Bright Futures Scholarship

Summer 2026's Bright Futures Application

Applications Open: Monday, March 30, 2026 at 8:00 a.m.
Deadline to Apply: Monday, May 4, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
*A direct link will be provided here.
 

The Bright Futures Unpaid Internship Scholarship 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.

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. 


ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES:

All registered University of Maryland, College Park undergraduate students returning to campus for the fall 2026 semester, who have an unpaid internship for summer 2026, 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:

1. Unpaid on-campus or off-campus internship with a non-profit organization or government agency.
    
2. New internship experience during summer 2025 and completed by the start of the fall 2025 semester.
    
3. Supervised by a professional in the field.
    
4. Along with your competed Bright Futures application, our Supervisor Agreement form is also 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

The Bright Futures Internship Scholarship Fund was created in 2009 to provide need-based scholarships for University of Maryland undergraduates participating in unpaid internships. Internships are crucial for students, as employers increasingly value work-related experience. To address the financial challenge of unpaid internships, the University Career Center initiated the Bright Futures program, which collaborates with donors to offer direct funding to students. This funding allows students to take advantage of essential and transformative opportunities.