Internship Requirements

Internship Eligibility Requirements

The internship must:

Be a necessarily unpaid internship, meaning the organization genuinely lacks the financial resources to pay interns wages, salaries, or stipends.
Involve at least 160 hours of work completed during the eligible funding period (after the preceding semester ends and before the following semester begins).
Be with a formal organization or established entity. An eligible organization typically falls in one of the following categories: nonprofit organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Be a bona fide internship that provides supervised professional work experience.
Be supervised by someone who is not a GW faculty or staff member.

Additional Internship Notes:

Small stipends for housing, transportation, or meals do not automatically disqualify an internship from being considered necessarily unpaid.
Internships requiring a security clearance are eligible, but any award is contingent upon the student ultimately obtaining the clearance.
International internships are eligible if they meet all other requirements and comply with GW international travel policies and approval processes.
- Please review the International Travel Policy. Students awarded support through KACIF will be required to complete the International Travel Approval Process and purchase GeoBlue, GW's international health insurance. All high or extreme risk destinations will require an extra level of review and approval from GW’s Associate Provost for International Programs and may not receive approval or may receive delayed approval.

Based on the above requirements, the following internships are not eligible:

Practicums or internships that are required components of a degree program.
- Exception: If a required internship includes at least 100 additional onsite hours beyond the program requirement, it may qualify if documented in the offer letter.
Internships at or affiliated with GW, including unpaid research assistantships supporting GW faculty.
Internships supervised by GW faculty or staff.
Political campaign internships.
Opportunities that primarily support an individual's private venture, personal business, startup idea, or independent project.
Unpaid internships at for-profit organizations that have the resources to pay interns.
- Internships that are unpaid at for-profit organizations, such as Fortune 500 companies and media conglomerates, will not be considered for funding through KACIF, as these internships should be paid, regardless of the general practices of these organizations.
Internship hours completed before the eligible funding period (retroactive funding is not allowed).
Academic courses, independent studies, practica, research-for-credit experiences, or other coursework-based activities.

If you have any questions about KACIF eligibility, contact us at gwkacifgwu [dot] edu (subject: KACIF) (gwkacif[at]gwu[dot]edu).