Hiatt Career Center

Review the application information page.

Please Note:

International students must discuss their plans with the ISSO before applying to learn about any visa issues related to their proposed internship. If you are doing an internship in the United States, international students must be enrolled in a credit-bearing course in the summer and have CPT authorization. Contact ISSO for more information.

If granted a WOW fellowship, international students' stipends will be lower than advertised due to required taxes.

The internship must be a minimum of eight weeks and at least 200 hours.

The internship should involve substantive duties and meet a set of goals agreed upon by the student and the sponsor/supervisor at the worksite. The length of time is important to the program as it allows time for building relationships, learning about the organization and completing substantial projects.

Students can propose internships in any field. The internship should involve substantive duties and meet a set of goals agreed upon by the student and the sponsor/supervisor at the worksite.

Students applying for specific awards must have internships that fit the appropriate subject matter. If you have questions about whether your internship fits within the criteria of the different WOWs, please contact the Hiatt Career Center.

No. The WOW program is designed to support student internships at organizations that do not have the resources to pay interns for their work.

Yes, you can work for any type of organization.

Students applying for specific awards must have internships that fit the appropriate subject matter. If you have questions about whether or not your internship fits within the criteria of the different WOWs, please contact the Hiatt Career Center.

No. The WOW program currently supports students pursuing summer internships only.

No. The program aims to support students pursuing workplace career objectives in established organizational environments.

Yes, applicants can propose internships in any country.

However, please know that the Hiatt Career Center is concerned about your health and safety while traveling and living abroad. Please consult the State Department Travel Advisory when deciding on places where you would like to gain your experience.

Yes. Summer study abroad programs which meet the WOW requirements qualify. See the office of Study Abroad for questions about which programs may qualify.

No. Past WOW recipients are not eligible to receive additional WOW funds in subsequent years. If you have previously applied to WOW, and were not selected, you are encouraged to apply again. There is no limit to the number of times you can apply for WOW funding.

No. The program is designed to fund a single internship at an organization providing an opportunity to learn about and explore a specific set of career-related goals. The benefit of one internship site is that it fosters a commitment between two partners — intern and employer — to an in-depth and sustained work experience where mentors learn about the student’s needs over time and the student makes a substantive contribution to the organization’s work.

The primary goal of WOW funds is to support your exploration of the world of work. Broadening your experiences by working off-campus, and thus creating a larger career network, should be your priority when researching potential internships. However, we recognize that in certain cases (for example, laboratory research), continuity of work on campus would be more beneficial for your career. In such cases, you must be explicit in your application statement as to why the on-campus internship rather than an off-campus experience better fits your specific goals.

No. Internships that are secured for students by an internship placement service through a third-party organization are not eligible for WOW support. In addition, organizations that require mandatory contributions/donations, fee-for-services (housing, travel, etc) or fee-for-materials will not be supported by WOW.

Summer 2026 Applications will be due by 11:59 p.m. on April 11th, 2026.

Recipients will be notified in mid April.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept partial or late applications.

However, many employers are willing to expedite their decision-making process if they are aware that you are applying for funding through your university. Follow up with the organization to indicate that you are hoping to apply for WOW. You may choose to include this letter explaining the WOW program to employers.

There are four parts to the WOW application:

• Student information
• Internship organization information
• Short essay questions
• Resume and Letter of Offer uploads

Please carefully review and follow the application instructions. All materials must be delivered by the deadline. We cannot accept partial or late applications.

See the Application Information page.

Students will receive payment via Direct Deposit. To sign up for Direct Deposit in Workday, type "Payment Elections" in the search bar and the Payment Elections task will appear. From there, you can add or edit your bank account information. Payments are processed paycheck style, with a portion of your award being received every two weeks. This usually takes place in 2-3 installments in May and June.

Selected WOW Fellows do not have to account for their expenses. The program expects that students will pursue the internship for which they were selected and that the funds will support this effort. If for any reason a participant drops out of the program, the Hiatt Career Center will discuss returning any remaining funds back to the program.

Yes. This award is considered a nonqualified fellowship, meaning that it is subject to federal tax laws. International students may have tax withheld from the total amount of the stipend, while domestic students are responsible for self-reporting the income on their tax return. No W-2 is produced for this type of award.

Yes, you will be assigned a Hiatt liaison who will check in with you at least once during the summer.

You can always contact Hiatt over the summer for information and advice as you pursue your WOW internship. Hiatt is open during regular business hours throughout the summer.