Practical Experience Scholarships

To be considered for these PitE Practical Experience Scholarships, students must:

• Be a declared PitE major or PitE minor in good academic standing
• Demonstrate financial need – or – demonstrate high academic achievement
• Be completing their first or only approved practical experience for the major or minor

Priority is given to students to meet the above criteria. There may be additional eligibility requirements for each scholarship. 

Students will be asked to provide information about their planned practical experience, including a budget of anticipated expenses. These scholarships are competitive such that not everyone who applies will receive funding.

1. PitE Merit-Based Scholarship

The Academic Excellence Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship that awarded to two to four PitE students annually who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement. Scholarship recipients may receive up to $2,000 toward the cost of their practical experience.

Additional Eligibility

• This scholarship is awarded based on the student’s GPA, the rigor of the student’s coursework, and other signs of high academic achievement.
• Examples of academic achievement may be demonstrated by (but not limited to) a high overall GPA and a demanding course schedule, a vastly improved GPA over the course of recent semesters of study, or noteworthy success in a research project.  Students are welcome to apply more than once, but can only receive this award one time from PitE.

2. PitE Need-Based Practical Experience Scholarships

These refer to the following individually endowed scholarships, which are awarded to PitE students who demonstrate financial need. These scholarships are intended to subsidize the costs of a field course or study abroad course to fulfill PitE’s practical experience requirement.

Additional Eligibility

Students must be in good standing within their school or college and demonstrate financial need, according to the U-M Office of Financial Aid. Students must have a completed FAFSA form on file.

Read about each fund on the Scholarship Descriptions page

3. Abrams Internship Scholarship

Established in 2013 through the generous support of Jim and Wendy Abrams, the Abrams Internship Development Fund is intended to offer financial support for PitE students pursuing internship opportunities with various governmental, industry, and non-governmental organizations. This fund is intended to support students doing internships that they would not have otherwise been able to complete.

Eligibility

• Any PitE student in good academic standing who is making good progress towards completing their PitE major or minor may apply for these funds.
• Priority for internship scholarships is given to students who have completed Stages 1 and 2 of the Michigan Internship Learning Environment AND ALSO demonstrate financial need. 

This funding can be used to cover

• Transportation to/from internship site (i.e. airfare to internship location, daily commuting costs)
• Room and board (i.e. rent and food) in the city of internship employment

Though rare, students may be asked to return funds if there is a significant change in the terms of the internship (i.e. a student received a substantial scholarship to participate in an unpaid internship, and later, the employer pays the student a substantial amount cover these previously unmet costs. A student doing an internship for credit decides not to complete the internship after only several weeks of starting the internship).

Timeline

Students can apply for funding starting in October, and going through May. See the link below for more information and how to apply.

In addition to PitE Scholarships, PitE students can apply for funding through LSA for Study Abroad. Students who are not in LSA should check with their home school or college to see if they qualify for funding. Students going abroad or doing a practical experience off campus should also contact the Office of Financial Aid. In some cases, students can have an adjustment made to their financial aid packages in order to cover the higher study abroad costs.