Career Services Summer Funding

General Funding Information 

• Due to limited funding, Pitzer students can receive funding once for any of the Career Services Funds during their time at Pitzer College. Very rare exceptions can be made for the Poon, Sadava, and Science Internship Fund due to the specificity of the application requirements.
• If a student is funded, taxes will not be taken out of the award. It will be the responsibility of the recipient to report the funding appropriately to state and federal agencies.
• If for any reason a student is unable to complete their experience, funding must be returned to Pitzer College. This may include pro-rated funding.
• Students are required to complete an evaluation and a reflection piece at the end of their experience.
• Generally, if a Pitzer student is receiving funding for internship/research opportunities from a department or office at The Claremont Colleges, they are not eligible for funding from the Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF), Poon, Sadava, Science Internship Fund (SIF), and R.T. Scott Entrepreneurial Award.
• For funding purposes only, stipends will cover the period on or after Monday, May 19, 2025, through on or before Friday, August 22, 2025.
• Career Services summer funding is not intended to provide compensation. It’s intended to cover expenses while a student is participating in a summer experience.

Pitzer Internship Funding Information

• A student’s application will be prioritized in the funding process if that student is receiving need-based financial aid.
• Students will receive funding according to the number of hours worked. Please see below. 

Funding Amounts for the Pitzer Internship Fund.

• In Person Unpaid (permanent address is 50 miles or more from internship/research experience)
  • Up to $2000 for part-time experiences (must work at least 160+ hours)
  • Up to $3000 part-time/full-time experiences (must work at least 220+ hours)
  • Up to $4000 for full-time experiences (must work at least 280+ hours)
     
• Virtual Unpaid
  • Up to $600 for part-time experiences (must work at least 120+ hours)
  • Up to $1200 for full-time experiences (must work at least 200+ hours)
     
• In Person Unpaid (permanent address is 50 miles or less from internship/research experience)
  • Up to $600 for part-time experiences (must work at least 120+ hours)
  • Up to $1200 for full-time experiences (must work at least 200+ hours)

Poon, Sadava, Science Internship Fund, & Ronald T. Scott Entrepreneurial Award Funding Information

• For funding amounts for these specific funds please visit the tab named "Fund Descriptions." 

Student Eligibility

• Applicants must return to Pitzer College for the fall semester after their summer internship/research/project experience to be considered for funding. Thus, typically first-years, sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply for funding, unless specified for a particular fund (see specific funding descriptions below).
• Applicants must be in good academic standing and not be on academic or conduct probation.

Internship/Research Experience Eligibility

• Unpaid summer internship & research experiences.
• Summer internship or research experience can be in-person, virtual or hybrid.
• Summer internships or research experiences can be U.S. or international experiences.
• A summer international internship, research experience, or project must take place in a country that the U.S. Department of State (DOS) qualifies as a Travel Advisory Level 1 or 2 AND that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) qualifies as a Travel Health Notice Watch Level 1 or 2. Please note: U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories and U.S. Centers for Disease Control Travel Health Notices can change at any time. We reserve the right to modify or revoke our acceptance of funding applications or funding decisions accordingly. Exceptions may be made when the country is a student’s home country.
• Can be entrepreneurial projects – for R.T. Scott Entrepreneurial Award only.

Internship/Experience Ineligibility

• A tuition-based program without a significant experiential learning component will not be considered.
• A position supervised by a Pitzer College faculty or staff member will not be considered unless designated by the individual fund (ex: Poon, Sadava, Science, or R.T. Scott).
• A position at an organization owned or supervised by a member of the applicant’s immediate family will not be considered.
• A position at an organization owned or supervised by a current student at The Claremont Colleges will not be considered.
• A paid position will not be considered.
• Funding will not be available for any experience that violates the Employer Policies & Guidelines of The Claremont Colleges.
• International experiences (internship, research, project) are not considered in countries that are at a U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Level 3 or 4 AND in countries that are at a Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Notice (THN) Level 3 or 4. Exceptions may be made when the country is a student’s home country. 

For Summer 2025

1. To apply visit one of the following links (depending on the fund you wish to apply to). 
   o    Pitzer Internship Fund
   o    Poon Endowed, Sadava Endowed, & Science Internship Funds
   o    Ronald T. Scott Entrepreneurship Award
2. Answer short response questions & other questions if prompted.
3. Upload a one-page resume. See our Sample Resume Rubric [PDF] for how your resume will be evaluated.
4. Only for the Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF) Upload your employer documentation. Must be a letter or email from employer stating the following.
   o    internship/research experience start and end dates.
   o    number of hours and days per week you will be working.
   o    if the position is in-person, hybrid or virtual
   o    verification that the position is unpaid 
   o    supervisor's contact information (name, email, phone number)
5. Submit your application.

Note: Incomplete applications and those submitted beyond the deadline will not be considered for funding.

Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF) Application Evaluation Criteria

For the most objective evaluation, the Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF) are anonymized. Two members of the evaluation committee independently review each application. The evaluation committee uses the following criteria to evaluate applications. Students should review the criteria below to make sure that they have addressed all points in their application.

• Ability to articulate what students will learn from the internship/project
• How this position will impact the student’s career planning and goals
• Ability to articulate how students are prepared to participate in this internship/project
• Quality of the resume using the Resume Rubric as a guide

Poon, Sadava, Science Internship Fund, and Ronald T. Scott Entrepreneurial Award Evaluation Criteria

• For the most objective evaluation, two members of the evaluation committee independently review each application.
• Due to the specificity of the Poon, Sadava, Science Internship Fund, applications will be evaluated initially according to major, GPA, and financial need.
• Due to the specificity of the Ronald T. Scott Entrepreneurial Award, a Pitzer alum will be part of the application evaluation process.
• The evaluation committee uses the following criteria to evaluate the applications. Students should review the criteria below to make sure that they have addressed all points in their application.
  • Ability to articulate what students will learn from the internship/project
  • How this position will impact the student’s career planning and goals
  • Ability to articulate how students are prepared to participate in this internship/project
  • Quality of the resume using the Resume Rubric as a guide

Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF)

Our largest and oldest internship fund, The Pitzer Internship Fund (PIF) is the result of generous gifts from Pitzer Alumni, Parents/Family Members, and Friends to provide funding for unpaid summer internships or research experiences. The goal of the Pitzer Internship Fund is to support student engagement in meaningful experiences that facilitate career exploration and the development of professional skills and networks. Application deadlines are March 15, 2025 for students on need-based financial aid and April 15, 2025 for all students. Students must have a secured opportunity to apply for this fund. Funding amounts vary. Please see additional information throughout this website.

Note: Funding is intended to support expenses incurred as part of a student’s summer experience, such as lodging, transportation, and food, and is not intended to provide compensation. 

For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at teresa_roberts@pitzer.edu

The Ronald T. Scott Entrepreneurial Award (R.T. Scott)

This award will fund student-driven entrepreneurial summer projects that add to the education of the award recipients and their anticipated career path. The fund was created by Pitzer alumnus and Director of The John and Carrie Santangelo Foundation, John T. Scott ’87, to honor his late father, Ronald T. Scott, a Pomona College alumnus. Majoring in Philosophy, Ronald studied Aristotelian ethics and was devoted to incorporating the values of Aristotle’s 12 virtues into his personal and professional endeavors.

Award criteria include the following: 1) Proposals should reflect the academic, philosophical, and career aspirations that emulate the spirit of Ronald T. Scott’s life. 2) Applicants must be Pitzer students who are current first- years, sophomores, and juniors (i.e., rising sophomores, juniors, & seniors for fall 2025) in good academic standing. 3) Funds can be awarded to an individual student or a student team, although funding will only support participation by Pitzer students. 4) Individual students or student teams will be required to have a mentor or mentors to support the development of their project. The award will be given to at least (1) student annually and be determined by the Office of Career Services. Funding available is from $1000 to $5000. Partial funding may be offered. The application deadline is April 15, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at teresa_roberts@pitzer.edu

Thomas Poon Endowed Student Internship Fund (Poon)

Named in honor of Dr. Thomas Poon, Professor of Chemistry at the Department of Natural Sciences, and former Interim President of Pitzer College, the Poon Endowed Student Internship Fund supports the engagement of one Pitzer student in a summer internship/research experience. Eligible students must be current sophomore or junior (i.e., rising junior or senior for fall 2025) with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have an academic concentration in chemistry or biochemistry. Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated financial need. Awards will be given to at least one student annually and be determined by Career Services. Funding for summer 2025 is $4,500. The application deadline is February 24, 2025 by 11:59 pm. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at teresa_roberts@pitzer.edu. 

David Sadava Endowed Student Internship Fund (Sadava)

Named in honor of Dr. David Sadava, Emeritus Pritzker Professor of Biology at the Keck Science Department, the Sadava Endowed Student Internship Fund supports the engagement of one Pitzer student in a summer internship/research experience. Eligible students must: (1) be a junior or senior with an academic concentration in biology or a related field, which includes but is not limited to neuroscience, human biology, chemistry and biochemistry and (2) have a strong career and/or research interest in medicine or a related field focusing on human health (as opposed to plant or environmental science). (3) Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated financial need. (4) Preference will be given to candidates with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The Selection Committee may take into consideration the trajectory of an applicant’s academic record (i.e. approaching the GPA preference) and/or evidence of academic ability in other activities, such as research, that demonstrate an applicant's potential in a related field of study. Awards will be given to at least one student annually and be determined by Career Services. Funding for summer 2025 is $4,500. The application deadline is February 24, 2025 by 11:59 pm. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at teresa_roberts@pitzer.edu. 

Science Internship Fund (SIF)

Award preference for the Science Internship Fund will be given to Pitzer students majoring in neuroscience, cognitive science, or any of the degree options offered through the Department of Natural Sciences. Awards will support student internships in the sciences, which can include placement in a student/faculty science-focused research project in coordination with the proper academic staff. Eligible students must be a current sophomore or junior (i.e., rising junior or senior for fall 2025) Awards will be given to one student annually and be determined by Career Services. Funding for summer 2025 is $4,500. Applications are due on February 24, 2025 by 11:59 pm. For more information, contact Teresa Roberts at teresa_roberts@pitzer.edu.