your application should clearly describe your intended plans, showcase alignment to your specific learning/career goals, and draw connections between experiences. Our career advising team is happy to meet with you and help you prepare your materials. You can schedule a career advising appointment via Handshake.

By applying to this internship grant, you agree to follow the Student Recruiting Guidelines. If awarded and accepted, you also agree to commit to and complete the internship experience for which you applied.

Metcalf Fellowship Grant:

Sample Internship Lengths and Award Ranges

Odyssey Metcalf Grant:

Sample Internship Lengths and Award Ranges

Additional Funding Sources by Opportunity Type

• Career Cohort Programs

If you’ve received an internship award through your participation in a Career Advancement cohort program, follow the appropriate link to request access to your funding. The funding request links will be available later in the academic year.

• 1st Year Odyssey and First Phoenix Scholars (Class of 2029)
• 1st Year Career Cohorts (Class of 2029)

• Dean’s, President’s, and Pritzker Scholars (all class years)

• Arts & Humanities

• Off-campus academic year internships: apply for the JAMGrant – Journalism, Arts & Media Grant. The JAMGrant application timeline for 2025-26 Academic Year (Fall – Spring) is included in the grid below. Please note: This grant only funds academic-year experiences. Applications for the fall quarter go live on September 1, 2025 and students should apply using Handshake.

• Summer internships: apply for the Summer JAMGrant . The Summer 2026 JAMGrant application timeline is included in the grid below. Link to apply in Handshake will listed here in January.

• Paid projects mentored by artists, writers, and journalists: Practitioner Program
• Career projects related to major: Seidel Scholars Grant

• Employer-paid experiences: subscribe to the Careers in the Arts and Humanities, Careers in Gaming, and Metcalf Program newsletters for regular updates on paid internships

• Healthcare

• On- and off-campus summer internships: Metcalf Summer Experience Grant (application link available when the 2025-2026 grant goes live)

• Faculty-mentored summer research in health, medicine, and science: Katen Scholars Program
• Internships in community health and the social context of health and medicine based either in the UChicago hospital system or the broader Chicago community: Careers in Healthcare Fellows in Community and Social Medicine

• Employer-paid experiences: subscribe to the Careers in Biological Sciences, Careers in Healthcare, and Metcalf Program newsletters for regular updates on paid internships.

• Law

• On- and off-campus summer internships: Metcalf Summer Experience Grant (application link available when the 2025-2026 grant goes live)

• Employer-paid experiences: subscribe to the Careers in Law and Metcalf Program newsletters for regular updates on paid internships.

• Social Sciences

• Off-campus summer internships: Metcalf Summer Experience Grant (application link available when the 2025-2026 grant goes live)

• Summer human rights internships: Human Rights Summer Internship Program
• Career projects related to major: Seidel Scholars Grant

• Employer-paid experiences: subscribe to the Careers in Policy and Social Impact, Climate and Energy Careers, Global Health and Health Policy, and Metcalf Program newsletters for regular updates on paid internships

• STEM

• On- and off-campus summer internships: Metcalf Summer Experience Grant (application link available when the 2025-2026 grant goes live)

• Faculty-mentored summer research in the biological sciences: Biological Sciences Collegiate Division Summer Fellowships

• Employer-paid experiences: subscribe to the Careers in Behavioral Sciences, Careers in Biological Sciences, Careers in Computer Science, Careers in Engineering, Careers in Physical Sciences newsletters for regular updates on paid internships

• Academic Research with Faculty

Students interested in securing funding for research positions with faculty members should explore grant programs offered by the College Center for Research and Fellowships.

Grant Questions?

For questions about the Metcalf Fellowship Grant, please contact erd@uchicago.edu.