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How to Apply

Applications for 2023 are now closed

SIGP will support both virtual and in-person summer experiences for 2023. Please note: If a SIGP recipient’s employer is requiring in-person work, recipients will have to agree and abide by federal, state, county, and city COVID-19 guidelines for their summer experience.

In-person international experiences will be fundable in 2023. For the most up to date travel guidance and a list of countries requiring Travel Permission, please review the Office of Global Safety and Security’s Undergraduate Travel Policies. Students planning to pursue an international experience will be responsible for any associated testing, quarantine, vaccination, or other COVID-19-related requirements.

Should the University’s policies around international travel change, the guidelines for SIGP will be updated.

At this time, students planning to pursue an international experience must complete health and safety pre-departure requirements, including Northwestern’s International Travel Registry. If you are awarded a SIGP grant, NCA will provide additional details, including a timeline to complete requirements.

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.
  • Receiving 0.25 or less credit. Please note: SIGP CANNOT be combined with programs within Northwestern that offer credit such as GESI, Chicago Field Studies, Engage Chicago, as they offer their own funding opportunities.  In addition, SIGP funding cannot be used for academic programs such as study abroad.
  • Not receiving any money from the employer or other non-academic summer grants/awards from Northwestern.
  • Summer experience meets the required 280 hours of work between June-September and has a designated supervisor.
  • Has a summer experience secured by June 1. *Please note: 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 an NCA career adviser to develop a search strategy. Awardees without secured internship by June 1 forfeit their grant.
  • 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.

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 on qualifying experiences or the program itself. 
  • SIGP Application Review - Essay review and summer experience search questions

Step 3: Write 2 Essays with Supplemental 3rd Essay

Part of the application for SIGP is to make your case for selection through well-written essay responses. Students should write these essays in a word processing program and copy and paste them into the text box in the application portal. The total length of the 2 essays should not exceed 900 words.  The optional 3rd essay will be pasted into a separate text box and not counted in this word count.

  • Essay 1: Describe the summer internship/experience that you have secured or would like to secure this summer. What do you hope to learn or gain from this experience? Please be specific and provide multiple examples. How will this experience impact you or the Northwestern community? If you have applied to multiple opportunities, choose one to focus on this essay.
  • Essay 2: How does this internship/experience connect to your academic studies and/or extracurricular activities? How does this internship/experience align with your academic and/or career goals?
  • Supplemental Essay 3: 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 full scholarship 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 and Budget

  • Update your one-page Professional Resume
  • In the application, you will be asked for your summer budget.  Please be sure to consider all your living costs and enter each expense as the questions are asked. You will also be asked to total your expenses. *Please note: The purpose of the budget is to show the selection committee that you’ve thought through what living and travel expenses you might incur during the summer.

Step 5: Submit Your Application

Don’t forget this year’s application for SIGP is due on Thursday, March 30, 2023 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 16, 2023 at 11:59PM CST.