91原创

Eligibility Overview

IPEG supports unpaid or underpaid internships and professional experiences that fall outside a student鈥檚 required academic coursework.

Eligible applicants must be:

• Enrolled full-time as undergraduate students at the 91原创;

• Pursuing an unpaid or underpaid internship or professional experience聽

• Participating in an opportunity outside the 91原创;

• Experiencing a significant financial burden related to participating in the opportunity;

• Able to provide supervisor or main point-of-contact information for verification;

• Seeking funding for expenses connected to participating in the experience; and

• Seeking funding assistance for either internships or professional experiences in various 91原创 fiscal years (if they have previously received an Internship & Professional Experiences Grant).

Examples of expenses may include transportation, housing, professional attire, required materials, conference registration or other expenses directly related to participating in the experience.

Students are generally ineligible for IPEG funding when:

• The student is not enrolled as a full time, undergraduate student at the university.听

• The experience is part of a student鈥檚 degree requirements, such as student teaching, school counseling practicums, required clinical placements, or similar for-credit mandated experiences

• The experience requires program, placement, or participation fees, commonly associated with third-party international or study abroad internship programs

• The opportunity is affiliated with the 91原创, including 91原创 employment, research, programs, Registered Student Organizations or other University-based opportunities such as the Biden Summer Internship Program;

• The opportunity is related to a family business or is directly supervised by a relative

• The opportunity is affiliated with a business owned and/or operated by the applicant

• The student is already receiving a monetary award or grant from another 91原创 department for the same internship or professional experience

• The student鈥檚 expected compensation meets or exceeds the maximum IPEG award amount associated with their experience

• The student is a repeat awardee seeking funding for the same type of experience in the same fiscal year

IPEG is intended to support optional, unpaid or underpaid opportunities outside required academic coursework.

For students who are not U.S. citizens, additional eligibility criteria may apply.

International students:聽

• Due to tax regulations, experiences may only be funded that will take place within the United States.

• CPT authorization is required for funding to be disbursed, even if this is not required by the employer. Please work with Center for Global Programs & Services staff to apply and gain authorization.

• Additional paperwork may be required and additional delays are likely.

Undocumented students:聽

• The current funding disbursement process for the Internship and Professional Experiences Grant presents challenges for this population. The 91原创 Career Center will work with the student to determine the best course of action privately. Please email careeraccessmobility@udel.edu in regard to your application to begin this process.

Compensation and Other Funding

IPEG is intended to supplement unpaid or underpaid internships and professional experiences. Eligibility and the maximum possible award are based on the total number of hours the student expects to complete.

A student is not eligible for IPEG funding if:

• Employer compensation, including hourly wages or stipends, is equal to or greater than the maximum IPEG award associated with the student鈥檚 total experience hours;

• The student鈥檚 hourly wage is equal to or greater than the applicable minimum wage for the location where the experience will take place; or

• The student is receiving another monetary award or grant from a 91原创 department for the same experience.

Employer compensation will be deducted from the maximum IPEG award for which a student may qualify. Combined employer compensation and IPEG funding cannot exceed the maximum award associated with the student鈥檚 anticipated hours. No IPEG award will exceed $5,000.

Example 1: Compensation Equal to the Maximum Award

If you plan to complete 200 hours, your maximum IPEG award is $3,000. If your employer will pay you $3,000 or more through wages or a stipend, you are not eligible for IPEG funding.

Example 2: Partial Employer Compensation

If you plan to complete 200 hours and your employer will pay you $1,500, you may be eligible for up to $1,500 in IPEG funding. Your combined employer compensation and IPEG funding cannot exceed the $3,000 maximum associated with 200 hours.

Example 3: Hourly Compensation at or Above Minimum Wage

If your hourly wage is equal to or greater than the applicable minimum wage where your experience will take place, you are not eligible for IPEG funding, even if your total employer compensation is less than the maximum IPEG award associated with your anticipated hours.

Professional Experiences

Funding to attend an eligible professional experience, such as a conference, is limited to a maximum award of $1,000.

IPEG funding is intended to support individual students. Multiple members of the same Registered Student Organization (RSO) may not apply through IPEG to attend the same conference.

Student organizations seeking conference funding should apply through the RSO Allocations Board. RSOs may submit up to two conference requests per academic year, with one request per semester. Requests must align with the organization鈥檚 mission and include conference-registration details.

The IPEG review team will verify whether individual conference requests are associated with RSO conference participation.

Previous Grant Recipients

Students who received an award during a previous University fiscal year may apply again. Due to limited funding, eligible repeat recipients may be placed on a waitlist while first-time applicants are prioritized. Students selected from the waitlist will be contacted directly if additional funding becomes available.

Students may receive up to:

• One internship grant per University fiscal year; and

• One professional experience grant per University fiscal year.

Students may not receive two grants for the same type of experience during the same University fiscal year.

The current University fiscal year is FY27, which runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

Examples

A student who receives a grant for a Fall 2026 internship may still apply for a Spring 2027 professional experience, such as an eligible conference.

A student who receives a grant for a Fall 2026 internship may not receive another internship grant during Spring 2027 because both experiences fall within FY27.

Please allow approximately 45 minutes to one hour to complete the application.

Before beginning, review the eligibility requirements and prepare the information and materials listed below. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

The application will ask you to provide:

• Your student information;

• The type of internship or professional experience for which you are seeking funding;

• Information about whether you have already secured an opportunity;

• If you have not yet secured an opportunity, details about your current search, applications, interviews or anticipated opportunities;

• The employer or organization name and website, if available;

• The position or experience title and description;

• Your anticipated start and end dates;

• Your expected weekly and total experience hours;

• Your supervisor or main point-of-contact information;

• Details about hourly wages, stipends or other employer compensation;

• Information about other grants, awards or funding you may receive for the same experience;

• The expenses or financial barriers connected to participating in the opportunity;

• An updated r茅sum茅;

• Relevant links, such as the employer website or position description; and

• Short-response essays describing the anticipated value and impact of the experience.

Short-Response Essays

The application includes the following short-response essay questions:

1. What do you hope to learn or gain from this internship or professional experience?

2. How will participating in this experience affect you, your career development and the 91原创 community?

Your responses should be specific and complete, but they do not need to be lengthy. The two responses should total no more than 1,000 words combined.

We recommend drafting your responses in a Word or Google document before entering them into the application. This will allow you to review your writing and retain a copy in case you experience technical difficulties.

Preparing your materials in advance will help you complete the application efficiently and ensure that you provide all required information.

Applications are reviewed by Career Center staff using established program criteria. Reviewers consider the information provided in the application, the eligibility of the proposed experience and the availability of grant funding.

Meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee an award.

During the review process, staff will consider:

• Whether the student meets the grant鈥檚 eligibility requirements;

• Whether the internship or professional experience is eligible for funding;

• Whether the experience is unpaid or underpaid;

• The student鈥檚 anticipated experience hours and employer compensation;

• The financial barriers that may affect the student鈥檚 ability to participate;

• The potential value of the experience to the student鈥檚 career development;

• The student鈥檚 stated learning goals and anticipated outcomes;

• Whether the application provides enough information to evaluate and verify the experience;

• Whether the student is receiving another monetary award or grant from a 91原创 department for the same experience; and

• The availability of grant funding within the application cycle.

Students receiving employer compensation may still be considered if the experience is underpaid and meets all other program requirements. Employer compensation will be considered when determining the maximum possible award.

Eligible repeat recipients may be placed on a waitlist while first-time applicants are prioritized. Demonstrated financial need, the availability of funding and the circumstances of the proposed experience may also be considered.

Students Without a Secured Opportunity

Students who are actively working to secure an eligible opportunity may still apply.

These applicants may be conditionally approved based on the information available in their application. Funding cannot be finalized or processed until the student:

• Secures an eligible internship or professional experience;

• Provides the required internship, supervisor, date, hour and compensation information; and

• Completes all verification requirements by the deadline provided by the grant team.

Conditional approval does not guarantee that an award will be issued.

Requests for Additional Information

The grant team may contact an applicant if information is missing, unclear or inconsistent. Applicants should monitor their 91原创 email and respond promptly.

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Failure to provide requested information or complete required verification steps may affect the application decision or prevent an award from being processed.

All applicants will receive an email notifying them of their application decision.

The Application Timeline for AY26/27 will be shared soon. Please check back for updates.

The professional experience is not required to be a formal 鈥渋nternship鈥� but must be an experience with a designated supervisor or site host. Job shadows and volunteer opportunities relevant to career fields will be considered.

In exchange for receiving a grant for living and travel expenses accrued during the timeframe of an unpaid or underpaid experience, students are encouraged to participate in career development activities, such as resume review and Canvas module utilization. Additionally, recipients are required to participate in donor appreciation, storytelling practices and assessment on the program and experience. This includes responding to requests from program management or any staff of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) for interviews, thank-you notes, etc. This requirement will be on an as-needed basis and will not require substantial time or effort, but will go a long way to support the continued financial support of this program.

Internship grants will be awarded according to the following time-based structure:

• 50 hours (minimum to qualify): $750
• 51 to 100 hours: $1500
• 101 to 150 hours: $2250
• 151 to 200 hours: $3000
• 201 to 250 hours: $3750
• 251 to 300 hours: $4250
• 301+ hours: $5000

In addition to the time-based funding, other professional experiences, such as attending or presenting at conferences, can be awarded up to $1000. Supporting documentation for these experiences may be required.

The聽Internship and聽Professional Experiences Grant helps support experiences for undergraduate students during fall and spring semesters, as well as Winter and Summer Sessions. These experiences include:

• Internships
• Field experiences
• Job shadowing
• Research with organizations outside of 91原创
• Professional conferences

The following experiences are not eligible for funding:

• Experiences based at the 91原创 (jobs, internships, research), including those based in Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), academic or administrative departments or annual programs
• Experiences for graduate students
• Experiences required for your major or degree program, including but not limited to聽student teaching, clinicals, practicums, capstone or thesis projects
• Self- or family-led experiences or entrepreneurial efforts
• Third party experience providers (i.e. externships)

Please note that any student applying for a 91原创 Career Center affiliated experience will have the opportunity through that program's application to apply for financial support. Be sure to look in any 91原创 Career Center program application for a funding opportunity, as the聽Internship and聽Professional Experiences Grant is not intended for these experiences. Examples of these opportunities include:

• Winter Job Shadow Program
• Winter Internship Program
• Summer Job Shadow Program

Funding is currently provided through Procurement Services and/or Payroll. Students working at the University will be provided funds through their normal paycheck. Students not working at the University will be provided funds via Procurement in either a check or direct deposit, based on filling out a W-9 form for the University. There is a delay between submission of forms for funding and the disbursement of funds as all forms go through either Procurement or Human Resources. More information on payment is provided in the onboarding process of any recipients and should be read carefully.

Application periods for the Internship & Professional Experiences Grant will be shared on this website, with periodic updates throughout the academic year. Students may request funding for one internship and/or one professional experience per academic year. $5,000 is the maximum award available, no matter the length of the experience, and funding may be adjusted based on the timeframe, demonstrated need, available budget and information provided in the application.

Yes, as is agreed upon in the terms of use required for grant recipients, students must understand that it is their responsibility to report grant funding on tax documents and pay any associated taxes, if required. For students provided funds through an S-Contract, taxes will be taken out through the payroll process. For students provided funds through a Request for Payment to Individual form, taxes should be set aside for potential payment at tax time.

Yes. Simply complete an additional application and note the time and date of submission for the correct application and email聽careeraccessmobility@udel.edu with this information to remove previous applications.

No, there are no experiences attached to this funding. Funding is provided to make outside experiences more feasible. There are other programs at the institution that match students with experiences and employers via funding, but this program is applicable to experiences that a student finds or makes for themselves. If you need assistance in an internship strategy, please feel free to make an appointment with a career counselor on Handshake.

Students may receive up to one internship grant and one professional experience grant per 91原创 fiscal year. Students may not receive two grants for the same type of experience within the same 91原创 fiscal year.

The current 91原创 fiscal year is FY27 which runs from July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027.

For example:

• If you received a grant for a Fall 2026 internship, you may still apply for a Spring 2027 professional experience, such as an eligible conference.
• If you received a grant for a Fall 2026 internship, you may not receive another grant for a Spring 2027 internship within the same fiscal year.

Think of it as one 鈥渂ite of the apple鈥� and one 鈥渂ite of the orange鈥� per fiscal year鈥攂ut not two apples or two oranges.

Students who received an award in a previous fiscal year may apply again. However, due to limited funding, eligible repeat recipients may be placed on a waitlist while first-time applicants are prioritized. Students selected from the waitlist will be contacted directly if additional funding becomes available.