Out-of-classroom experiences provide students with the opportunity to use the knowledge they learn in the classroom in real-world settings. Because of the importance of these experiences—which include internships, education abroad, and research—the college offers funding to make them more accessible to every student.
Enrichment funds are intended to help make out-of-classroom experiences more affordable for Liberal Arts students. Students with at least one Liberal Arts major can apply for funding through the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network to support virtual, remote, and/or face-to-face out-of-classroom experiences.
What are the eligibility requirements?
- Current undergraduate student at Penn State University Park or Penn State World Campus
- At least one declared Liberal Arts major
- Minimum grade-point average of 2.0
- Cannot have graduated before the semester in which the experience is taking place
- Must be admitted into the program for which you are seeking funding
When should I apply?
2024-25 Application Timeline
Fall | Spring | Summer | |
|---|---|---|---|
Applications Open | July 31 | October 31 | TBD |
Priority Deadline | September 13 | January 3 | TBD |
Final Deadline | October 31 | February 28 | TBD |
Enrichment funding is limited each semester. Students are encouraged to submit their application by the priority deadline for the semester they are completing the experience. For example, students completing an internship in the fall should submit their application by September 13. Applications submitted after these deadlines will be considered on a funds-available basis, so it is to your advantage that you submit your application before the appropriate semester deadline. Applications will not be accepted after the final deadline for each semester.
How do I apply?
To apply for enrichment funding, students must fill out the Enrichment Funding application. Students will log in with their Penn State Access ID and password and can create a new application or view previously submitted applications.
When applying, students may be asked to provide the following information:
- Details about the experience
- A letter detailing your acceptance into a program for education abroad and internships or a faculty endorsement letter for a research experience
- How this experience will support your overall career goals
- Why your experience is unique and worthy of support
- A list of expenses tied to the completion of your experience
- Appropriate expenses may include airfare for education abroad, mileage or housing expenses for internships, etc. Please think critically about the amount of funding you are requesting.
- Résumé/CV.
Please have all materials on hand before you begin your application as you will not be able to save and come back to your application! Once you begin your application, the system will time out after sixty minutes.
Participating in an internship in business and/or the private sector?
Pursuing global experiences or internships connected to Jewish studies, Israel, or the Jewish community?
Have you participated in an out-of-classroom experience? Tell us about it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Your enrichment award will be deposited into your student bursar’s account the semester you participate in the experience. If you have holds on your account or any outstanding registration issues, this will prevent your award from being disbursed. Be sure to check LionPath for information on holds and any ‘To Do List’ items.
Summer semester enrichment award recipients should be aware that their course schedule may impact the timing of the disbursement of their award. Student Aid will begin disbursement of summer enrichment awards to student accounts in mid-May.
Your enrichment award will be disbursed according to your Bursar account settings, so make sure your account is set up properly in advance. When you log in to LionPath, you will be able to choose whether you would like to enroll in “eRefund” or if you would prefer to have your refund mailed to your permanent residence address. Most students choose to enroll in eRefund program so that the funds are directly deposited into their bank accounts. Any questions you have about your Bursar account or the disbursement of your award should be directed to Penn State’s Office of the Bursar. Please note that any disbursements into your Bursar account will first be applied to any outstanding balance on your account. You will receive a refund for any remaining credit according to the refund option that you selected in LionPath.
Applicants must be considered undergraduate students at Penn State in the College of the Liberal Arts. Liberal Arts students who have graduated prior to their out-of-classroom experience may not apply for enrichment funds. Students taking a Leave of Absence (LOA) in the semester of their out-of-classroom experience are not eligible for enrichment funds.
If you are going abroad on independent University-affiliated travel that is not part of an Education Abroad program (such as international internships, research, conferences, etc.), you must complete Penn State’s international travel requirements for non-credit travel before your application is considered for funding.
These requirements are:
- Record your travel in the Travel Safety Network database.
- Complete the Online Emergency Preparedness Workshop.
- Complete a travel petition for countries subject to University travel restrictions. Travel petitions are created in the Travel Safety Network travel record.
For all University-affiliated international travel, Penn State’s Global Safety Office is here to help you if you have questions on these international travel procedures, international health insurance coverage, or would like location-specific advice. Please note that meeting the University’s international travel requirements is mandatory to receive an enrichment award.
Students participating in an IUG program in the College of the Liberal Arts may apply for funding if they meet the following criteria:
- Are not registered as full-time graduate students during the current semester or directly after the enrichment experience
- Have not filed an intent to graduate from their undergraduate degree program the semester before or of the enrichment experience
- Meet the general enrichment funding eligibility requirements
The amount of funding you request depends on the nature of your out-of-classroom experience. In most cases, the College of the Liberal Arts does not have the funding available to support the entire cost of students’ enrichment experiences. For instance, students participating in semester-long education abroad programs should not request the total budget included in the budget sheets provided by Global Programs (total budgets on these sheets range from $8,000–$30,000). Instead, think critically about the funds you will need to make this experience more affordable for you. You might focus instead on the cost of airfare or textbooks. A reasonable amount to request in your application can range from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars.
You will be notified of your award amount once your application has been reviewed and approved by the Liberal Arts Enrichment Committee. Unfortunately, we cannot inform you of your specific award amount until your application has been formally processed and approved. A variety of factors are considered when reviewing applications, including:
- Cost of the program
- The student’s demonstrated financial need
- The student’s cumulative GPA
- Previous enrichment funding received
- Quality of the enrichment application
Awards are also determined by the funds available at the time of receipt as well as the specific criteria of our funding sources. In general, enrichment awards can range from $100–$2,500.
International students should read the information about potential international taxes on all Penn State scholarships/awards on the Student Financial Services website.
Once you have completed your enrichment application, a confirmation email will be sent to your Penn State email address. The email will indicate that your application has been submitted. Please also check your junk folder. If you did not receive this confirmation email, your application was not received.
Once you log in to the application system, your session will time out after sixty minutes. If you have had your session open while you have been preparing your application, your session may time out before you submit your materials and will not be received by our office. It is best to prepare your application materials first, then log in and submit the required documents in the application system.
In most cases, if you have submitted by the deadlines indicated above, you should hear from us within two to three weeks after your application has been received with a decision regarding your application. Enrichment applications must be reviewed and undergo a variety of processes and approvals before students can be notified of their awards. Consequently, it may occasionally take us a bit longer to get back to you about your application.
Please note, if you are applying for funding from the Chapel Executive Internship Program, applications will be reviewed after the deadline for which you are applying. Once all applications have been received by the deadline, applications will be reviewed, and awarding decisions should be made within two to three weeks.
Your academic major department will also be given access to your enrichment application for review. If your department can make an additional contribution, you will hear from them separately.
Yes, students can submit enrichment applications after the semester deadline has passed—within reason. All applications must be received in the semester during which the enrichment activity is occurring. For instance, you cannot apply for funding for a fall study abroad program in the subsequent spring semester.
For the summer semesters, we have a FINAL application deadline (see the “When should I apply?” section above for details). Summer applications received after the final deadline will NOT be considered for funding. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis before the specific semester deadline.
Applications will be considered after these deadlines on a funds-available basis, so it is to your advantage to submit your application before the priority deadlines if possible. Enrichment applications submitted to support research experiences will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Please do not apply for an experience that has not yet been confirmed (e.g., you applied to an internship but do not know yet whether you will get it).
Most College of the Liberal Arts awards are made possible by generous donations from Liberal Arts alumni and friends. Undergraduate recipients of these awards will be asked to write a thank you letter to the donor(s) responsible for their award. Donors enjoy hearing about your career plans and extracurricular activities and how the award will help you participate in your out-of-classroom experience. Please make sure to read your award notification email from the college carefully so that you include the appropriate information and salutation. Letters should fit on one page, be single-spaced, and include your contact information. Do not date your letter.