• Students must be enrolled at the College in the 2027 Spring and Fall semesters or in a study abroad program (one semester or full-year). Exchange program students from other institutions are ineligible to receive College funding for a summer internship.

• Students are required to work at least 300 hours over 8-10 consecutive weeks in the summer. Students may not take vacation during their internship period.

• Internships should be at least 30 hours per week during the internship period. Internships with fewer than 30 hours/week are not eligible for funding, even if the internship is extended beyond 10 weeks.

• Summer Internships funded by the College must take place in the summer time frame (i.e., begin after the last day of the spring term and end before the first day of the fall term). Any work that extends beyond the summer time frame should be coordinated solely between the student and employer.

• Early Withdrawal or Termination From Internship: Students who do not complete their Wellesley-funded internship for any reason may be asked to repay their stipend to the College (partial or full repayment). Students may also forfeit experiential learning units for the experience. 

We are aware that students may encounter extenuating circumstances that may necessitate a change in the internship start or end date. If you find yourself in such a situation, please speak with the Wellesley Internships Team before you take any action with the employer.

Students may be terminated from an internship by the employer or by the College for reasons that include, but are not limited to, poor communication, poor performance, and recurring absences.

• Funded interns should budget for a maximum of 300 hours over an 8-10 week period––and 8 weeks is strongly recommended for students going to high-cost cities—as the funds are not intended to cover the expenses associated with additional internship weeks.

• All summer internship awards are distributed in full via Workday. Funded interns are required to complete the online Summer Pathway and an internship debrief as a condition of their funding; some sponsoring departments and programs may have additional requirements. Students who do not complete all College and department/program requirements will lose access to their Handshake account until all requirements are fulfilled.

• If an employer compensates a student who has received a summer internship award from the College, then the College will pay a partial stipend up to the total award. If a student secures a paid internship that exceeds the original award, then the student is ineligible to receive funding from the College.

• Students can only accept one College award per summer. If a student is selected for more than one summer internship or award from the College, they must decide which one to accept. The student is responsible for declining other awards in a timely manner. 

• International students may have to pay taxes on their internship award from the College—please check the International Student section below for more information.  

• The majority of summer stipends is $5,000 per award for internships that do not include housing; some departments and programs may offer higher awards, not to exceed $7,500.

• Internship placements and programs that include housing offer reduced summer stipends. The majority of these stipends range between $3,000-$3,500. Some departments and programs may offer higher awards, not to exceed $5,000.

Wellesley College partners with dozens of employer partners to provide a broad range of internship opportunities to students. Internships offered through these employer partners are referred to as "placements". Students who apply to these placements must follow the policies below: 

• Communication during the Internship Interview Process: Students under consideration for internship placement with an employer partner are expected to respond to interview requests within 24 hours, even if they decline the interview. Students who decline an interview must inform the Wellesley Internships Team of their withdrawal from the selection process. Students who do not communicate with employers in a timely manner may be withdrawn from the applicant pool. 

• Reneging an Offer: It is unacceptable to accept an internship offer from an employer and later decline it. It not only damages the relationship between the College and the employer but also negatively impacts future opportunities for Wellesley students. 

Students who renege on their acceptance of an offer made through Wellesley’s funded internship or employer-funded programs will not be considered for future funding opportunities. Students will further be blocked from Handshake until they meet in person with a member of the Career Education staff to discuss the situation. ​If you are deciding between multiple internship offers, please contact a member of the Wellesley Internships Team to help you navigate next steps.

• Additional Policies for the Luce, Innovation Academy, American Councils (Russian Dept internship) programs: Wellesley pays third party education providers for placement services in these programs. If a student withdraws from the program at any point after the placement process has begun, the student will be required to reimburse the College for the placement fee.  

• Students are not permitted to accept any other full-time or part-time positions or enroll in any summer courses (virtual or otherwise, including Wellesley’s QAI summer program) during the designated 8-10 weeks of the internship. Occasional evening or weekend roles for supplemental pay during the internship period are allowed but students must limit this additional work to 10 hours or less and avoid positions that impact internship work hours so they can prioritize their internship commitment and their own health/wellness.

• Students who want to supplement their summer stipend are encouraged to look for work in the summer before or after their 8-10 week internship commitment. 

• International students need to obtain Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization through Slater if interning in the U.S. For remote internships with U.S. employers, international students are required to remain in the U.S. for the internship period.

• All international students should submit their pre-internship paperwork at least 2 weeks in advance of their anticipated internship start date to allow for CPT processing. 

• Even if you are interning with an established Wellesley employer partner, you must submit an employer letter to Slater.

• International students who do not obtain Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization and comply with U.S. immigration law risk losing their immigration status. 

• International students interning in the U.S. will be taxed at 14% on the stipend but may be able to file a U.S. Tax return to receive a refund. International students interning outside the U.S. are not subject to this tax. 

The College is required to have tax forms on file for all international students being paid by the College so students should check in with Sheila McManus (sm124@wellesley.edu) in Wellesley Accounts Payable about the required tax paperwork.

• All students in internships funded by the College must attend required pre-departure programming in late spring, which consists of an Internship Kick-Off event and a Health, Safety, and Wellness workshop. Students studying abroad in the spring will be provided online versions of the event.

• Students must complete the Summer Internship Pathway assignments throughout the spring and summer along with any department/program specific requirements. Students who do not complete the summer assignments will lose access to their Handshake account until all requirements are fulfilled. 

• Students are expected to check email regularly throughout the spring and summer and respond in a professional and timely manner, ideally within 48 hours.

• All students in 8-10 week summer internships funded by the College are automatically pre-approved for two units toward the College’s Experience Learning Requirement (ELR). Students do not need to apply for ELR separately.

• To earn the ELR units, students must complete all Summer Internship Pathway assignments and any department/program specific requirements by the deadlines otherwise they forfeit the ELR units.