Scholarship Opportunities
Scholarship opportunities are available through and off-campus to help fund unpaid internships!
Bright Futures Initiative: 'Unpaid Internship' Scholarship Fund
The Bright Futures Initiative awards students with need-based scholarships ranging from $100-$1,000 to help offset expenses incurred during unpaid internships in the summer. Scholarships are generously funded by the Eisen Family, the University Career Center & The President’s Promise, and individual donors through Maryland Giving Day.
The Bright Futures Summer 2026 Application is NOW OPEN and students have until Monday, May 4, 2026 to apply.
Other Scholarships
UMD Scholarships for Unpaid Internships
- Sustainability Internship: Contact Erin Rooney-Eckel (erooney@umd.edu)
- AGNR Experiential Learning Fund
- ARH-U Ready & Foxworth Scholarships: Contact Kate Juhl (kjuhl@umd.edu)
- BSOS Undergraduate Experience Funds
- School of Public Health Scholarship Fund for experiential learning
- Do Good “Impact Interns”, a paid internship focused on social impact
- Gilman International Scholarship for international internships via UMD National Scholarships Office
- UMD Education Abroad Scholarships for international internships
- Summer Research Scholarships via UMD National Scholarships Office
- Division of Student Affairs Scholarships
Non-UMD Internships
- BA Women's Alliance, for the educational, personal, and professional development of women
- Jeffrey A. McLean Foundation, for economically challenged college students to participate in unpaid internships
- Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), Public Service Scholarship program
Check professional associations in your field(s) of interest to see if they offer awards or scholarships for students.