At Claremont McKenna College, we believe all of our students should have the opportunity to explore careers and take advantage of experiential learning. We also believe that earlier experiences are more transformative, particularly during the first two years of college. By Junior year, we hope that you will have gained enough knowledge to focus on a particular career sector, so that you have the opportunity to gain valuable career experiences during your Junior summer to help you in your full-time recruitment.
While job shadowing offers a great introduction to different careers, summer internships are the best way to explore a career while developing meaningful skills and experiences. This is why we have developed the CMC Sponsored Internships & Experiences (SIE) Program. Its goal is to encourage quality student experiences across a variety of industries and geographies that facilitate development and growth.
The program provides funding for CMC students, particularly in their first and second summers, to pursue domestic and international experiences of 4 to 12 weeks in length. Philanthropy is responsible for the vast majority of SIE funding. For domestic SIE funding, preference is given to non-profit and government opportunities. For international SIE funding, all opportunities are considered.
Internships
We define internships as structured, supervised and lasting a minimum of 8 weeks.
Experiences
We define experiences as a form of structured, unsupervised experiential learning lasting a minimum of 4 weeks.
Three reasons why you should consider participating:
- Because it is the best way to gain valuable work experience before you graduate.
- You can develop valuable skills and experience in finding and securing a job in the workplace.
- You can explore a profession or industry before committing full-time.
More details can be found in the FAQ (frequently asked questions).
Row 2, from left to right: Rachana Muvvala ’24 at Evercore Investment Bank, Jasmine Duncan ’26 at the US District Court (District of Hawaii), Sunny Lee ’26 at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, & Carol Hutchison ’26 at Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps.
Important Information about the 2024 SIE Funding Cycle
Students must be enrolled at CMC, whether full or part-time, for the duration of the spring semester and intend to return in the fall semester in order to be eligible for summer SIE funding. SIE will continue to fund appropriate expenses incurred by students pursuing domestic and international internships and experiences, with funding priority given to first-year and sophomore summers, particularly to those students with demonstrated financial need. Juniors are encouraged to apply and will be waitlisted for general funds until the first-years and sophomores have been funded. The waitlist process does not apply to Juniors receiving funding from CMC's participating Research Institutes and Centers.
Approved Countries
A defined list of approved international countries can be found here. These approved countries are subject to change, so please refer back to this link before finalizing your travel plans. If you are intending to travel to a country that is not approved, please email Garineh Kouredjian with more details.
Experiences Policy
We have updated our policy regarding Experiences to reflect more specific guidance about what type of experiences are more likely to be considered for funding this year. Some things to highlight are the requirement for a detailed proposal, budget request, resume and unofficial transcript in Handshake by March 17, 2025. Please refer to the Experiences policy for more details.
Applying for SIE funding
All application materials must be submitted through a common application on the Sponsored Internships & Experiences portal on Survey Monkey Apply, an online application website.
After logging in using Single Sign On, applicants will provide all the necessary documents directly to Survey Monkey Apply. Materials are not accepted in hard copy or via email. Please note, only one application by each student will be accepted.
The application portal is now CLOSED.
SIE Budget Guide
As part of your SIE Application, you will have to develop a budget for your internship/experience. Please see the CMC SIE Budget Guide, which contains tools and tips to help you build a successful budget.
Internship Housing Guide
Please see the CMC Internship Housing Guide, which has resources to help you search for housing for your summer internship/experiences. While useful for any housing search, it has specific sections on Los Angeles, San Francisco/Bay Area, Washington, DC, and New York. Please note, Claremont McKenna College does not endorse any housing listed in the Guide and does not guarantee the service or quality of service offered.
Unique Opportunities
The SIE Program encompasses many unique opportunities for CMC students, including Research at CMC and Keck Science, CMC Fellowships, and Partnered Internships at CMC Research Institutes. For a complete list of all the unique opportunities available, see the CMC Unique Opportunities Page.
Internship Database
The Internship Database is a searchable database of every internship conducted by a CMC student since 2013. You can filter through various internship positions that SIE students have held in the past and reach out direct to current students or recent alumni to learn more about their experience. This is not a current listing of opportunities but it is an excellent source of ideas as you begin your internship search. You can access the database here.
Scholar Community Funding
If you are a Scholar Community Student, please click here for additional instructions on accessing your funding. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Flanagan, Director of Scholar Communities, at aflanagan@cmc.edu.
