All students are encouraged to apply for funding for a creative scholarly project, internship, or research that substantially expands their academic program. Although there is significant funding for continuing students, resources are limited and not all proposals can be funded. Grants are available in each of the three academic divisions: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Engineering.
Proposals for independent research, as well as research in collaboration with Swarthmore faculty and/or outside scholars, may include:
Many summer stipends are NEBO-eligible. NEBOs (non-employment based opportunities) are funded by the College the primarily benefits the student, is student-led, and has no benefit to the College. For more information, please view the College's Policy on Experiential Learning Opportunities, or the resources for DACA and Un-documented Students information from the International Student Center website.
Students can be awarded a total of $6,000 and are expected to commit to a full-time experience which is the equivalent of 10 weeks (roughly 400 hours total). Students involved in research are expected to fully engage in the process of scholarly exploration and development. Students seeking special training and mentorship, volunteer opportunities, internships, or non-research based projects, such as the production of original writing or artwork, may also qualify for funding. However, proposals where the student would act as an office assistant or primarily engage in other non-scholarly work will not be supported.
Please consult these resources for more information about the process and requirements for pursuing Academic Division funding which includes the submission of a report narrative at the end of the summer.
Significant funding is also available for a variety of summer opportunities. Each summer, approximately 30% of current Swarthmore students receive funding from the College so that they can participate in these otherwise unpaid experiences. Learn more.
Academic opportunities can be awarded in any one (or more) of our divisions. Applicants do not apply for a specific grant but can use the lists of opportunities available in the academic divisions and when applying, make the correct selection for the division that is best suited for their project.
Art, Classics, English Literature, Film & Media Studies, Modern Languages & Literatures, Music & Dance, Philosophy, Religion, Theater
View the list of available Arts & Humanities grants
Economics, Educational Studies, History, Linguistics, Peace & Conflict Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology & Anthropology
View the list of available Social Sciences grants
Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics & Astronomy, Psychology
View the list of available Natural Sciences and & Engineering grants
