Career Design Center Internship Equity Fund

The Spring 2026 Internship Equity Fund, supported by the State University of New York (SUNY), provides funding to actively enrolled University at Buffalo students who are pursuing unpaid spring internships with non-profit or government organizations and have a demonstrated financial need.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) defines an internship as a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional workplace setting (across in-person, remote or hybrid modalities). While research can be a component of the internship, strictly research internships with not be considered for Internship Equity Funding.

To be eligible, you must:
- Be an actively enrolled UB student during your internship
- Have a minimum 2.0 GPA and remain in good academic standing
- Intern for at least 75 internship hours during the Spring 2026 semester
- Be supervised by an employee at the host organization
- Have CPT authorization if you are an international student on an F-1 visa and participating in an off-campus internship
- Complete the student application and have your site supervisor submit the Site Supervisor Verification Form by the deadlines below

Application Types
- Conditional Opportunity: You’ve applied to an internship but are awaiting confirmation. Conditional opportunity applications are due December 26, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
- Confirmed Internship: You’ve already secured an internship. If you are applying with an internship that you have already secured, you have until January 26, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. to submit your application.

Key Deadlines

December 26, 2025:
- Deadline to submit conditional opportunity applications (for students awaiting internship confirmation)
January 5, 2026:
- The committee will notify all applicants who applied by December 26 (both secured and conditional) of a provisional funding decision (via email). NOTE: All decisions are pending completion of the Site Supervisor Verification Form by January 26 at 11:59 p.m.
January 26, 2026:
- Final deadline for (secured opportunity) applications
- All Site Supervisor Verification Forms Due
February 2, 2026:
- All applicants notified of committee’s official funding decision (via email)

Program Requirements (if selected)
- Attend an Internship Equity Fund Orientation Session
- Participate in two Career Design Center offerings (e.g. skillshop, appointment, job fair)
- Complete a final evaluation (both student and supervisor)

Award Details
Disbursed via U.S. Bank Expense Card in two halves, with cards distributed from UB’s North Campus:
- 1/2 of award: late February
- 1/2 of award: early May

Award
$2100-$3600
Departments
Career Design Center, Financial Need
Deadline
01/26/2026
Supplemental Questions
  1. Have you secured an unpaid internship with a non-profit or government organization?
  2. How did you learn about this internship?
  3. Organization Details
    • 1. Name of Organization
    • 2. Physical Address of Organization
    • 3. Sector of Organization
    • 4. Organization Website
    • 5. Between January 21, 2026 and May 14, 2026, how many total hours will you intern with this organization? PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE HOURS OUTSIDE OF THIS TIMEFRAME.
  4. Site Supervisor Information
    • 1. Name of site supervisor
    • 2. Title of site supervisor
    • 3. Email address of site supervisor
  5. Internship Details
    • 1. Title of position
    • 2. Format
    • 3. Describe the internship responsibilities and learning goals.
    • 4. What skills and professional connections do you hope to build through this internship?
    • 5. How will the skills and knowledge you gain in this internship support your career goals and future employment?
    • 6. Of the 8 NACE Career Competencies outlined below, which do you feel the least confident in?
  6. Credit or Non-Credit Bearing
    • 1. Are you enrolled in an internship course for academic credit related to this opportunity?
    • 2. If you are receiving academic credit for this internship, please provide the specific course name. If you aren't receiving credit, please indicate, "N/A"
    • 3. If you aren't receiving credit for this internship, please select the reason(s) why.
    • 4. You've confirmed that this is an unpaid opportunity. How many paid internships did you apply to?
  7. Please describe your current financial situation and explain why this funding would be essential for your ability to participate in an unpaid internship. You may include details such as family income, financial aid status, work obligations, or any other relevant financial responsibilities or constraints.
  8. Mailing Address during the Spring 2026 Semester
    • 1. Street Address
    • 2. Locality or City
    • 3. State
    • 4. Zip or Postal Code
  9. As Internship Equity Fund awards are considered taxable income, International Students must upload a completed copy of the W-8BEN (SSN or ITIN required), while all other students will upload a completed copy of the W-9.
  10. Eligibility Acknowledgements
    • I acknowledge that the Site Supervisor Verification Form must be completed by my site supervisor BEFORE the application deadline, which is January 26 at 11:59 p.m. EST. It is my responsibility to share the verification form (linked below) with my site supervisor and ensure that it is completed on time.
    • I confirm that my uploaded W-8BEN or W-9 has been completely filled out, including my SSN/ITIN, signature and date.
    • If selected, I acknowledge that additional communication will come to my UB email and that timely responses are imperative to receiving funding.
    • If selected, I acknowledge that my funding may be forfeited at any time if it is determined that I am being financially compensated, Internship Equity Fund program requirements are not completed, or internship obligations are not fulfilled.
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