Design Your Own (DYO) Internship Program

The Design Your Own (DYO) Internship Program is an opportunity for students to earn Federal Work Study funds through an off-campus or remote summer internship. Both students and employers must meet certain qualifications to participate—as long as both parties are eligible, Federal Work Study will subsidize a portion of the student’s wages.

Students: This is a great way to earn money and gain relevant work experience over the summer.
Employers: This is a great opportunity for you to work with a qualified, ambitious student at a significantly reduced cost. You only pay about 25% of their total wages, and have until late August/early September to gather the funds.

Eligibility

Student Eligibility

• Basic requirements:
  • Must be eligible for Federal Work Study (FWS), part of your financial aid package.
  • You were registered full time for spring 2021.
  • You intend to register full time for fall 2021.
  • You have submitted a FAFSA application for the next academic year demonstrating federal financial need.
  • You cannot register for six or more credit hours of summer classes. 
• Must complete the Summer FWS Application through the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment. Visit Summer Session Financial Aid for more information.
  • Generally, if you are eligible during the academic year, you are typically also eligible for the summer. However, you still must complete the Summer FWS Application to verify whether you meet all necessary summer criteria.
  • For questions about FWS eligibility, please contact the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment at +1 (607) 255-5145 or finaid@cornell.edu.

Employer/Organization Eligibility

Employer must be a US federal, state, or municipal government agency or 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization as certified by the IRS. They must also be located outside of Tompkins County. (Non-profit employers within Tompkins County should apply for the Community Work-Study Program, managed by the Public Service Center.)

For-profit employers are NOT eligible for the Summer 2021 DYO program.

Funding is approved for the specific student, and may not be transferred to a different individual. A separate application is required for each student, regardless of previous participation in the program or hiring multiple interns. This requirement also applies to Weill Cornell.

Due to Federal and/or Cornell regulations, jobs/employers with the following characteristics are NOT permitted:

• Organizations with direct religious or partisan political affiliation.
• Lobbying organization (or lobbying function within an organization).
• Employing organization that restricts its membership.
• U.S. Department of Education or U.S. Department of Justice.
• Employing organization that is student-led or run by a student or recent graduate (supervisor must be a seasoned professional).
• Employing organization is owned by student's family.

Position Eligibility

• Internship must be connected to the student's future career goals or current academic studies. The student will be asked to demonstrate this in writing.
• Employment must be for at least 30 hours per week.
• Position must last at least 8 weeks, preferably 10+ weeks.
• For Summer 2021, most internships are required to be virtual, due to COVID safety precautions. Some employers, like health clinics, who have already established and been following rigorous safety protocols MAY be eligible to host an in-person intern.
• Virtual internships must include regular supervision via phone or video conference.
  • Supervision method is at the discretion of the employer, but must be documented clearly. Some examples you might consider discussing: Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, weekly meetings, daily morning round-ups, Slack or other project management platforms.
  • Any remote working positions must have a completed Remote Work Arrangement form.
• Internships must be considered a community service (based on the definition below). Cornell University carefully reviews all applications and internship descriptions to determine eligibility. Community services are defined as those services that are designed to improve the quality of life for community residents, particularly low-income individuals, or to solve particular problems related to their needs. Cornell may use formal or informal consultation with local nonprofit, governmental, and community-based organizations to help determine what services fall into this category. These services include:

  • Fields such as health care, child care, literacy training, education (including tutorial services), welfare, social services, transportation, housing and neighborhood improvement, public safety, crime prevention and control, recreation, rural development, and community improvement.

  • Work in youth corps service opportunities or as defined in Section 101 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, and service in the agencies, institutions, and activities designated in Section 124(a) of that act.

  • Support services for people with disabilities (including students with disabilities who are enrolled at the university).

  • Mentorship roles, including: tutoring, supporting educational and recreational activities, and counseling, including career counseling.

In order to determine an organization's eligibility, the employer must submit:

1. Letter of Intent
2. Job Description Form

In collaboration with the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment, we will review these forms to verify eligibility. You will be notified of the decision via email. After approval, you would be expected to submit the following to complete your commitment:

1. Federal Work Study Agreement (contract)
2. Certificate of Insurance
3. Articles of Incorporation
4. Federal Tax Exempt Letter

How Do Students and Employers Connect?

1. Student seeks an employer who can provide the experience they desire.
   This is the original purpose of the DYO Program—allowing students to work with an employer to create the unique internship they want. If you would like assistance designing an internship, book an appointment with Mia Ferraina, the career advisor who coordinates the program. You can discuss how to: find potential employers, demonstrate your value as an intern, create a position description, etc. Book online (find "Follow-Up Appointment" and select Mia's name) or by calling the office at +1 (607) 255-5296.

2. Employer posts an internship position to seek a student.
   DYO is not a matching program—there is not a list of students for employers to search for an intern. Employers can, however proactively seek a student if you would like to hire an intern from Cornell. You would start the process by ensuring your organization and position qualify, then we will post the position for you on our Student Employment portal once approved.
3. Networking leads to an organic partnership.
   Often times, employers and students connect through networking and organically agree to work together. In these cases, applications to DYO take place after the two parties connect. An official job description must be created and agreed upon by both parties, and all paperwork must still be submitted by both parties in order to determine the eligibility of the student, employer, and position for DYO funding.

Financial Eligibility

Hiring Timeline

We review positions and make approvals on a rolling basis, typically beginning in mid-late March. It is strongly encouraged that employers prepare documentation in advance so you can apply as soon as the new term opens—funding is limited for Summer 2021. Funding approval will not be granted to any arrangement without all necessary paperwork from both student and employer. No new positions are accepted after June 16.

Ready to find an intern? Next Steps:

• Employer should complete Letter of Intent and Job Description Form
• Employer should items listed in the Hiring Checklist for Off-Campus Supervisors so you know how you'll go about interviewing and hiring. If you found a student through networking, you are not required to post the job/open it to other applicants and can skip some of these steps.
• E-mail the Hiring Coordinator, Nicole MacPherson, the student’s name and Cornell net ID, so we can check the student’s FWS eligibility.
• Once you've decided which student(s) to hire, direct them to sign up for the program training—More info coming soon.
• You will receive a "Hiring Addendum" via e-mail to be signed by your Fiscal Officer.
• The student employee and supervisor will each receive an email confirming the student’s appointment to the payroll and their start date.