Financing Your Internship

Scholarship opportunities are available through and off-campus to help fund unpaid internships!

Bright Futures Initiative: 'Unpaid Internship' Scholarship Fund

The Bright Futures application is closed for Summer 2023!  Please see below for other scholarship opportunities.

Applicants will be alerted of their status in mid to late May 2023.

The Bright Futures Initiative awards students with need-based scholarships ranging from $100-$1,000 to help offset expenses incurred during unpaid internships. Scholarships are generously funded by the Eisen Family, the University Career Center & The President’s Promise, and individual donors through Maryland Giving Day.  

If you are an undergraduate student who has secured an unpaid summer internship with a non-profit organization or government office, you are eligible to apply.  Additional eligibility details are provided below.

Eligible Candidates

All registered University of Maryland, College Park undergraduate students returning to campus for the fall 2023 semester, who have an unpaid internship for summer 2023, are eligible to apply.  Graduating seniors are not eligible.  Preference will be given to juniors and seniors graduating in December.  Preference will also  be given to those who have not previously received this scholarship.

In order for your internship to qualify for funding support, it must satisfy the following criteria:

• Unpaid on-campus or off-campus internship with a non-profit organization or government agency.
• New internship experience during summer 2023 and completed by the start of the fall 2023 semester.
• Supervised by a professional in the field.
• Our Supervisor Agreement form is completed and submitted by your internship supervisor.  Download & save this document onto your computer - do not fill out in the web browser or it will not save properly.

If you want to contribute financially to the Bright Futures Initiative, please visit brightfutures.umd.edu