Summer Career Development Stipend

To qualify for this stipend, you must be a full-time, first-year or second year undergraduate student or a select transfer student. You must also meet the outlined additional requirements:

• Be registered for classes for the following fall semester
• Be in good academic standing
• Have a minimum 2.0 GPA by the end of the preceding spring semester
• Complete an application with all required materials
• Be clear of any financial holds on your account

To confirm if you’re eligible for a summer 2025 stipend, take our quick quiz or see if you have a label on your Handshake profile!

International undergraduates are eligible to receive this stipend. In order to receive the stipend, students must be able to obtain a social security number and/or CPT approval. Please note: Pathway students are not eligible until after they progress out of their Pathway programs.

International students who secure and receive funding for an internship in the U.S. are required to meet with an international advisor in the International Student Services Office (ISSO) to confirm Curricular Practical Training (CPT) eligibility. If ISSO confirms your CPT eligibility, you must complete all necessary paperwork and adhere to all requirements pertaining to your visa status.

Once your application is approved, you can use your stipend to support:

• Unpaid internships
• Summer research with full-time Suffolk University faculty
• Volunteer service opportunities

In order for your experience to be approved, it must meet the outlined criteria:

• The student must work at least 4 full continuous weeks totaling at least 135 hours between May 15th and Labor Day with no exceptions. This 4-week minimum requirement does not include prep time for travel experiences. The student may be scheduled to work no more than 12 hours per day. The student has to start the experience before July 15th and complete the 135 work hours by Labor Day
• Student must have a dedicated supervisor who will provide mentorship and guidance throughout the internship experience. The supervisor is an employee of the organization with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience. The student receives routine feedback and a final evaluation at the end of the internship by the experienced supervisor Students cannot be supervised by a family member, nor can the supervisor be in a close or significant subordinate work relationship with a family member of the student
• The internship should enhance learning and aid the student’s career interests, including assigning meaningful tasks which allow the student to apply skills related to the field of the experience Positions that are structured as a “pyramid schemes“ or require students to purchase products will not be approved
• Fee-based internships and other experiences with fees external to Suffolk University are not eligible for the program
• Remote experiences and those outside the United States are eligible
• Students participating in volunteer service-learning experiences must do so with certified nonprofit organizations with 501(c)3 designation

You must apply for this stipend. You may choose to apply for funding for the summer after either your first or second year at Suffolk. On your application, you must include:

• Your information (name, student ID, start term, major)
• Your organization’s and supervisor’s information (name, email, website, phone number)
• Whether you will be enrolled in summer classes
• The type of activity you’ll be doing, work schedule, offer letter
• A paragraph articulating your expected learning outcomes
• An explanation of how this experience will further your career exploration and goals

The Summer Career Development Stipend Committee reserves the right to request additional information from you or your site supervisor to ensure your experience meets these eligibility requirements.

The Summer Career Development Stipend will award $3,500 to undergraduate students whose applications are approved. Please note that this is taxable income. The stipend will be dispersed in two payments. The stipend is subject to applicable federal, state, and local income taxes and FICA. Taxes will not be withheld except for a mandatory 30% withholding for payments to international students. Tax information must be reported on a 1099 or 1042-s form, which students will receive for the applicable tax year.

In order to receive the payment, students must either have or obtain a social security number or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), and a U.S. bank account. International students who are obtaining CPT approval for their experience will work with International Student Services Office to obtain a social security number.

Students are responsible for budgeting their stipend accordingly. Some costs to consider include housing, transportation, and meals. Limited summer student housing at Suffolk is available on a first come, first served basis, please visit the Summer Intern Housing page for more information.

Recipients of the Summer Career Development Stipend will be required to:

• Complete and sign all required forms
• Participate in an orientation session and meetings as needed
• Regularly respond to emails and/or Canvas notifications from the university
• Complete your experience as stated in your application
• Complete midpoint check-ins
• Complete a program evaluation using SkillSurvey at the conclusion of the internship experience (internship supervisors will also be asked to complete a SkillSurvey evaluation)
• Submit an end of experience reflection and updated resume

Students may also be asked to attend events or assist in sharing content for marketing materials such as testimonials, photos and video recordings at the discretion of the Career Center and the Office of Marketing and Communications.

Faculty are encouraged to hire student research assistants as part of the Summer Career Development Stipend program to assist them with their scholarly research, creative work, discipline-specific activities, and special projects.

All faculty who wish to hire a Research Assistant as part of the Summer Career Development Stipend program must submit this form by May 1st, 2025 at 12pm to ensure that the position meets the program requirements and to ensure faculty understand the expectations. Faculty will receive an email confirming whether the position meets the requirements of the program within 2 weeks of submission. By filling out this form, faculty are agreeing to the faculty supervisor expectations and program requirements.

Faculty who submit this form by Monday, February 3rd, 2025 at 12pm have the option of accessing Career Center assistance with hiring summer Research Assistants. This includes:

• Promoting the opportunity to eligible students, including at the Summer Stipend Soiree
• Collecting the applications via the Handshake platform (the Career Center's job management site)
• Organizing and delivering the application materials to faculty for them to move forward with the interviewing and hiring

Faculty who submit the form by the February 3rd deadline in order to seek Career Center assistance with hiring for their positions are providing the materials for the Career Center to create the job posting in Handshake, an online job board. Please note that even if faculty hire students as their Research Assistants, the students must still complete an application for the Summer Career Development Stipend by the application deadline and meet the eligibility requirements.