CLAS Internship Scholarship Application and Information
The CLAS Internship Scholarship provides awards of up to $1,500 to undergraduate CLAS majors completing a for-credit, unpaid internship. The scholarship helps students explore career options, build professional skills, and connect classroom learning with real-world experience.
Funding is made possible through the generous support of the CLAS Dean's Office and donors who value experiential learning. Scholarships are awarded through the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships and applied to students' financial aid packages. All federal, state, and institutional financial aid policies apply. If you have specific questions about how this funding may impact your overall award, please reach out to [email protected].
Applications for Fall 2026 due Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
Eligibility
Eligible for Funding
Undergraduate students who are enrolled as full-time students during the academic year (and/or enrolled in a minimum of three credit hours in the summer).
Enrolled in the GVSU (Grand Valley State University) College of Arts & Sciences (CLAS) for at least one degree program.
Registered for Internship Credit (390, 490, or equivalent). For questions about whether your experience qualifies as an internship, please refer to the internship overview page.
Not Eligible for Funding
Internships that are not completed for academic credit.
Internships where students are receiving hourly pay, a stipend, or are already receiving a scholarship.
Summer research opportunities mentored by a GVSU Faculty member –summer research projects are eligible for funding through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship.
Entrepreneurial projects that do not have a clear student learning objective or mentor/supervisor in place.
CCEE reserves the right to determine whether an application is ineligible on a case-by-case basis.
How to Apply
Search for and secure an internship. If you need assistance, meet with a staff member or peer career advisor in the GVSU Career Center or set up an appointment with someone in the CLAS Center for Experiential Learning through Navigate. The opportunity must be secured before applying for funding, and you will need to upload a copy of your internship offer letter or confirmation as part of your application.
Creating a Strong Application
As with any application, we encourage you to put reflection, time, and effort into your funding application. Please schedule an appointment with the GVSU Writing Center for assistance in writing your career goals. If you have questions about the application in general, feel free to schedule an appointment with a Center for Experiential Learning staff member.
Check the application scoring rubric (below) to understand how applications are evaluated. Applications will be reviewed by a team consisting of CLAS Faculty, CLAS Dean's Office, Career Center, and Financial Aid Representatives.
Applications with the following have a higher likelihood of receiving funding:
Budget justification:
- Explain how receiving funding is important to your ability to complete the internship
- Clearly describes how each budget line was researched and estimated
Career impact statement:
- Describe your motivation for undertaking the internship
- Make strong connections between the internship experience and your academic or career goals
- Give concrete examples of how the internship activities will help you further develop career competencies
Evaluation and Payment Process for Internships
Applications are evaluated based on the completeness and quality of the application, budget justification, and career impact statements. Please see the application rubric below to craft a competitive application. As with any academic assignment, please refrain from using AI to generate your responses in total.
Funding Application Rubric
On a scale of 1 to 4 (1 being the lowest, 4 being the highest), funding applications will be graded using the following rubric:
|
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Quality and Completeness of Application (30%) |
Application includes all requested information and is well written |
Application includes all requested information yet has a few errors |
Application is missing some fields and/or there are errors present throughout that do not impact comprehension |
Application is missing some fields and there are errors throughout the document. Poorly written |
|
Budget Justification (30%) |
The budget is clearly outlined and well estimated. Student includes why receiving funding is important for their internship experience |
There is a budget outline, and the student includes why the funding is important for their internship, either the source of budget amounts or the importance of funding is not fully developed" |
Student describes how 1 or 2 of the budget lines were researched and estimated but does not state why receiving funding is important to their internship |
Student does not provide clear budget estimates or state why receiving funding is important for their internship |
|
Career Impact Statement (40%) |
Student describes motivation for undertaking internship and gives clear examples of how internship activities will help develop career competencies |
Student describes motivation for undertaking internships. Some developing connections are made between the experience and their career and academic interests |
Student does not clearly describe motivation for undertaking internship and makes a weak connection between the internship and their academic or career interests |
Student did not describe motivation for completing internship or make a connection to academic or career goals |