Global Research & Internship Program

Search Opportunities & Apply

In order to apply for the Global Research & Internship Program (either for one of our pre-approved placements or for Funding-Only), students must:

• Be full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate or Master's students in the spring semester before they are to participate in GRIP

  • Students from select doctoral programs are eligible to apply--please email grip-abroad@upenn.edu for more information

• Return to their same degree program as a full-time student the fall semester after their internship

• Be in good academic and disciplinary standing

• Not have previously withdrawn from GRIP after committing

• Not be applying for an internship in their home country or a country in which they grew up

• Be interning or conducting supervised research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks during the summer (for students applying to Funding-Only)

To apply for one of our pre-approved internship or research placements, students will need to successfully:

• Submit a resume and cover letter in one singular PDF

• Submit an essay for consideration for additional funding beyond the GRIP Funding Award (optional)

• Attend a group advising session at Penn Abroad

• Submit any other supplemental materials as requested by the employer

The application and admission timeline is as follows:

I. Researching Opportunities: Summer 2020 GRIP placements are now posted on PASSPORT. Please make sure to carefully read the full details about each opportunity on the online brochures, including tabs about the placement’s duration, start date, accommodation, estimated cost, etc. Contacting past participants is especially helpful at this stage!

II. Advising and Applying: Students are able to open an application on their own. In order to submit an application, students must attend a group advising session. Students will generally be permitted to apply to one GRIP placement. Highly Competitive placements will be designated as such in the Eligibility tab of the brochure. Students applying to Highly Competitive placements will be permitted to apply to a second GRIP placement as a back-up option.

III. Screening: Applications will be screened following the application deadline January 5, 2020, at 10:00 pm EST. At this time, Penn Abroad will conduct the first-round screening to ensure that students meet eligibility requirements. For placements with particularly high numbers of applicants, students will be screened to ensure they have researched the opportunity, are motivated and enthusiastic about the opportunity, and have presented themselves professionally in their resume and cover letter.

IV. Interviewing: Students whose applications make it past the first round of screening will then have their resumes and cover letters sent to the employer. Each employer has the ability to decide who (if anyone) they would like to interview, as well as when the interviews will take place. Some employers will want to interview applicants right away, while others may spread the process out over a longer period of time.

V. Decision: All decisions regarding placements and funding amounts will be communicated directly to you by Penn Abroad on February 21, 2020. Students will have until March 2, 2020, to accept their offer.

Admissions decisions are made jointly by the employer and Penn Abroad, and thus it is crucial that each applicant behave professionally throughout this process when interacting with both Penn Abroad staff and potential employers.

Students must submit the following in order to apply for funding:

• Proof that you have been offered an internship or research opportunity that meets the eligibility requirements above (note: you do not need to have accepted your offer in order to apply for funding, but you must at least have an offer)

• An estimated budget as to how much you expect the experience might cost you.  Please be as specific as possible and include things like: international airfare, housing/accommodation, meals, local transportation, visa expenses, vaccinations, personal spending, etc. Note that Penn Abroad will check the accuracy of submitted budgets.

• A short essay about why you are interested in this opportunity, how it relates to your personal/academic/professional goals, and how you would benefit from receiving a GRIP Funding Award.

More information can be found on the Funding-Only brochure.

Pre-Approved Placement Applications: January 5, 2020 at 10:00 pm EST

Funding-Only Applications: March 1, 2020 at 10:00 pm EST