Signature Internship opportunities offer numerous, unparalleled benefits. Most significantly, participants receive generous funding to intern with a trusted organization. Host employers have established relationships with Career Education staff and/or faculty, and have a demonstrated track record of offering meaningful experiences to their Wellesley student interns.

It depends. Students may only participate in each Signature Internships area once, but they may participate in different Signature Internship areas in different years. For example, if you are a Lumpkin intern this summer, you can apply to Global Citizenship Internships for the following year. However, please note that Wellesley Career Education tries to ensure that all students are able to experience a funded internship opportunity and our selection process prioritizes applicants who have not received funding previously.

As part of the Signature Internships Program, students must complete Summer Internship Pathway exercises throughout the summer (e.g., Goal setting, Health and Safety video, Surveys, Reflections, Advisor Meetings). Students will receive information from Career Education about these requirements in May. The activities are not meant to overburden students, rather they are designed to help students reflect and develop their career readiness skills.

If a student does not complete their internship or the Summer Pathway exercises in full, they may be reported to the Honor Code Committee. They also forfeit their final stipend ($500) and non-academic internship credit. 

Most Signature Internship awards are $5,000 and distributed in two separate installments via Workday: $4,500 in mid-June and $500 in September. International students and non-resident aliens may have to pay taxes on this funding if they are working an internship in the U.S; the stipend is not taxed if the internship placement is outside the U.S.

For placements in which Wellesley covers the cost of housing, interns receive a reduced stipend of $3,500, distributed in two separate installments via Workday: $3,000 in mid-June and $500 in September. These placements include Observer Research Foundation (Mumbai, India), Center for Cross-Cultural Learning (Rabat, Morocco), Vieques Conservation & Historical Trust (Puerto Rico); Asian Rural Institute (Nasushiobara, Japan), and all placements in the Lumpkin Program. 

It depends. Some students may have to pay taxes on their Signature Internship stipend, depending on their citizenship and how they use the money. Please see the applicable section below to determine if you have to pay taxes or not.

FOR U.S. STUDENTS:
Grants are not payments for services rendered but may still be taxable for U.S. Citizens. The taxability is dependent upon how the funds are used. It is up to students to determine if they have to report the income or not. To help students determine the taxability of these payments, the IRS issues Publication 970, “Tax Benefits for Education.”  Click this link to obtain a copy of Publication 970. The IRS publication is updated each calendar year.

FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:
International students are taxed at 14% on the stipend, if they use the funds in the U.S. Any funds used outside the U.S. are not taxed. International students can file a U.S. Tax return to receive a refund. The college is also required to have tax forms on file for the international students. If an international student is receiving a stipend they should check in with Dorothy Koulais (dotti.koulalis@wellesley.edu) in Wellesley Accounts Payable to see if they need to complete any tax paperwork.

FOR NON-RESIDENT ALIENS:
Stipend payments made to non-resident aliens are subject to a 14% federal tax withholding. Tax treaty provisions may allow non-resident aliens to claim exemption from federal tax withholding on teaching assistantships and fellowships. The IRS requires the college to report fellowship and scholarship payments to non-residents aliens on a 1042-S form.  Non-resident aliens are required to file Form 1040NR each calendar year using the information provided on Form 1042-S. To help students determine the taxability of these payments the IRS issues Publication 970, “Tax Benefits for Education.”  Click on this link to obtain a copy of Publication 970. The IRS publication is updated each calendar year.

Signature Internship stipends will be paid by direct deposit via Workday; payment by check has been discontinued. For direct deposit, students must have a US bank account, so please be sure you have one available.

Career Ed will verify that you are set up for direct deposit in Workday and submit the payment to the account on file. If you do not have banking information entered in Workday, we will ask you to follow these directions from Student Financial Services in order to set up your account. The funds will be transferred into the bank account information you enter into Workday.

Workday Tip: You may view the bank account information in your Workday profile by clicking on the “Pay” icon and viewing your payment elections. If you need to change the bank account listed in Workday, please contact Dotti Koulalis in Accounts Payable (dkoulali@wellesley.edu). Students who submit bank information through the banking app will not have any information under pay elections.

Maybe. If a student receives funding that exceeds the $5,000 Signature Internship award, then she would not be eligible for additional Signature Internship funds. However, if a student receives outside funding that is less than the $5,000 award, then Career Education will award the difference. For example, if a student received a $1,000 award from a department, then we would offer that student $4,000. This policy ensures that these awards and opportunities are available to as many students as possible; any unspent funds for a placement will be used to fund other students. 

Honor Code applies across all aspects of the application process; students must disclose any other source(s) of funding and total amount awarded. 

Yes! Students funded through the Career Education office (e.g., Signature Internships, Career Ed Grants Program) as well as those in other Wellesley-sponsored internships (e.g., Departments and programs across campus) are automatically approved to receive 0.5 non-academic internship credit. No separate internship credit application is required. 

The 0.5 non-academic credit appears on a student's transcript to indicate that she completed a Wellesley-approved internship experience, but the credit does not count toward degree requirements. Transcript notations will appear on transcripts in early October.

This year, you will apply via Workday. Please read through all the steps in the Application Process on our website. 

Yes. Students can apply to a maximum of two placements, even if the opportunities are in two different Signature Internship program areas. For example, a student might choose to apply for the YMCA in East Bay, CA (American Cities program) as well as CitySprouts (Lumpkin Program).

Please note that students who want to apply to two different placements must complete two separate applications, one for each distinct position. Please select the “Signature Internships #2” when submitting your second application.

Yes! You can make an appointment with a Career Education advisor via Handshake to find drop-in sessions, workshops, or schedule 1-1 meetings to review your application materials.

While we hope all Signature Internships for Summer 2023 will be in person, the final decision will be made in Spring 2023 and will depend on global health conditions and employer preferences.

Yes! International students are eligible for all grant awards except the Susan Todd Horton 1910 Internship Fund, which requires U.S. Citizenship. If awarded a grant for a summer opportunity in the United States, all students—including international students—will automatically be approved for non-academic internship credit; international students are required to earn credit in order to receive Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization through the Slater International Center.

The Career Education office offers non-academic internship credit for summer internships only; it does not offer credit for internships worked during the academic year. The only credit option available to students for these internships is academic credit, which requires you to register for an independent study with a faculty member. For further information, please consult the Registrar’s Office.

Stipends are $5,000 for virtual and in-person internships. Please note that payments made to international students and nonresident aliens interning in the U.S. are subject to a 14% federal tax withholding.

That depends. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) enables students to join the research efforts of MIT faculty. Students may enroll in a UROP in one of three forms: for credit, paid, or volunteer. If the student enrolls in a UROP for credit, the student will be charged tuition for one course credit, making the student INELIGIBLE for grant funding.

However, if you would like to participate in a volunteer UROP, the opportunity would be eligible for grant funding, assuming that the research meets our summer internship eligibility requirements. 

Some students may have to pay taxes on their stipend depending on their citizenship and/or how they use the money. See your applicable section below to determine if you have to pay taxes or not.

FOR U.S. STUDENTS:

Grants are not payments for services rendered but may still be taxable for U.S. Citizens. The taxability is dependent upon how the funds are used. It is up to students to determine if they have to report the income or not. To help students determine the taxability of these payments, the IRS issues Publication 970, “Tax Benefits for Education.”  Click this link to obtain a copy of Publication 970. The IRS publication is updated each calendar year.

FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS:

International students are taxed at 14% on the stipend, if they use the funds in the U.S. Any funds used outside the U.S. are not taxed. International students can file a U.S. Tax return to receive a refund. The college is also required to have tax forms on file for the international students. If an international student is receiving a stipend they should check in with Dorothy Koulais (dotti.koulalis@wellesley.edu) in Wellesley Accounts Payable to see if they need to complete any tax paperwork.

FOR NON-RESIDENT ALIENS:

Stipend payments made to non-resident aliens are subject to a 14% federal tax withholding. Tax treaty provisions may allow non-resident aliens to claim exemption from federal tax withholding on teaching assistantships and fellowships. The IRS requires the college to report fellowship and scholarship payments to non-residents aliens on a 1042-S form.  Non-resident aliens are required to file Form 1040NR each calendar year using the information provided on Form 1042-S. To help students determine the taxability of these payments the IRS issues Publication 970, “Tax Benefits for Education.”  Click on this link to obtain a copy of Publication 970. The IRS publication is updated each calendar year.

If you are receiving internship funding through Career Education and/or internship credit you are required to complete a Summer Internship Pathway, which consists of various goal-setting and reflection assignments that you must complete throughout the summer. Students complete these assignments through the Wellesley Hive (students will be given access to the Pathway prior to their internship start date). Assignments are spaced out through the summer and each takes 30 min - 1 hour to complete. Assignments generally include, but are not limited to, goal-setting exercises, mid- and end-of-experience reflections, and conversations with Career Education staff.

The Internship Pathway is typically due by the first day of Fall classes. Credit-only students who do not complete the Pathway exercises in full by the deadline forfeit the credit; students funded by Career Education are still required to complete and submit it, as it is a condition of their funding. Funded students who do not complete this requirement may be reported to the Honor Code Committee and will not receive their final stipend ($500) or internship credit.

Wellesley College Career Education offers non-academic credit for summer internship and research opportunities. The 0.5 non-academic credit appears on a student’s transcript to indicate that she completed a Wellesley-approved internship experience; however, the credit does not count towards degree requirements.You must work a minimum of 300 hours to be eligible for internship credit. Additional eligibility requirements are outlined in the Summer Internship Credit page. 

Students who are funded through the Career Education office (Signature Internships, Grants Program along with other Wellesley-sponsored internships across campus) are automatically approved to receive 0.5 non-academic internship credit (a separate internship credit application is not required). Students funded through other summer programs on campus (e.g. Science Center Summer Research Program) and students who are seeking internship credit only, are required to apply for credit approval. You must apply for credit prior to their internship start date; applications submitted after the internship start date will not be approved. 

You must be approved for credit before your internship begins. To earn the credit, you must complete the required Internship Pathway by the first day of Fall classes (see the information provided in the question about program requirements). Students who do not complete the Pathway in full by the deadline forfeit the credit.

Students only need to submit one application to be considered for our Career Education Grants Program. Based on your application responses and essay content, we will assign the award that fits you best.

Yes! Advisors in Career Education can answer your questions or provide 1-1 support as needed—just schedule an appointment! You can also attend drop-in hours, information sesstions, preliminary application review meetings, or any other events that might help you strengthen your materials.

We also strongly suggest you consult our Grants Program Application Guide for steps and resources to help you put together a strong application. 

The Career Education office can also support you with your internship search! Attend one of our “How to Find An Internship” Workshops (visit Handshake for dates and times). Your Advisor in Career Education can also provide guidance and answer any questions you may have. 

Any student who proposes a college-supported internship abroad (this includes any internship that receives funding and/or credit from Career Education) must be in compliance with the College’s International Travel Policy.

Wellesley’s International Safety Committee relies on guidance and ratings provided by the U.S. State Department and International SOS to determine whether travel to a country or region should be entirely prohibited or—if considered "restricted"—warrants further consideration. Please note this guidance is subject to change at any time following various geopolitical events, natural disasters, or other unanticipated emergency situations.

Students cannot be approved to travel to a country or region categorized as “prohibited," nor can they petition to be approved. Prohibited countries or regions include those categorized as a level 4 by the State Department or comparable rating by International SOS.

If you wish to travel to a country that fits the category of “restricted”, you can petition the International Safety Committee for approval using the International Travel Petition.  Restricted countries or regions include those categorized as a level 3 by the State Department or comparable rating by International SOS.

If you successfully petition to travel to a “restricted” country, the International Safety Committee will ask you to complete a waiver, which will be provided at the time of approval. If your petition is unsuccessful, you may not travel to the country in question using any college support or resources.

For more detailed information, please read the College’s International Travel Policy and general requirements for all student travel. If you have any questions, you may reach out to the Internships Team at internships@wellesley.edu. 

Yes, the College will be funding in-person and virtual internships this year.

Sometimes students awarded a grant will end up declining it. We see this happen primarily because students end up securing a paid internship and no longer need funding. A student may also decline because they were unable to secure an internship opportunity by Career Education’s May deadline. 

Whenever a student declines, we try to reassign the grant money to another student who had a strong application. It is difficult for us to have a formal wait list since grant reassignments take a variety of factors into consideration. If a grant is declined, it doesn't necessarily go to the student whose application is the next highest ranked because the parameters and/or restrictions of the declined grant may not be able to be used for another student’s summer experience. In order to properly manage student expectations, we do not inform them that there is a wait list of any kind, but we do contact students if funding becomes available.