Carnegie Mellon University

Financial

Costs and Fees

Students who attend CMU/WSP will continue to pay Carnegie Mellon full-time tuition, standard double room fee, and other fees to Carnegie Mellon for the semester in which they are in Washington, DC, and are eligible to receive the same financial aid package.  To discuss specifics of financial aid packages, please contact The HUB.

Students will be responsible for their own dining costs. Student housing is equipped with a full kitchen and students will be able to prepare their own meals.

 

Financial Assistance

For more than two decades, the Friedman Fellowships have supported Carnegie Mellon students who obtain low- or non-paying internships in public service, nongovernmental organizations, or other entities in DC. The Fellowships include stipends of up to $2500 for fall/spring, and expose students to leadership events, networking opportunities, and events around the District. Friedman interns work on substantive projects, develop professional skills and benefit from the personal attention of a supervisor at their organization

The Milton and Cynthia Friedman Fellowships were created in 2000 through a generous gift from Cynthia Friedman, a trustee emerita, in memory of her husband, an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon. The grants encourage the participation of undergraduate and graduate students in policy-related internships located in the nation’s capital. They are designed to foster significant work experiences that complement students’ academic work and assist them as they make career and graduate education decisions.

Fall and spring semester Friedman Fellowships are only open to students participate in the Carnegie Mellon University Washington Semester Program.

Student Eligibility Requirements: 

  • Undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University
  • Admitted into the CMU/WSP

Core Components: 

  • Friedman Fellows are provided with a stipend of $2500.
  • Friedman Fellows are expected to attend informal in-person seminars on policy topics and organized events. Fellows may also be asked to meet with the Friedman family during or after the semester in Washington.
  • After completing the internship, students must provide a thank you letter summarizing their internship experience that includes reflections on internship learning outcomes, personal growth, professional development, and future career interests.

For More Information

For more information about the Friedman Fellowship during the Fall or Spring semesters, please contact Emily Half, Deputy Director, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology (CMIST).

The Milton and Cynthia Friedman Internships in Washington, DC, were created in 2000 through a generous gift from Cynthia Friedman, currently a trustee of the university, in memory of her husband, an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon. The grants encourage and support the participation of undergraduate and graduate students in policy-related internships located in the nation’s capital. They are designed to foster significant work experiences that complement students’ academic work and assist them as they make career and graduate education decisions.

All Carnegie Mellon undergraduates and graduate students from any college or school who have a strong academic record and would value the opportunity to spend a summer gaining firsthand policy experience in a public sector or non-profit entity in Washington, DC, are invited to apply. Graduating students are not eligible. 

Students should begin applying to internships prior to selection in the program but an internship need not be confirmed in order to apply. Students must take an active role in the internship search process. 

Grants of up to $5000 are available for the summer in Washington. Internships should be 8-12 weeks in length. Students find their own housing in Washington, although we can provide some general housing information. Applications for the Friedman Fellowship are due by Sunday, February 4, 2024 by 11:59 PM

Student Eligibility Requirements: 

  • Undergraduate or Graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University
  • Returning as a full-time student in the fall semester following the summer internship in Washington, DC

Internship Requirements: 

  • Internships must be located in Washington, DC
  • Internships should be policy-related in a public sector or non-profit entity
  • Internships should be 8-12 weeks in length
  • Internships should be unpaid or low-paying
  • Internships should foster significant work experiences that complement students’ academic work and assist them in making career and graduate education decisions
  • Internships need not be confirmed upon application for a Friedman Fellowship

Core Components: 

  • Friedman Fellows are provided with a stipend of up to $5000 for the summer, and a University Pass (UPASS) to use the DC Metro at no cost for the duration of the internship.
  • Friedman Fellows are expected to attend informal in-person seminars on policy topics and organized events while interning in Washington, DC. Seminars and events are coordinated through Carnegie Mellon’s DC office.
  • Friedman Summer Fellows are encouraged to participate in Tomorrow’s Professionals, a six-week remote summer seminar series. The seminar is designed to facilitate students’ deliberate thinking about professionalism, so that they can: begin to practice it upon entry into their respective internships and avoid decisions or behaviors that could hamper their success, build their unique brands, identify opportunities to excel, and ensure overall excellence in their careers.
  • After completing the internship, students must provide a thank you letter summarizing their internship experience that includes reflections on internship learning outcomes, personal growth, professional development, and future career interests.

 

Students should begin applying to internships prior to selection in the program but an internship need not be confirmed in order to apply. Students must take an active role in the internship search process.

Summer Friedman Fellows are responsible for identifying and paying for their own housing in Washington, DC, although general housing information is provided by the program.

For More Information

For more information about the Friedman Fellowship during the Summer, please contact Ashley Barnes, Washington Program Manager, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology (CMIST). 

The J. Steele Gow Political Internship Fund was established in 1965 to make awards to undergraduate students to support summer internships in Washington, DC, in order to observe and analyze the operations of practical politics in the offices of members of Congress from Western Pennsylvania; in the executive and administrative offices of the federal government; and in the national offices of the political parties.

Applications for the Gow Political Internship Fund are closed for the 2024 cycle and will reopen in Spring 2025. Once selected, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology staff will work with the selected students to secure an internship. Students should begin applying to internships prior to selection in the program. The internship does not have to be confirmed in order to apply for the Gow Political Internship Fund. Students must take an active role in their own internship search process. 
 
The stipend range for the Gow Political Internship Fund is between $2,500-$7,500. Students are responsible for identifying and paying for their own housing in Washington, DC, although general housing information is provided by the program.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University
  2. Returning as a full-time student in the fall semester following the summer internship in Washington, DC
  3. Undergraduate academic record has included at least one course in political science. Preference is given to students pursuing a major, additional major, or minor in the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology.
  4. Western Pennsylvania resident

Core Components:

    1. Gow Interns are provided with a stipend of up to $7500 and a University Pass (UPASS) to use the DC Metro at no cost for the duration of the summer internship.
    2. Gow Interns will complete a summer internship of 8-12 weeks in length in Washington, DC, in the offices of members of Congress from Western Pennsylvania, in the executive and administrative offices of the federal government, or in the national offices of the political parties.
    3. Gow Interns are enrolled in 84-215 Tomorrow’s Professionals, a six-week remote summer seminar series. The 3-unit pass/no pass course is designed to facilitate students’ deliberate thinking about professionalism, so that they can: begin to practice it upon entry into their respective internships and avoid decisions or behaviors that could hamper their success, build their unique brands, identify opportunities to excel, and ensure overall excellence in their careers.
    4. Gow Interns are expected to attend informal in-person seminars on policy topics and organized events while interning in Washington, DC. Seminars and events are coordinated through Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology. 
    5. After completing the summer internship, students must provide a summary of their internship experience that includes reflections on internship learning outcomes, personal growth, professional development, and future career interests.

Application Requirements:

  1. Complete a consultation session with Ashley Barnes, Washington Program Manager, for an eligibility review and preliminary discussion on internship placement
  2. Upon approval, complete the online application
  3. Resume (we highly encourage you to have it reviewed by the Career and Professional Development Center)
  4. Sample Cover Letter that highlights your interest in an internship in the offices of members of Congress from Western Pennsylvania; in the executive and administrative offices of the federal government; or in the national offices of the political parties
  5. Unofficial CMU Transcript
  6. One letter of recommendation from a CMU faculty member should be emailed to cmuwsp@andrew.cmu.edu
Letter should be on letterhead and saved in .pdf format. Letter should be addressed to "To Whom It May Concern" and speak broadly to your application for an internship in Washington, DC. The letter should address your academic performance, ability to work in varied academic settings, ability to work independently, and writing skills. The recommender should also comment, if knowledgeable, on your extracurricular involvement, service, and leadership experience. All letters of recommendation, along with an endorsement from the university, will be later forwarded to each internship site where you submit an application.


 

Submission deadline closed for 2024

 

For More Information

For more information about the J.Steele Gow Political Internship Fund at Carnegie Mellonplease contact Ashley Barnes, Washington Program Manager, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology (CMIST).