The CUSP Internship & Research Assistantship Funding provides partial financial support for Scholars who wish to participate in an internship or research assistantship over the summer.

The CUSP Summer Enhancement Fellowship for Internships & Research Assistantships is a competitive grant that assists Scholars in securing partial financial support for structured research and internship opportunities (including research-related activities such as conferences, symposia, travel, publications, etc.) and unpaid or low-paying summer practicums (in line with the Program’s mission and the student’s academic trajectory). This opportunity is secured solely by the student. 

All Scholars funded for Summer 2025 are expected to:

• Post a response on an educational blog on a weekly basis during the summer, beginning in June. The final blog entry will consist of the abstract.

• Provide a budget reconciliation report listing your CUSP-related expenses and appropriate original receipts. This will be due by the Welcome Back Dinner & SEF Showcase at the start of the Fall 2025 term.

TIMELINE OF KEY EVENTS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOLARS APPLYING FOR SUMMER 2024 FUNDING

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE PLANNING TO TRAVEL

For the summer, we will revert back to our pre-pandemic process where all CUSP scholars (CC, SEAS) traveling outside the 50 U.S. states for internships, research assistantships, volunteer work, or independent projects will need to complete the Undergraduate International Travel Policy process. If you have any questions, then please feel free to contact us at cusp@columbia.edu.  The deadline to submit your plans for the International Travel Policy process is Tuesday, April 1st, 2025.

International travel clearance must be applied for by students, and approval must be received by CUSP, before CUSP can consider the application and determine funding. CUSP SEF funding will not apply to travel projects with start dates prior to when CUSP awards funding.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS & TAXES

• For international students who are from a country that has a tax treaty with the US, there may be a tax responsibility of up to 14% taken from the SEF award amount.  Please review the explanation of tax liability of your stipend as described on the IRS website. You can find guidance also on the ISSO webpage. 
• If you are entitled to an exemption from taxation of the SEF award, then complete the Foreign National Information Form and return it to the Human Resources Service Center. Students interested in more information about the tax exemption must email Carlos Liro-Coppa (cil1@columbia.edu) from Columbia University's Human Resources Service Center. 

SIGNING UP FOR DIRECT DEPOSIT

CUSP strongly recommends that all applicants register for Direct Deposit.  Direct deposit to a U.S. checking or savings account is the University's preferred method for issuing stipends to students.  International students need to set up direct deposit for Refund and Stipend separately. Questions about direct deposit and timing of disbursement must be directed to the Student Service Center.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

* APPLICATIONS FOR SUMMER 2025 WILL BE DUE MONDAY, APRIL 14th, 2025 BY 11:59PM ET. Applications will be available online on Monday, March 3rd, 2025.  

The online application can be saved as a draft, reviewed, and revised before your final submission. However, you should have available at the time of your submission: the logistical information about your internship/research assistantship and contacts; your budget breakdown (e.g. amount for housing, food, supplies) that you will enter into the form fields; and, an essay answering the supplementary questions as a .doc or .pdf. The supplemental questions will ask you to describe your internship and what motivated you to this opportunity; to explain what you intend to learn during the summer; and to list the CUSP events that you attended and how each event contributed to your understanding of this year's theme of "Harmony." If you were approved to attend alternate events due to academic conflicts, then you will have to reflect on your experiences and on the theme from those events. 

Preparation Tips:

• You must participate in and complete the reflection forms for at least 8 CUSP enrichment events or alternate events (if applicable) by Tuesday, April 15th, 2025, at 11:59pm;
• Have readily available your employment/position confirmation letter for those pursuing internships, research assistantships, or volunteer positions (more below). 
• Prepare your responses to Supplemental Questions in advance
  • What skills (hard or soft) or competencies do you hope to gain from your experience?
  • How will your work with this organization or individual align with your academic, career, or professional interests?
  • How did the CUSP events (or alternate events) contribute to your understanding of this year’s Speaker Series theme of Harmony? [List your events and explain.];
• Consider a realistic budget – on average, awardees receive up to about $3,000 for a 12-week summer experience.  With the recent economic climate and an uptick in student interest in the SEF, the amounts for this year will be variable.  You must be able to justify your budget in the application.

Applications will be evaluated by a selection committee on the basis of their overall fulfillment of the selection criteria. Incomplete applications and candidates who do not meet the criteria will not be considered. Notifications of the award decisions will be sent end of May or the beginning of June. 

Criteria for Selection: To be considered for the SEF grant, applicants must: (1) have a GPA of at least 2.6; (2) be in good academic standing with Columbia College and Columbia Engineering; (3) be in good standing with CUSP.

Applications will be evaluated on: (1) the feasibility, clarity, and coherence of the responses to the Supplemental Questions; and (2) the ability of the applicant to undertake the internship/research assistantship.

Expectations of Award Recipients: Recipients of the SEF Internship/Research Assistantship award are expected to: 

• Post responses on an educational blog on a weekly basis during the summer beginning in June, with the final blog entry consisting of the abstract summarizing their summer experience;

• Submit at least one (1) visual representing the project when prompted in the blog;

• Submit a budget reconciliation report listing their CUSP-related expenses and appropriate original receipts by the Welcome Back Dinner & SEF Showcase in September 2025. [Your GSM will share a budget reconciliation template during the summer.]

APPLICATION LINK

To apply for the Internship & Research Assistantship Funding award, please check back here in March 2025.  The application will be open from March 3rd through April 14th, 2025.

We look forward to reviewing your applications.

Questions about the SEF application? Contact us at cusp@columbia.edu.