Established in 2021, the Chancellor’s Career Fellows Program is a comprehensive, fully funded career education experience for selected WashU second-year undergraduate students whose family income is less than $75,000. The goal of the program is to increase career access and future career success for under-resourced WashU undergraduates. Students receive personalized career education and advising as well as a summer stipend award to support living expenses while they complete a pre-professional experience. The Center for Career Engagement oversees the Chancellor’s Career Fellows Program in partnership with the Taylor Family Center for Student Success and the Office of Student Financial Services.
The Chancellor’s Career Fellows Program is a comprehensive career experience that includes the following components:
- Connection to and with the Chancellor’s Career Fellows participants and faculty, staff and alumni mentors for the purpose of building community, friendships, and support
- Enrollment in a one-credit career education course during the spring semester
- Participation in a student-to-employer networking event during the spring semester
- Participation in a pre-professional experience (e.g. an internship, research experience, or other meaningful professional development opportunity) during the summer break immediately following the spring semester course
- Enrollment in a Summer Success Workshop during your summer pre-professional experience
- Access to personalized career advising toward a summer experience
- Up to $5,000 of financial support for living expenses upon acceptance of a summer pre-professional experience*
*Undergraduate students can apply for a summer stipend award, up to $5,000. Award amounts are determined by several factors including, but not limited to, number of weeks working, hours per week, location, budget and financial need. Financial need status is determined by the Office of Student Financial Services.*
Eligibility
- Current second-year Washington University students
- Full-time degree-seeking undergraduate student
- Family background with $75,000 or less in annual income
- Students must have the ability to work in the United States
- Preference given to first-generation students
Recipient Information
- Accepted students may be eligible for summer stipend awards up to $5,000 each to cover living costs for unpaid or paid internships, research and other pre-professional experiences.
- Students selected are required to participate in and complete all aspects of the program.
- During the Spring 2025 course, students will receive additional coaching on landing a summer experience with a focus on paid internships.
- Students will be required to submit a thank you note to program donors after completion of the program.
How to Apply
Eligible students will be contacted via email with an invitation to apply. Applications will be accepted until Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 11:59 PM CST. Decisions will be communicated the week of October 7, 2024.
If you have further questions, please reference the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below or contact Tyler Gahrs, Manager, Strategy & Impact in the Center for Career Engagement.
Chancellor’s Career Fellows (CCF) Program FAQ for Prospective Applicants
Does CCF offer any direct internship/summer experience opportunities?
While the program tries its best to support students in their summer opportunity search, it is ultimately up to the fellows to land summer opportunities themselves.
I am not a first-generation student. Am I still eligible to apply?
Yes, CCF gives preference to eligible students who are also first-generation status, but first-generation status is not a requirement for eligibility. If you are not first-generation status, we still encourage you to apply.
Will there be an interview process after submitting the application? What are you looking for in an applicant?
Admission to CCF will be based on your written application. There will be no interview process after submitting your application. Please carefully consider your responses to the two short essay questions.
I will be studying abroad or not based on-campus/St. Louis in the spring semester. Will I be able to partake in CCF?
Unfortunately, students must be based in St. Louis in the spring semester to partake in CCF as the program’s class component is in-person on the Danforth Campus.
When does the one-credit spring semester course take place? What is covered?
“Career Education for Chancellor’s Fellows” is a one-credit spring semester course for all Chancellor’s Career Fellows. All fellows should register for one session.
Course description: This course supports students in the Chancellor’s Career Fellows Program as they explore their professional interests, navigate their career development process, and identify summer 2025 experiences. Students will engage in career education through applying career development frameworks and completing individual portfolios. Interactive class sessions will see students practice interviewing skills, build networking resources, workshop documents, and engage in small group discussions and activities. Students will gain professional knowledge and confidence by connecting with alumni mentors, various Washington University resources, and employers. Registration is limited to students enrolled in the Chancellor’s Career Fellows Program.
How many fellows will be accepted for the 24-25 academic year?
The Center for Career Engagement will invite 60 WashU sophomore students to participate in the Chancellor’s Career Fellows Program for the 24-25 academic year.
How does the summer stipend work?
Chancellor’s Career Fellows who participate in a summer pre-professional experience receive a stipend. The stipend is intended to support the fellow’s experience, and it is paid out at the end of the spring semester. Experiences can be either paid and non-paid and can happen anywhere in the world. For the 2024-25 academic year, the stipend CCF students are eligible to receive will be up to $5,000. Each student’s final stipend award amount will be determined by several factors including, but not limited to, number of weeks working, hours per week, location, budget and financial need.
What counts as a summer pre-professional experience?
The pre-professional experience that students land must occur in summer 2025 immediately following the spring semester. Typically, this experience consists of a summer internship or research fellowship, but it can come in a variety of forms. Pre-professional experiences are not limited to specific industries and should align with a student’s career interests.
However, it is important to note that summer experiences where fellows have to pay in order to participate and experiences working on political campaigns are ineligible for the CCF stipend.
If you have further questions, please feel free to contact the Center for Career Engagement.
When do I need to land a summer pre-professional experience as a CCF fellow? What if I already have landed a summer experience? Am I still able to partake in CCF?
Students who already have landed a summer experience or will have landed a summer experience by the time the spring semester 2025 starts are eligible and encouraged to apply for CCF. Please make sure to explain in your application why CCF would be beneficial and valuable to your career and personal development even though you already have a summer 2025 experience lined up.
Ideally, CCF students will have landed a summer opportunity by the end of classes in late April. Certain summer opportunities may have application/interview timelines that go into May/June depending on the sector or field, so some CCF students have taken as long as late May or early June to land a summer opportunity. The goal is that every CCF student partakes in a summer 2025 pre-professional experience.