As of January 2023, below are the current guidelines and requirements for receiving the Unpaid Internship Stipend.
Receiving the financial stipend is contingent on review of the internship site to ensure it is legitimate, meets the criteria listed below and meets our general employment guidelines. All sites are verified independently of what is provided by the student. If a student submits a site or information that is inaccurate, it is to the discretion of the stipend committee to determine whether a student can resubmit a new site for consideration.
- Applications must be complete, accurate and submitted on time (applications submitted after the deadline are not considered).
- You can apply without having secured an internship/research/experiential/apprenticeship/ learning experience, but you must secure one on your own by the time you need to submit the hiring paperwork (such as tax forms, I-9, etc.). If you’re having trouble securing one, we can assist. Generally speaking, we give students until the start of the semester/summer to secure the internship. If a student needs more time, they need to contact us in advance.
- International students must first contact the “Office of International Services,” before applying to get appropriate approval.
- You must be in a degree seeking program. The stipend is not available for visiting students.
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Priority is given to students who have not received a stipend before or are not part of a program that will provide a stipend in the future that can be used towards internships.
- The internship must be at least 120 hours total (approximately 10 hours per week or more if during the summer).
- Meet the Magner Career Center’s employment guidelines.
- The internship site can not be owned or run by the student’s family members. The site can not be owned/co-owned by a current or former Brooklyn College staff/faculty member.
Current or former family members, faculty and staff can not have substantial ownership interest in the organization. The internship can’t be of nature where the projects solely benefit the current or former professor/staff member or Brooklyn College. It must be an outside entity. - The direct supervisor can not be a former or current Brooklyn College faculty or staff member. If a faculty member/staff member works at the internship, the supervisor assigned should be someone else and there should be other colleagues and staff the intern has exposure to.
- You must be interning the same semester you will receive the award. You can not get the award for an internship you did in a past semester. If you are already interning and the internship will continue into the semester you are applying for, the stipend you can be considered.
- You must be a student for the semester you receive the award.
- Most internships that qualify are unpaid but internships that pay but are out of state (therefore you have more expenses) can be considered. Students must confirm with the Career Center before applying/accepting the internship.
- Must be off campus (The internship should take place more than 50% of their time outside of Brooklyn College).
- Off-campus research, virtual internships, apprenticeships, and some volunteer opportunities might qualify. The key will be the amount of time spent on hands-on work/applied work, the degree of interaction with your supervisor/colleagues, and relevance to your career goals. It is the students’ responsibility to discuss with us first, to ensure we can confirm it is eligible and before you accept.
- At least 25% of your time should be on hands-on projects/tasks.
- Must be aligned with the donors guidelines, which varies by donor.
If selected to receive the stipend award please note the following expectations and requirements to actually receive the full stipend. If there are any issues with the requirements listed below, you might forfeit part or all of the award.
- Stipends awards are usually distributed in two installments (towards the beginning of the internship and end of the internship). Taxes are withheld from the disbursed amount.
- You will be asked to submit, in advance, the internship description, start date, end date, # of hours interning, confirming it is unpaid, % of time working virtually, % of time working on hands-on projects/tasks, name and title of the supervisor, the name of the organization and organization address/contact information..
- Employment paperwork from Brooklyn College is submitted by the deadline specified. Students risk forfeiting their awards if paperwork is not submitted by deadline. Students are responsible for responding to emails related to the stipend and notifying the career center of any issues/emergencies in advance that may delay their completion of the paperwork. Note: Students selected for the stipend must have a Social Security Card.
- Students must acknowledge the donor at the beginning (sending a thank you letter) and, when applicable, attend a luncheon honoring the donors and recipients.
- You complete the minimum requirements of the site and your Supervisor gives you at least a satisfactory evaluation that we send them towards the middle of the internship.
- You complete the minimum hours we require and stay until the end date you and the site agreed to and are not dismissed prior to completion of the internship.
- Complete a testimonial or social media post about their internship/receiving the award.
- If receiving a physical check and not enrolled in Direct Deposit, stipend checks must be picked up in a timely fashion.
- Information on the application is accurate.
- The internship is the same one you submitted when stipend was confirmed and if you need to change the site you must request advance approval.
If a student submits a site or information that is deemed fraudulent or illegitimate the student loses the right to submit a new site for consideration. The Magner Career Center will vet information independently to ensure a sites’ legitimacy and status. Any suspicion of fraudulent sites will be investigated, and disciplinary action may be taken (including a ban on using Career Services).
If you have any questions regarding stipends, please send an email to stipend@brooklyn.cuny.edu.