Experiential Learning Funding

Eligibility

• Current MIIS degree-seeking students in good academic and financial standing with the Institute are eligible to apply.
• EL engagement must connect a student with their professional field (e.g., internships, student-developed initiatives, onsite courses, and consultancies)
• Students receiving payment and/or room and board through their EL host are not eligible. 

NOTE: All experiential learning activities should adhere to COVID-19 safety and security requirements in place at the time of the experience. 

Application Requirements

Students applying for EL funding must submit the following:

• A completed EL funding application, including an estimated breakdown of your costs.
• Completion of international activity form for higher risk areas if proposed activity is:
  • taking place abroad/outside of the U.S. and
  • in a location with a State Department Travel Warning of 2 or higher and no Middlebury School Abroad presence
• A 2-4 page proposal that includes the following:
  • A description of your EL activity
  • How your EL activity will contribute to your education at the Institute and your career goals
  • What kind of deliverable you will create that will creatively and effectively share the learning experience with the greater Institute community including future students (e.g. reflection, digital story, etc. that can be added to the EL blog)

Rolling Application Deadlines

• October 5: Fall and January 
• November 5: Fall, January, Spring 
• December 5: Fall, January, Spring
• February 5: Spring and Summer
• March 5: Spring and Summer
• April 5: Spring and Summer
• May 15: Summer and Fall 

Funding Amounts

The table below shows the maximum amount awarded for approved applications in each tier.

Funding is not finalized until the application is approved by the EL Funding Committee. 

Evaluation Criteria

A committee that includes two staff members and a student representative will evaluate applications and award funding amounts based on the tier system described above. Students are eligible for one EL award per academic year. 

Tier One: Internships for Academic Credit ($3000)

Criteria: (1) Credit-bearing, (2) Unpaid or minimally paid (less than $700/month), and (3) Minimum 20 hours per week for 15-weeks or a minimum of 300 hours. Note: Experiences lasting two semesters and amounting to 300 hours are eligible. 

Select Examples:

• Practicum Internships
• Directed Study with experiential learning component (internship, field research, etc.)
• Designated MIIS EL internships selected by EL Committee.

Tier Two: Non-Credit Engagements with Organization/Client ($1500)

Criteria: (1) Not-for-academic credit, (2) Unpaid or minimally paid (less than $700/month), and (3) Minimum 20 hours per week for 15-weeks or a minimum of 300 hours. Note: Experiences lasting two semesters and amounting to 300 hours are eligible. 

Select Examples:

• Internships (virtual options are eligible)
• Localization work
• Interpretation or Translation work
• Language Teaching, Curriculum Development, or Teacher Training

Tier Three: Short MIIS Experiential Learning Programs ($1000)

Criteria: (1) MIIS-sponsored (2) 1-4 week experiential learning program in the US or abroad 

2024 Programs:

• Nuclear Research Reactor Practicum in Prague/Vienna
• Partnerships for Peace in Costa Rica
• Peace and Reconciliation in the Balkans
• Regenerative Ag in Colombia

Tier Four: Other EL Activities ($700) 

Criteria: (1) Unpaid, (2) Internships must be a minimum 10 hours per week for 15 weeks or 150 hours for the semester, and (3) See criteria for specific activities in the Examples Section below. Note: Experiences lasting two semesters and amounting to 150 hours are eligible. 

Examples:

• Internships or consultancies that are a minimum 10 hours per week or 150 hours in total for the semester/JTerm
• Case competitions
• Seed funding for start-up or new nonprofit

Not Eligible

• Tuition costs
• Certificate trainings with no internship component (see Professional Development Funding)
• Water and Conflict in Southeast Asia (already funded through CT)
• Internships at an organization for which the student has already received funding from MIIS in a prior term.
• CBE or CNS Paid Internships 
• Internships of less than 150 hours
• Client-reimbursed costs
• Conference attendance (see Professional Development Funding)
• Engagements already funded including but not limited to the Freeman Award, Fulbright and Boren Fellowships, as well as the Kathryn Davis Projects for Peace recipients. This includes paid internships or jobs (e.g., stipend, wages, and/or room and board provided by host organization or sponsor). Exception: Minimally paid (less than $700 per month) internships that are also at least 20 hours per week are eligible. 
• Study Abroad, including Middlebury Schools Abroad, except in cases where there is an internship component
• Language courses

Reimbursement

Once a student has completed 75% of the experience, they can submit their sharing deliverable through the following form to receive their EL award.

EL funding disbursement requests will be processed when the Vice President’s Office has received a deliverable submission form that includes all of the following steps:

• Communications Deliverable
  • One requirement for this grant is sharing out your experience with the MIIS community digitally. During your project, you will want to capture some photos, video and notes. Your options are:
    • A summary and reflection to be published on our Immersive Learning hub: (Template)
    • An Instagram takeover with 3-5 photos with captions and a video reel (Guidelines)
    • Another option you propose (i.e.,: a short video, a slide deck, an art project, etc.)
• Photo
  • Ideal images should be good quality and high-resolution. Candid images of students working or a creative (even interpretive) image depicting some aspect of your experience preferred. 
• Oracle Self-Registration For Direct Deposit
  • Students will receive instructions when funding is awarded. 
  • No receipts required.

Note: Students who are not U.S. citizens or a permanent resident may be subject to tax withholding, which means the Tax Office at Middlebury College will calculate an amount of tax to be subtracted from your reimbursement.

Financial Aid

If you receive EL funding for work associated with a class and are receiving financial aid for the course or associated travel, the award will be considered financial aid. Your aid may be adjusted and the grant may not be paid to you directly. Rather, the grant may be used to pay off the loans that were previously awarded to you. Contact miisfinaid@middlebury.edu with specific financial aid questions. 

The Vice President’s Office reserves the right to request additional documentation regarding attendance and/or participation including, but not limited to registration forms and proof of participation.

Questions on EL funding can be directed to Barbara Burke.