OCE Internship Fund

Supporting community-engaged student internships, research, and scholarly practice at IUPUI

The IUPUI Office of Community Engagement (OCE) Internship Fund is available through the generous support of the Lilly Endowment Inc. The Internship Fund supports opportunities for IUPUI students to gain work experience in Indiana companies, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.

Through community-based and community-serving internships, research, and projects, students acquire on-the-job experiences, sharpen their skills and abilities, build important professional networks, and contribute to a real need or interest in the community.

The OCE Internship Fund is available to Indianapolis nonprofit organizations, small businesses, government agencies, and IUPUI schools and units that seek to employ IUPUI students for meaningful, degree-focused professional experiences.

Undergraduate students earn $10.50-$12.00 per hour and work as a member of the organization’s staff for up to 20 hours per week in the 15-week Fall and 15-week Spring semesters. Graduate students may earn more upon approval and students may work for up to 30 hours (and full time upon approval) in the summer depending on summer class schedules.

Funding eligibility

Organization funding eligibility

Organization funding eligibility is determined when the requesting organization meets the following criteria:

  • Incorporated, registered by the state, or an agency or department of a local or state government or educational institution.
  • Staffing and experience available to provide supervision and serve as a teaching-mentor to the intern.
  • Requisite facilities*, office space**, and technology available to allow the intern to fulfill the demands of the position description and work in an environment compatible with the position responsibilities. We do not approve home-based businesses for internship funding at this time.
  • Offering a meaningful educational and experiential opportunity to an IUPUI student that aligns with the student intern’s career goals.
  • Willing to assist the intern in gaining experience, learning by practice, and building professional networks.
  • Might provide additional perks such as parking, meals, entrance to events, etc. (as appropriate).

    *Note: Internships may be conducted remotely with approval.
    **All summer 2020, and many fall 2020, internships are eligible to be hosted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subject to Indiana Health Dept guidelines.

 

Student eligibility

Student eligibility is determined if a student meets the following criteria:

  • Enrolled at IUPUI and in pursuit of a degree or completion of a certificate program at the time of hire with intentions to remain enrolled throughout the project period.
  • In good academic standing with the university, maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA at the time of hire and throughout the project period. (A student who falls below a 2.0 GPA after taking the internship may become ineligible for OCE Internship Funding.)
  • A good match academically, experientially, and in career goals for the opportunity.
  • Not involved in any other OCE-funded opportunities at the time of hire.
  • Not participating in any other IUPUI internships or work at the time of hire.

Identifying student interns

After you receive the award announcement you will post your internship to Handshake, IUPUI's new career services platform. Handshake is being utilized by all IU campuses.

When posting a position, you will now be able to quickly select any IU campus for your positions. Through this platform, IUPUI students will be able to easily find positions for which they are qualified.

Application and award process

  • Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; however, keep in mind that students often seek internships that align with the semesters: August – December; January – May; June – July.
  • Applications are reviewed internally and awards generally are approved within 3-4 weeks.
  • As much as possible internships are intended to reflect real-world employment. Grant funds are awarded to the Internship host organization and are expected to be paid to the student intern through the organization’s payroll system. IUPUI does not pay the students’ salaries or stipends on behalf of any organization.
  • Supervisors and student interns are expected to complete an evaluation at mid-point in the internship and at the end. Failure to complete the evaluations may affect future funding.

Contact us

If you have any questions about internships or want to be considered for grant funding, contact Teresa Bennett at tkbennet@iupui.edu.

Contact Teresa Bennett