Georgia Southern’s Internship Scholarship Program accepting applications for summer 2023

The preparational costs for a six-month internship in the United States is a total of about $4,640, which comes to around $773 for each month of the internship. Although they provide great experience and even permanent careers in some cases, studies show that almost 40% of U.S. internships are unpaid, leaving many scholars around the world to face financial hardships when participating in internships.

In the summer of 2018, the Office of Career and Professional Development at Georgia Southern identified issues for students who faced financial barriers in completing summer professional internships.

“These internships are an essential part of the college experience as more companies and organizations seek college graduates with career-related experience while going to school,”  said Georgia Southern University’s Associate Vice President for Career Readiness Glenn Gibney. “In some cases, these professional experiences are required to complete their academic programs, but a lot of the internship opportunities are unpaid and require a move, often limiting their opportunities.”

With support from the Office of Career and Professional Development and the Georgia Southern Foundation, the Internship Scholarship Program was created to provide scholarships for career-related summer internships. These unrestricted awards of up to $3,000 are granted to offset the cost of professional internships that provide minimal or no compensation. Now in its fourth year, the Internship Scholarship Program has expanded to provide internship scholarships for fall, spring and summer internships. During the 2022 calendar year, the Office of Career and Professional Development awarded $84,500 to 56 students (an average of $1,509 per student) from all eight academic colleges. Since the program’s inception, $225,000 has been awarded to 152 students (an average of $1,473 per student).

One emerging area of interest is professional internships associated with Georgia Southern’s Study Abroad Wexford site.  The Wexford, Ireland program is a sought after opportunity for students and is Georgia Southern’s first European study abroad center. It is located in an historic town that has special ties to Savannah, Georgia during the famine years of 1849 to 1856.  An internship experience abroad, such as the Wexford site, provides an exceptional opportunity to develop professional work skills as well as global competence.

Nineteen students received scholarships from the Office of Career and Professional Development’s Internship Scholarship Program for spring 2023. It is anticipated that the Office of Career and Professional Development will award more than $100,000 in the calendar year 2023.

By having funding available to students to accept unpaid or low-paid professional internships, the Office of Career and Professional Development can proactively meet with employers to create new internship opportunities. By doing so, both the organization and students win, and Georgia Southern students are launched into the community as well as their careers.

The Internship Scholarship Program is accepting applications for summer 2023 until March 31. For more information on the program or for application information, click here.

Last updated: 2/27/2023