Carsey-Wolf Center Internship Scholarship program - Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara

The Carsey-Wolf Center’s Internship Scholarship Program provides UCSB students with funding to pursue internships (either paid or unpaid) in media industries or in media production work for nonprofit organizations. This highly competitive program is designed to provide talented and motivated students with financial assistance in exploring careers in media.

To date, we have supported students undertaking internships with such prestigious, global media brands as NBC Universal, HBO, Vertigo Entertainment, and more. Up to $2500 in funding is available during the summer or the academic year to help defray living expenses for interns. Funding may be granted to students currently enrolled at UCSB or to UCSB graduates during the year following their graduation.

Application Procedures

Applicants should submit the following materials by the deadlines above using this form:

a letter of intent describing your internship and its value for your career goals. If you have already secured an internship, please describe it. If you have not yet secured an internship, please provide details regarding the internship or internships for which you have applied. Funding may be awarded provisionally, conditional on a formal offer of employment received after the application deadline; see below for more details.
a resume
an unofficial transcript
a letter of recommendation from a UCSB faculty member (not a teaching assistant or past employer). The letter may be emailed directly to Emily Zinn at erzinn@ucsb.edu at the faculty member’s discretion or submitted with the application. The letter need not be submitted by the deadline, but no funding will be granted until the letter is received by the Center.

Please note that if you do not yet have an internship offer in hand, you may still submit an application for funds. If you are submitting before your position has been confirmed, please include details regarding the prospective position (job description, information about the employer, hours of the internship) along with your other application materials. Once your position is confirmed, you must provide a letter from your employer confirming your hire. No funds will be transferred until this letter is received by the Center.

This award is not intended to support internships at UCSB; students should arrange for internships outside the University. Students may receive this award a maximum of twice, and priority will be given to first-time recipients.

Applicants will be interviewed and applications adjudicated by members of the Carsey-Wolf Center staff. Recipients will be featured on the Carsey-Wolf Center website, and will be required to submit a final report detailing their internship experience. Funds will be deposited directly into scholarship recipients’ BARC accounts, which will remain active for a year following graduation from UCSB. Recipients should consult with the Financial Aid office to determine any potential impacts on their aid packages before funds are deposited.

Please contact Carsey-Wolf Center associate director Emily Zinn at erzinn@ucsb.edu with any questions about this program.