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Review information about Summer 2027, as it may impact your planning. Attend an information session to learn more.

Summer Experience Award (SEA)

The Summer Experience Award (SEA) is a one-time, non-competitive award for eligible Yale College students who receive Yale financial aid. The award ($4,000) funds a U.S. or international professional development opportunity that meets specific criteria, outlined below. The SEA application opens in the Student Grants Database on Monday, Feb 2, 2026. 

Student Eligibility

• First-year, sophomore, and junior Yale College undergraduates, currently receiving Yale financial aid. Seniors graduating in December 2026 may be eligible.
• ROTC and Eli Whitney students may qualify if financial aid eligibility is verified by the Yale Financial Aid Office.
• Students who have not yet received the SEA in a prior summer. Students who used the SEA in a prior summer are not eligible, as this is a one-time award. 
• Students on leave of absence may apply if returning to campus in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027.
• Questions about your eligibility? Contact sea@yale.edu before applying and well in advance of the deadline.
• International students are strongly encouraged to consult OISS (Office of International Students & Scholars) before applying. Additionally, international students should be aware of the tax implications before accepting the award. Contact Yale’s International Tax Office for more information.

Experience Eligibility

• The experience must be secured before applying for the SEA. Need help finding an eligible opportunity? Along with advising appointments, OCS has many resources. Start with Summer Experience Award – Finding Opportunities and Sample Cold Emails
• Experience must be at least 8 weeks long and 30 hours per week. Weeks need not be consecutive, but fewer than 30 hours per week are not allowed. There is no additional funding for opportunities of greater than 8 weeks or more than 30 hours per week. 
• Only in-person, supervised experiences with nonprofit, government, arts, or research organizations, including non profit universities, are eligible. Additionally, opportunities with a for-profit international organization may be eligible.
• The position must be either unpaid or underfunded (stipend up to $2,000).
• Supervisor must complete the Host Organization Verification (HOV) form, acknowledging adherence to Yale’s non-discrimination policy. Research supervisors must provide Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, if applicable.
• A student may not be a supervisor. Masters, PhD, and Postdoctoral Scholars do not qualify as supervisors.
• Experience must conclude prior to the first day of the Fall Term. 
• Opportunities that involve classwork, including senior thesis-related work, are not eligible.
• Opportunities obtained through third-party providers are not eligible.
• Questions about the eligibility of your planned experience? Contact sea@yale.edu before applying and well in advance of the deadline to allow time to secure another opportunity if necessary.

Domestic U.S. vs. International Opportunity

• Both opportunities are eligible for a $4,000 award.
• Remote opportunities are not eligible.
• Returning to your home country for your summer experience is allowed as long as your opportunity is eligible and your plans abide by the Yale University International Travel Policy for Yale College Students. Yale funds cannot be used to travel to any region that is at “High” or “Extreme” ISOS Global Risk Rating, or Level 4 or higher U.S. State Department risk rating.
• Students are bound by agreements regarding the use of funds, location of their experience, and commitment to completion of the experience. Additional specific agreements are required for international experiences. Please see the Policies and Agreements section for details.
• Using the SEA and the ISA (International Study Award) in the same summer is not allowed.

Deadlines

• Priority deadline is Wednesday, April 1, 2026
  • Students pursuing an international experience and those whose experiences start in May are strongly encouraged to submit their complete application by the priority deadline. This will ensure award payment processing by late May/early June (unless the student has also applied for additional funding through Fellowships, as coordination of funding may take a bit longer). All students are welcome to submit their completed applications by the priority deadline to allow for receipt of award by late May/early June.  
• Final deadline is Friday, May 1, 2026
  • There are no exceptions to the final deadline of May 1, 2026. Missing, incomplete, or inaccurate information on your application will result in a delay in approval and/or processing of your payment. Please ensure that your application, banking paperwork (see funding and taxes section), and international requirements (if applicable) are in order when you submit your SEA application. To avoid rejection of your application, start the process early, contact sea@yale.edu with any questions, and be prepared with an alternate plan just in case.

Funding and Taxes

• Confirm that your bank allows you to accept Zelle payments. The account must be in a U.S. bank and your yale.edu email address must be linked to the bank account. Email addresses can only be updated through the Zelle settings on your bank’s online account, not the app. For those who do not have Zelle, you can set up a direct deposit by advance request to OCS (sea@yale.edu). If neither Zelle nor direct deposit is set up in advance, a paper check will be issued to you which must be picked up or mailed to your address on file in Workday. Please be sure your address is up to date in Workday to avoid payment delay.
• Students applying for Fellowships and the SEA in the same summer must indicate so on their application. The requested funds must be for the same experience, and total of combined funds cannot exceed the student’s proposed Fellowship budget.
• Funds are issued in accordance with University policies, often involving more than one department.  Occasionally, funding may be delayed or applications returned to correct errors or to request additional information. Submitting your complete application by the priority deadline provides time to revisit and correct omissions or errors and will help to ensure receipt of your approved award as soon as possible.
• Under federal tax law, a scholarship or fellowship provided to a student in a degree granting program is generally taxable. If you are a candidate for a degree, you can exclude from taxable income that part of the award used to pay the tuition costs, required fees, books, equipment and supplies (required fees, books, equipment and supplies are limited to those specifically required of all students in a course). You cannot exclude from taxable income any part of the grant used for other purposes, such as room and board. Please refer to IRS Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Higher Education, Section 1, Scholarship, Fellowships, Grants and Tuition Reductions and the IRS tax guide for students, Taxable Income for Students.  Be sure to let your parents/guardians/tax advisor know of your plans in advance.
• International Students are strongly advised to be aware of tax implications before accepting an award. You must contact the international tax office at Yale to ensure that your tax documents are up to date. Contact the international tax office here. Missing or incomplete documents can delay your award payment

Policies & Agreements

When you submit your SEA application for either a U.S. Domestic or International experience, you agree to:

• Be aware of important Yale Health & Safety Resources and register with ISOS, Global Assistance available to you when you are 100 miles or more from your permanent residence
• Watch/read the online pre-departure information and any other information sent to you
• Complete the OCS summer activities survey at the end of the summer
• Return any SEA funding received in the event your plans change, or the location of your experience changes, making the opportunity no longer eligible
• Return a prorated amount of the SEA funding for any time less than eight weeks, if you withdraw or fail to complete the summer experience
• Complete a mid-summer and end-of-summer check-in with your supervisor.
• Remain informed of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Health Alerts

For International experiences you additionally agree to:

• If you are using the SEA for an international experience, you must review the Yale University International Travel Policy for Yale College Students which determines countries to which travel is restricted. It is every student’s responsibility to be aware of this policy and to stay informed of any changes to the status of their planned destination. 
• Remain informed about the travel, health, and safety risks of the regions where you will reside or visit. Follow updates on travel conditions both domestically and throughout your time abroad.
• Use the travel, safety, and health resources provided. View the Fellowships & Independent Activities Pre-Departure video
• Read the information and agreements below and visit the links provided.
  • U.S. State Department Travel Advisory Website. Travel is restricted to countries or regions up to level 3. You are responsible for reviewing this information for each country you visit.U.S. State Department Country Fact Sheet and the International SOS member site.  You will be required to indicate the International SOS risk level rating for your intended country. The SEA cannot be used to travel to countries at “High” or “Extreme” Risk Levels, or U.S. State Department risk above level 3, even if travel is to your home country.
  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention Health Alerts
  • Familiarize yourself with Yale’s International Toolkit.

Completing Your Application

• Start early! The application opens on Monday, Feb 2, 2026. Priority deadline is April 1, 2026. Final deadline is May 1, 2026.
• Find the Summer Experience Award application in the Student Grants Database
• Ask questions as needed: sea@yale.edu
• Save time and effort: review the Student Eligibility and Experience Eligibility guidelines above. Not sure if you or your experience qualifies? Send us a message at sea@yale.edu.
• Double check the website of the organization, and your supervisor’s email and phone to be certain you enter it correctly in the application. Incorrect information will delay review of your application and delay funding.
• Stay in touch with your supervisor and let them know the Host Organization Verification (HOV) form will be sent to them by email. Ask them to complete the form as soon as possible.
• Continue to review the receipt status of the Host Organization Verification (HOV) form and follow up with your supervisor as necessary.