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How to Apply

SIGP will support in-person, remote, and hybrid summer experiences for 2025.

Step 1: Qualifications

Current Northwestern undergraduate students who meet all of the following criteria:

  • A current undergraduate student who will be enrolled for at least fall quarter of the following academic year and is a full-time degree seeking student in one of the following schools/colleges: Bienen, McCormick, Medill, NU-Q, School of Communication, SESP or Weinberg.
  • Demonstrate financial need. If you do not receive financial aid from Northwestern, or you receive a minimal amount of financial aid, you can explain your financial need for the summer in the application.
  • Pursing an unpaid or low-paid summer experience. Low-paid is defined as less than $1500 for the summer. Priority is given to students with financial need pursuing unpaid internships.
  • Summer experience meets the required 280 hours of work between June-September and has a designated supervisor. Required hours must be completed no later than Friday, September 5, 2025.
  • Receiving 0.25 or less credit. SIGP CANNOT be combined with programs within Northwestern that offer credit including but not limited to GESI, Chicago Field Studies, Engage Chicago; they offer their own funding opportunities.  In addition, SIGP funding CANNOT be used for academic programs or coursework including, but not limited to study abroad or certificate programs.
  • Not receiving any money from the employer or other summer grants/awards from Northwestern.
  • Has a summer experience secured by May 20. Students are not required to have the summer experience secured at the time of application. If selected for an award, recipients who do not have an internship must meet with NCA to develop a search strategy. Awardees without secured internship by May 20 forfeit their grant.
  • SIGP experience is the primary summer experience. SIGP experience cannot be paired with a paid internship or another full-time professional opportunity. Some SIGP recipients choose to work additional paid, part-time jobs to supplement their income over the summer.
  • Students can apply for SIGP and other grants on campus, but SIGP CANNOT be combined with any other grants. If awarded both SIGP and another campus grant, students must choose between the opportunities.  Examples include but are not limited to Summer Undergraduate Research Grant (SURG), Weinberg College Summer Grant, SoC Internship Award Program, Political Science Grant, Biological Sciences Summer Grants, Neuroscience Undergraduate Summer Research Grant

Please note: previous SIGP recipients CAN reapply.

Step 2: Attend Information Session and Review Resources

Information sessions will be at the below times. Registration for sessions will be posted in Handshake.

Make a virtual appointment through Handshake (Career Center > Appointments > Schedule A New Appointment > Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA) > SIGP Appointment Types).  These appointments will become available after the application start date. 

  • SIGP Program Information - Any questions about the program or qualifying experiences
  • SIGP Application Review - Essay review and summer experience search questions

Step 3: Write Essay and (optional) Supplemental Essay

The SIGP application includes one require essay and one optional supplemental essay.  Students should focus on writing strong essay responses; quality of application is a significant part of the selection process. A strong SIGP application includes reflection and an opportunity for the selection committee to get to know the student and their interests. Essays should be original content, written by the applicant.  Students should write these essays in a word processing program and copy and paste them into the text box in the application portal. The required application essay should not exceed 900 words.  The optional supplemental essay will be in a separate text box and not counted in this total word count.

  • Application Essay: Please write an essay that details your summer plans and how your summer internship/experience connects to your experiences and interests. Your response needs to address each of the following:
    • A detailed description of your summer internship/experience. If you have not yet secured an internship, choose an opportunity you’d like to secure or plan to pursue. If you have applied to multiple opportunities, choose one to focus on for this essay.
    • What do you hope to learn or gain from this internship/experience? Please be specific and provide multiple examples.
    • How does this summer internship/experience connect to your academic studies and/or extracurricular activities? Please be specific and provide multiple examples.
    • How will this experience impact the Northwestern community?
    • How does this summer internship/experience align with your academic and/or career goals?
  • Supplemental Essay: If you have any financial information or additional details about personal or family circumstances that are not reflected on your One Form General Application or in your financial aid package from Northwestern, please elaborate on your financial need, and provide any relevant information you are comfortable sharing. We encourage any student who is not on a full need-based scholarship from Northwestern to respond to this optional essay. Your response provides the SIGP review committee with relevant details to best assess your application. NCA will have access to your level of need based on your current financial aid package. Many students already receiving aid will not have additional details to share.

Step 4: Resume

Step 5: Submit Your Application

  • The application is a two-step process: 
    • Step 1. You must first complete the General Application on the SES One Form. **If you have never logged into the SES One Form before, the system will automatically direct you to complete the general application.**
    • Step 2. After completing the General Application, you MUST complete the “Northwestern Career Advancement - Summer Internship Grant Program (SIGP)” Application. **Please note: the SIGP questions are different from the General Application Questions**
    • If you have technical issues with your application, please email sigp@northwestern.edu

Don’t forget this year’s application for SIGP is due on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 11:59PM CST.

  • Please note: The SIGP timeline for NU-Q students differs from the timeline on the Evanston campus. The deadline for NU-Q students is Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 11:59PM CST.