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Funding for Student Experiences

Together with funds from generous donors and departmental support, Villanova students are eligible to apply for funding to help them engage in critical professional and personal development experiences such as unpaid and low-paying summer internships, research experiences, conferences, academic trips, study abroad, and more. A list of funds for student experiences with links to each site's materials and applications is below. We encourage you to carefully read through descriptions of each funding opportunity and the policies and procedures to understand your options.

Important Information for Internship Applicants:

For students applying for funding for internship experiences, scroll to the bottom of this page and review the important policies and procedures associated with applying for and receiving funding. Please make note of them before submitting your application. We encourage you to use our Sample Budget Worksheet to help you determine the amount of funding you need for your experience.

Together with the generosity of donors, employer partners and the Career Center, Villanova students are eligible to apply for two sources of funding. Both are established to help you engage in critical career experiences. 

Student Experience Funding

About this Fund: The BIG EAST Professional Development Award application period has closed.

 

About this Fund: The Student Experience Funding Award which enables students to receive amounts up to $2,500 each year to participate in conferences, membership to professional organizations, and more. Applications are reviewed and decisions about awarding funds are made on an ongoing basis until May 12, 2023. NOTE: This fund does not accept applications to fund expenses related to internships, education abroad, graduate school exam preparation courses, certification or license. This fund is not available to graduating students. 

Apply Now

 

Student Internship Funding

About this Fund: The Villanova University Career Center is excited to offer awards to eligible students pursuing unpaid or underpaid internships for the summer of 2023. The maximum award amount is $5,000 per student. Students who apply for these funds will be notified of decisions by the end of April and award amounts will be disbursed in early May. The application period will open on February 13, 2023, and close April 11, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. NOTE: This fund is not available for graduating students and cannot be applied to tuition balances.

Apply Now

About this Fund: The Moran Center for Global Leadership provides financial support for VSB students engaged in a variety of international business activities, including summer internships. Funding is available for a variety of programs.

Learn More and Apply

About this Fund: The Office of Education Abroad provides a variety of scholarships for study abroad and other international experiences. Students should review the eligibility requirements and deadlines carefully before starting an application. Students can apply for a maximum of four scholarships per term. Scholarship decisions will typically be announced no later than one month after the deadline, unless otherwise stated. On average, these awards can help cover up to one-third of program expenses, though amounts vary based on fund  restrictions and student need. 

Learn More and Apply

About this Fund: Through the generosity of a number of donors to Villanova who recognize the importance of professional development opportunities for undergraduate students, the Office for Undergraduate Students (OUS) in CLAS provides funds for student experiences that emphasize professional and career exploration and growth, including internship experiences.

To Apply, login to MyNova and Search "OUS Professional Development Funding"

About this Fund: The Philadelphia Area Social Justice Internship (PASJI) is sponsored by the Center for Peace and Justice Education and the Campus Ministry Center for Service and Social Justice. The program provides Villanova undergraduates (rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors) a funded opportunity to do social justice work in the greater Philadelphia region over the summer, accompanied by opportunities for shared reflections among the student cohort.

Learn More and Apply

About this Fund: The goal of the Presidential Scholars Program Professional Development Award (PSP-PDA) is to help Presidential Scholars participate in educationally- and/or professionally-enriching activities that might not otherwise be possible without these enrichment award funds.

Learn More and Apply

About this Fund: Members of the Villanova Public Policy Society have generously raised funds to support a limited number of summer stipends for unpaid public policy internships in Washington DC. 

Learn More and Apply

About this Fund: The Villanova Match Research Program for First Year Students provides opportunities for motivated first-year undergraduates to pursue undergraduate research in the spring semester. Applicants do not need substantial experience and will serve as research assistants to faculty mentors.

If selected for the Match program, students will conduct research for 10 hours per week for 10 weeks for which they are paid $1000. In addition to conducting undergraduate research, Match grantees participate in professional development seminars on resumes, cover letters, oral presentations, and proposal writing during the Spring semester.  

Learn More and Apply

About this Fund: The Villanova Undergraduate Research Fellows Program (VURF) is designed to provide financial support for student research during the summer. The Undergraduate Research Advisory Board determines funding allocations to be awarded as stipends for student researchers as well as funding for supplies, travel, and conference support.

Learn More and Apply

About this Fund: The Davis Fund for Student Experiences is designed to provide financial support for undergraduate and graduate students to pursue unique and exceptional learning experiences. Thanks to the generosity of Jim C. Davis ’81 VSB and Kim Davis, the Davis Fund will make grants to applicants who demonstrate opportunities to experience their VSB education in exceptional ways. This may include global opportunities, research, independent studies, nonprofit service, conferences, case studies or something truly different. 

Learn More and Apply

About this Fellowship: This project gives students an opportunity to conduct
academic research and participate in theological, ethical, and scientific reflection enriched by the experiences of their peers and their spiritual and religious traditions. It seeks to enable the development of students as reflective decision makers who will seek solutions, enact change, and contribute to the flourishing of the human family. Although the research project is not for credit, the fellowship provides an opportunity to explore questions “close to the heart” and engage with peers on these questions.

This fellowship is open to undergraduates who have completed their first year.

Responsibilities include:

  • Produce a significant and meaningful (written) research project
  • Work with a faculty member
  • Accomplish research in conjunction with theological (religious or spiritual) reflection on the project
  • Participate in regular group discussions to share research ideas
  • Form a community of scholars
  • Meet project deadlines
  • Fellow will receive a $500 stipend

 

Learn More and Apply

 

Policies and Procedures for Internship Funding

The below policies & procedures apply to funds distributed to students to support their completion of internship experiences.

Student Eligibility: Funding is available to degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students. Applicants must be eligible to work in the applicable location, in good academic and disciplinary standing at the time of application and remain in good standing throughout the internship. Additional, specific eligibility requirements are outlined for each funding source and may be subject to a check of your level of financial need determined by Villanova’s Office of Financial Assistance.

Internship and Employer Eligibility: The internship must meet the specific requirements for nature of the internship outlined in the descriptions provided by the review committee for each fund. Both U.S. and international internships should follow applicable employment laws in the host country. Villanova cannot determine whether any internship satisfies employment law criteria. Review committees may, in their discretion, require students who participate in this program with US-based internships to have their employer certify that they have reviewed and will abide by the US Department of Labor criteria established in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The following criteria serve as automatic disqualification for internship funding:

  • Incomplete application at time of deadline or submission of materials after the deadline
  • Unsupervised internships
  • Internship site or organization is owned or managed by member of intern's family
  • Inaccurate representation of internship or employer information
  • Current, significant academic or disciplinary conduct violations
  • Transferring or withdrawing from Villanova before or during the internship, or intent to transfer or withdraw from Villanova after the internship is completed

Selection Committee & Criteria: Applications will be reviewed by committees of Villanova faculty and staff who manage the funds. The review committees may consider the following factors: academic standing, disciplinary status, financial need (as determined by the Office of Financial Assistance), nature of the internship, and the connection between the internship and the applicant's career interests. Students who have financial holds on their accounts with the Bursar’s office will need to clear those holds in order to receive funding. 

Disbursement of Award: Awards will be distributed according to each fund’s specific disbursement schedule and in coordination with the Office of Financial Assistance and Bursar’s Office. Changes to the disbursement schedule of awards will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Once the funding is accepted, it is expected that a student will complete the internship experience as outlined within the application. Otherwise, funding may be withheld or be required to be returned to the University. 

Should extenuating circumstances arise that may prevent a student from completing the internship, the student must follow the following procedures and guidelines :

  • If extenuating circumstances arise, (e.g., a student has a life event or encounters significant difficulty completing an internship experience), the student should notify the Villanova official(s) who manage the internship funds within 1 week of that event or difficulty occurring.
  • The Villanova official(s) managing the internship funds will work with the student to determine whether there are options to enable the student to continue the experience. Every effort will be made to support students in seeking a safe, high-quality internship experience.
  • If a student completes 50% or more of internship experience prior to the disruption by extenuating circumstances, the student will be entitled to keep the full funding provided.
  • If a student completes less than 50% of the internship experience prior to the disruption by extenuating circumstances, the student may be asked to pay a pro-rated refund, based on the amount of funds already received and the portion of the internship not completed (and payments of funds not already received by the student may be suspended or terminated). Students may be able to keep all funding if arrangements can be made that demonstrate the student will complete an alternate career experience, research or other work that is consistent with the goals and spirit of the original internship application that is acceptable to the Villanova official(s) managing the funds in their sole discretion.

Post-Internship Expectations: Following the completion of the internship, students must complete an evaluation reflecting on the internship’s impact on their academic and career goals. Acceptance of funds by a student constitutes agreement that Villanova may use the student’s name and likeness in materials related to the internship funds, unless the student timely submits to the Villanova official(s) managing the funds a written and signed request to opt out of such materials. Recipient further agrees to be available as requested for activities such as thank you letters, information sessions, and donor-recognition events.

Tax & Financial Aid Implications: Students are responsible for consulting with Office of Financial Assistance to estimate the impact, if any, of an internship award on their financial aid package. Students should consult a tax advisor for guidance regarding any federal and state income tax requirements which may apply. International Students should consult with the Office of International Students Services or a tax advisor for assistance regarding eligibility to work and tax requirements.