Program Overview

Eligibility: All returning Harvard College undergraduates in good academic standing are eligible to apply for the opportunities regardless of class year unless it specifically states a different age requirement in the internship description. Graduating seniors are not eligible for internships. There are no limits to the number of times a student can receive HGHI funding, though interns cannot receive funding for the same internship twice. Students who have already been an IOP Directors’ Intern are not eligible for internships that are co-funded with the IOP.

Duration: Internships are full-time commitments for 10 weeks over the summer unless the site description specifies that the internship is longer. If an intern voluntarily elects to stay longer than 10 weeks, they are welcome to do so, but the funding amount will stay the same.

Funding: Internships are all funded. When travel is possible, stipends are designed to cover travel expenses to and from the internship location, food, lodging, and other necessities for the duration of the internship. The funding amount is set by Harvard each year based on the cost of living in that location, and it is not negotiable. Stipends are awarded in the spring before the internship begins, and recipients are expected to budget carefully and choose economical travel and housing options. Students who wish to travel independently on weekends may do so, but the stipend from HGHI is not designed to cover this, and students are responsible for any additional expenses they incur during the summer. If for any reason students need to withdraw or are dismissed from the program before completing the minimum ten weeks of employment, they must return a prorated amount of the stipend and are responsible for the travel or other expenses incurred as a result. Virtual internships are funded at a flat rate.

To promote equitable distribution of summer funding across the undergraduate community, students are eligible to accept funding from only one Harvard source of funding each summer. Therefore, students who receive HGHI funding may not accept any additional funding from Harvard during the same summer. Similarly, students who accept HGHI summer funding are not eligible to receive a waiver to enroll in a Harvard Summer School course or vice versa. Students must disclose if they are receiving Harvard funding at any point throughout the summer, and HGHI reserves the right to modify awards accordingly. Failure to promptly report other Harvard-funded summer activities may be reported to the Administrative Board. More details on the Summer Funding Policy are available here. Please reach out to emily_maguire@harvard.edu with any questions or to discuss requesting an exception.

Awards granted through HGHI are to be used to support student expenses so that students can have an educational experience, and funding can cover costs including housing, local transportation in program location (pending local public health guidelines), food, and incidentals. Funding students receive from Harvard sources cannot be used to pay others to provide services or be given to an organization; for example, hiring third-party researchers or clinicians, or making charitable donations.

HGHI summer experiences are paid by a stipend and are open to all students regardless of immigration status.

Application Limits: Students may apply to up to three internships. If students are interested in submitting additional applications for HGHI internships, they may be able to do so with permission.

Application Process: Students submit a complete application to HGHI for each internship through CARAT. Students may not initiate contact with the host organization directly during the application process unless the site description specifically states that this is allowed. Doing so could jeopardize students' applications.

Internship Descriptions: Internship descriptions are designed to provide a high-level overview for what the internship will likely entail, but specific projects and day-to-day activities often are not determined until closer to the summer. Organizations hosting internships try to predict to the best of their ability what projects they will be working on, but these may change between the time students apply in the winter and the time that the internship starts in the summer. It is important that applicants keep this in mind while reading internship descriptions and are prepared to be flexible.

Selection of Finalists: Each application is read by a committee at HGHI that makes the first round of decisions and narrows the pool of applications to the top candidates. Generally, there are about five finalists for each internship, and all applicants are notified in mid-February if they are a finalist or not.

Interviews: Host organizations review applications of finalists and conduct interviews in late February through early March. There is a short turn-around time for interviews, so if you are selected as a finalist, it’s important that you respond to interview requests quickly. Each organization has their own internal selection process, which means the timeline for interviews may vary, and some finalists may not be contacted for an interview.

Offers: Hosts select their top choice(s) of students by mid-March, and HGHI makes offers as decisions are made. Offers are made on a rolling basis, and students will have approximately three days to accept or decline the position. We understand this seems like a short time period to decide, especially if you are waiting to hear about other offers. As much as we would like to be able to give everyone more time, we cannot allow individuals to hold an offer for an extended period, as this is not fair to the other students who are also waiting to hear about the same position. All finalists will be notified about the status of their applications by late April.

Duration: Internships are full-time commitments for 10 weeks over the summer. During the summer of 2023, program dates will be approximately June 5th to Aug 11th, though these may be adjusted if needed

Specifying Projects: Internship supervisors are expected to define a scope of work and create a substantial project for interns to work on, which should be determined before the intern arrives or during the first week on-site. It is important that interns communicate with their supervisors before the summer begins to help them select a project that matches their skills and interests. It’s also important to note that most interns join ongoing projects. Often 10 weeks is not enough time for interns to do completely independent projects.

Supervision: All interns will have a supervisor who will monitor them during the 10 week internship and meet with them at least weekly throughout the summer. Some internships are very structured while other organizations give interns a lot of autonomy. Please refer to the internship description for more information on the level of supervision for each internship.

Stipends: When travel is possible, stipends are designed to cover travel expenses to and from the internship location, food, lodging, and other necessities for the duration of the internship. This stipend is not designed to cover elective and/or weekend travel. The funding amount is set by Harvard each year based on the cost of living in that location, and it is not negotiable.

Housing: Housing is not provided for any internships except for students in the SURGH program, when this program is able to run in-person. Staff at HGHI and at host organizations may be able to provide interns with advice and recommendations for housing, but ultimately students are responsible for finding their own housing.

Travel Arrangements: When travel is possible, students are responsible for making their own arrangements for any necessary travel, daily transportation, passports, visas, vaccinations, etc.

International Travel: When travel is possible, students doing international internships are required to:

• Sign a Risk and Release Form
• Complete Harvard’s online pre-departure orientation.
• Register and maintain their trip details with Harvard’s Global Support Services, which provides assistance in the event of an emergency.
• Obtain Health Clearance by a physician.
• Obtain or show proof of international health insurance coverage.

Students wishing to go to regions on the “Elevated Risk” list are required to complete additional requirements, including completing a Travel Safety Questionnaire and attending an Elevated-Risk orientation. Travel is prohibited to regions that Harvard Global Support Services has indicated are “High Risk.”

Orientations and Debriefs: All interns are required to attend HGHI’s pre-departure orientation in the spring and a debriefing session in the fall, unless excused. If requested, students are also required to meet one-on-one with HGHI staff.

Conduct: HGHI Fellows are required to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with the local laws and regulations at their internship location and with Harvard’s policies for student conduct set forth in the Handbook for Students. Students agree to refrain from conduct that is improper, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate, or that is potentially detrimental to their own or others’ health or safety.

Evaluations: Interns and host organizations are asked for feedback during and after the summer.