Summer Internship Funding FAQ’s

Below you will find some frequently asked questions regarding summer internship funding.

Eligibility

• Can I apply for funding if my employer is also paying me?
  
  Yes. In your application you will be asked to detail your expenses, as well as any compensation you are receiving from the internship employer, income you will have from supplemental part-time jobs, or other university funding like a RIG grant. The application will deduct the support you are receiving from your expenses to create a funding request.
• Can I apply for funding if my experience includes a program fee or tuition?
  
  No. Opportunities that include a program fee or tuition, including study abroad, some international service programs, Washington Center Internships, business accelerators, etc., are not eligible for funding, even if they include an internship component.
• Can I apply for funding for an entrepreneurial project?
  
  No. Internship Funding requires that you are working for and being supervised by an established provider. You are encouraged to connect with the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship for further ideas about funding for your project or idea.
• Can graduating seniors apply?
  
  Due to restrictions on the endowments we draw from, there is a very limited pool of funding for graduating seniors. All seniors graduating in December are eligible to apply.
• Can international students apply?
  
  Absolutely. However, international students should be aware that taxes may be withheld from your award amount dependent on the tax treaty between the US and your country of citizenship. International students participating in an internship in their home country or elsewhere outside of the US should apply as early as possible so your destination can be researched by the Office of Global Engagement.
• Can undocumented students apply?
  
  Yes, and we encourage you to meet with someone in the Greene Center or Financial Aid Office about your situation. You are also welcome to bring this up in your Career Impact Statement.
• Can I apply for funding before getting my internship offer?
  
  No. You must have accepted an offer for an internship. When you submit your application, an email will be sent to your supervisor for confirmation of your hours, the time frame of your internship, and the compensation they will be giving you (if any).
• What if it doesn’t seem like my internship offer will come in prior to the application deadline?
  
  Talk with the employer you are interviewing with or applying to! This can be included as a line in your cover letter (“I am eligible to apply for summer internship funding through my university should a hiring decision be made prior to [this year’s application deadline]”), or in communications about setting up an interview or following up to an interview. Remain polite, and just let the employer know that receiving a decision in time to apply for funding will help you in determining the feasibility of accepting an offer.
• Can I apply for funding for a research internship or project?
  

  We welcome applications for research internships with non-University of Rochester employers, including other universities and medical centers.

  Research taking place under the guidance of a UR Faculty mentor/PI/lab/department, including those beyond the physical borders of the university, should apply for DISCOVER funding by their deadline of March 31st.

• Can I apply if I have more than one internship or experience?
  
  First off, yes you can apply. We can consider multiple applications alongside one another as long as these are with different employers or supervisors. To do this, you will need to fill out an application PER internship. Once you submit your application, your start and end dates, hours per week, and employer compensation are sent to your supervisor for confirmation. So you should complete 1 application per internship. You are welcome to either split your budget requests up per internship, or put the full budget into both (other than the employer compensation, since the employer will dispute a combined amount). Please just indicate this in your budget justification statement so we know what your full ask is, and are able to add up the employer contributions if any.

Evaluation

• How will my application be evaluated?
  Your entire application will be evaluated, including the completeness of your application, your Budget Justification and Career Impact statements, and the funding you are requesting. See our evaluation rubric for guidance on creating a quality application.
• Where can I get assistance on my application?
  
  Students are encouraged to utilize the Writing Fellows program, as well as drop-in hours at the Greene Center to review your application and essays.

Decisions

• When will I know if I’ve received funding?
  Funding decisions will be emailed to applicants by April 26th. We send an update to the entire applicant pool once we have completed first round awards, and will notify everyone if they have received a grant, if they are on a waitlist, or if they have been declined.
• Is there any way to appeal a decision?
  
  All funding decisions are final, and are based on the evaluation rubric linked above.
• How competitive is Summer Internship Funding?
  
  Increasingly competitive. Each year we have more students apply for funding than we can possibly grant. This year due to increasing financial needs of our students, increasing cost of living, and some shifts in other funding opportunities, it will be even more competitive than in the past. You are highly encouraged to review the scoring rubric and connect with someone at the Greene Center or Writing Center for assistance on your application.

Receiving Payment

• What do I need to do to receive my funding?
  
  There are several steps, depending on your work authorization and internship location, that you will need to take prior to your internship. Please see a list of these items here.
• When will I receive my funding?
  
  Payments are currently made in two allocations, one May 31st and one on July 15th. Our funding sources cross over the University’s fiscal year which begins July 1.
• How will I get my funding?
  

  You are encouraged to set up direct deposit through HRMS.

  • If you already hold a position on campus, you can adjust this in your HRMS account.
  • If this is your first payroll eligible position, you will need to wait until you are “hired” in HRMS to set up direct deposit. As this may happen after you leave campus, you must install the university’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) client on the computer you will be using over the summer prior to leaving campus.
• How do I set up direct deposit for my payment?
  
  Information on how to set up direct deposit through HRMS can be found online at https://www.rochester.edu/payroll/employee-self-service/
• Is Summer Internship Funding considered taxable income?
  
  Summer Internship Funding is generally considered taxable income, and you should discuss the implications of this with a tax professional familiar with your individual situation.
• Will tax withholding be taken out of my Summer Internship Funding payments?
  
  • US Citizens and Permanent Residents will not have tax withheld from your payments.
  • International students will have income taxes withheld according to the United States’ tax treaty with your country of citizenship, which can range from 0% up to 30% of your award. Further information on taxes and withholding for international students can be found on the ISO website.