ACE students who have secured policy-related internships in places such as Washington, D.C. are eligible for financial support to defray the costs of the experience.

The Policy and Leadership Intern Scholarship supports policy and leadership internship experiences in Fall, Spring, and Summer terms to qualified students who meet the following criteria: 

• Must be an undergraduate student enrolled for at least one semester in the College of ACES at the University of Illinois.  Students participating in an internship after graduation do not qualify and students must be returning to the University of Illinois as an enrolled student in the fall or spring term following the internship.  
• By the time of the internship, must have earned at least 30 credit hours (sophomore status).
• Must have secured an internship related to the public policy making process at the Federal or State level prior to applying.
• Must agree to complete a written evaluation of the completed internship highlighting accomplishments, personal growth, and how the experience has affected future career aspirations. 
• If applicant is an ACE department student, must agree to participate in future ACE policy internship recruitment and leadership activities (e.g. “The DC Initiative” coffee hour).
• Must agree to write a thank you letter to the donor of the scholarship including an account of the internship experience. A copy of this thank you letter must be shared with your departmental advising office.

Internship Positions must meet the following criteria:

• Internship must be at least 40 hours per week or full-time equivalent.
• Internship duration must be a minimum of eight weeks.
• Internship must relate to public policy and provide experience on at least one aspect of the policy process of the Federal or State government.
• Internship may be paid or unpaid; priority is given to unpaid internships.

Selection of scholarship recipients will be based upon the following criteria:

• the quality of the application’s application, resume and essays and
• the degree to which the internship relates to federal or state policy matters.

Applicants must file this application in accordance with the following deadlines:

• May 1 (summer);
• July 1 (fall semester); and
• December 1 (spring semester).

Contact your academic advisor about financial support for policy internships if you are interested in applying for this opportunity.