Newbury Center Summer Fund

• Complete an application form
• Upload a resume
• Upload a letter of intent from your employer confirming the summer opportunity
• Share supervisor’s contact information
• Secure a letter of recommendation from a BU faculty or staff member

• Complete a learning agreement with your supervisor
• Complete a mid-internship check-in with your mentor
• Submit a final evaluation, reflective essay, and photo
• Complete an end-of-internship check-in with your mentor

There are a few steps to complete before submitting an application:

• Secure experiential learning position
• Ask summer supervisor to submit letter of intent that confirms your summer placement
• Secure a letter of recommendation from a BU faculty or staff member
• Update resume and prepare to upload application
• Submit application

• Sign and submit the award agreement
• Attend the post-selection workshop
• Receive your first stipend payment

• Look for an email from your program BU Mentor introducing themselves and outlining your program dates and deadlines
• Meet with your supervisor at the start of your position to discuss your learning agreement, how you will be supervised, and how your work will be evaluated.
• Submit your learning agreement during the first two weeks of your summer position.
• Meet with your BU program Mentor at the midpoint of the summer.
• Meet with your BU program Mentor at the end of the summer to reflect on your experience.

• Complete the final evaluation of the experience and the organization.
• Write a 3-5 page essay reflecting on your experience and its impact on your academic and career development.
• Submit an in-action photo with a caption.
• Receive the final stipend payment once all final requirements are submitted.

Student eligibility is based on the following criteria:

• First-gen Status: As defined by the Newbury Center, a first-generation college student is “a student in the first generation of their family to go to college (i.e., a student whose parents/guardians/caregivers did not earn bachelor’s degrees, although elder siblings and cousins may be attending college already or have earned four-year degrees).” Students whose parent/guardian/caregiver earned a college degree outside of the US are not considered to be first-generation students and are not eligible for this funding.
• Undergraduate Standing: Only undergraduate students are eligible.
• GPA: 2.0 minimum
• Summer Position: Qualified experiential learning opportunity.
• No Prior Participation: No previous participation in the Newbury Center Summer Fund.
• Full-Time Enrollment: Students must be planning to be enrolled full time for the following fall semester.
• Financial Need: Students who qualify for need-based financial aid at BU will be prioritized. Need-based financial aid can come in several forms. It can come in the form of grants, scholarships, work-study, or federal student loans. Students qualify for these types of aid by completing the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Even if you have a parent who works at BU and you receive tuition remission, you could still qualify for need-based financial aid. If you are unsure about whether you qualify for need-based aid, reach out to BU’s Financial Assistance Office and ask.
• Good Standing: Good disciplinary and academic standing during program participation. We reserve the right to rescind or seek repayment of the stipend if a student fails to maintain good disciplinary standing during their program participation.

A qualified experiential learning opportunity must:

• Hours: Earn at least 300 hours during the summer.
• Supervision: Be supervised by a full-time employee, who is not a member of the student’s family and not another student.
• Position: Be an experiential learning opportunity instead of a summer job. Examples of experiential learning opportunities include – internships, research, student teaching as part of a practicum, fieldwork related to your career goals, and fellowships.

A qualified position must NOT:

• Be a job. Some examples of positions that are not eligible for funding are retail work, food service work, administrative positions, summer camp counselor positions, lifeguarding, childcare work, and athletic coaching.

Stipends will be paid to students by the University during their program participation and through a distribution schedule that will be shared via email to participants. 

Living allowance stipends are intended to defray living expenses. In no instance is a living allowance stipend a payment involving services as it relates to work, and it is not compensation for any work carried out during or in conjunction with the student’s summer experience.

A living allowance stipend is not subject to withholdings by the University. However, the IRS may consider a living allowance stipend to be taxable income to the recipient student. It is the recipient student’s responsibility to report this income accurately and make payments on any taxable portion of the award.

Federal regulations and Boston University policy require that all student resources—including stipends such as those from the Newbury Center Summer Fund, which are intended to assist with living expenses—be taken into consideration when calculating a student’s eligibility for need-based financial aid. As a result, if a student’s financial aid award includes federal or BU need-based aid, the combination of all need-based aid, merit awards, and stipends cannot exceed the student’s calculated financial aid eligibility. Funding for summer experiential learning opportunities will not affect academic year awards but may affect summer awards.

If an adjustment to a need-based financial aid package is required as a result of including a Newbury Center Summer Fund stipend in the package, the loan and employment portion of the award is reduced first, before scholarships or grants. Federal Work-Study and need-based student loans (such as the Direct Federal Stafford Loan) are either reduced or canceled before scholarships or grants are affected. Scholarship/grant aid is reduced only if necessary to avoid aid in excess of calculated financial eligibility. Assistance from all sources (need, merit, or credit-based) cannot exceed a student’s total cost of attendance.

When applying, students are encouraged to contact Noelle O’Brien, noelleob@bu.edu, with any questions about the potential effect of the stipend on their aid package.

Check Your First-gen Status

Are you a first-gen student? A first-generation college student is a student whose parents/guardians/caregivers did not earn a bachelor’s degree. Students whose parent/guardian/caregiver earned a college degree outside of the US are not considered to be first-generation students and are not eligible for this funding.

Check Your GPA

Is your cumulative GPA at 2.0 or above?

Check Your Undergraduate and Full-Time Enrollment

Will you be enrolled full time in an undergraduate BU degree program next Fall?

Check Your Financial Need

Do you qualify for need-based financial aid at BU?

Check Your Disciplinary and Academic Standing

Will you have good disciplinary and academic standing while participating in the program?

Confirm No Prior Participation

Did you previously participate in the Newbury Center Summer Fund?

• Search for internships, fellowships, co-ops, and research positions that interest you. Use Handshake and make an appointment with the CCD if you need support. 
• Tailor your resume and cover letter for each position. Use our resume and cover letter guides, attend an upcoming workshop, get feedback, and read tips on our blog.
• Apply and prepare for interviews. Use VMock to practice.
• Send thank-you notes following interviews and follow up as needed.

Once you have secured a qualified summer position, you’ll need to have someone from the organization confirm your acceptance into the summer program. You can do this by uploading an offer letter with your application. Please read the instructions here and view the sample linked below to prevent delay in processing your application. The offer letter must be on company letterhead and clearly state: 

• The student has an offer from the organization
• A brief overview of the student’s responsibilities
• The student’s schedule for the summer
• The student’s supervisor’s name and contact information
• The start and end dates of the position
• Any compensation that is provided to the student

View sample offer letter template

In order to have a letter of recommendation that helps your application, you want to ask a BU faculty or BU staff member who can speak positively about you. For this reason, it might be helpful to ask yourself some questions before identifying your recommender.

• Will they say good things about me?
• Are they reliable enough to write and submit my recommendation letter on time?

For more on who, how, and when to ask, read our guide on recommendations and references. 

The recommender must email the letter of recommendation directly to mdamm@bu.edu by the final deadline.

The Summer 2025 application is now open. Please scroll to the top to find the application link.. 

Following the application deadline, the Selection Committee will review all complete applications and notify applicants of decisions by email.

If you are accepted to the program, you will need to complete the award agreement. The award agreement will be provided to you once you have been accepted to the program.

Yes! You can apply if your position is paid. In this situation, please make sure that your application clearly states why this additional funding is needed.

No. Unfortunately, for this funding, first-gen students are only defined as students whose parents/caregiver/guardian did not receive a college degree from any country. This is the definition that BU uses. For programs/initiatives such as the Newbury Center Summer Fund, we need to stick with the original definition. We also follow this definition for the Tri-Alpha National Honor Society. The exception is that if a student has parents/guardians/caregivers who have completed a 4-year bachelor’s in another country, the student is welcome to participate in any of the Newbury Center’s activities. 

No. Please wait until you have secured a summer position before applying.