Carolina Graduate Student COVID-19 Impact Program
The purpose of the Carolina Graduate Student COVID-19 Impact Program is to support graduate students who have experienced the cancellation or postponement of a full-time, paid academic or professional development opportunity for Summer 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19.
This program opened for doctoral students on Thursday, April 9th and will begin accepting applications from qualifying terminal master’s on Wednesday, April 29th.
Eligibility
- You must be a full-time, degree-seeking graduate student in a residential program administered by The Graduate School.
- You must have been previously selected for a paid summer opportunity that has since been cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19. The purpose of the cancelled opportunity should have been the advancement of either your academic or professional development goals and been designed to support you full-time for the term of the summer. Qualifying summer opportunities may include paid experiential learning opportunities, such as internships or practica, and academic fellowships. Other opportunities may qualify, as appropriate. Please reach out to Julie Montaigne, director of fellowships, at julie_montaigne@unc.edu with questions about your specific circumstances.
View other funding support related to COVID-19 impacts.
Award Amount
- Funding awards will be granted up to $5,000 and will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Up to three doctoral and three terminal master’s students from each academic program will be funded.
- Due to travel restrictions enacted in response to COVID-19, funds from the Carolina Graduate Student COVID-19 Impact Program cannot be used to fund any travel or expenses outside the state of North Carolina.
How to Apply
Applications should be submitted to Julie Montaigne, director of fellowships, at julie_montaigne@unc.edu under the subject line “Carolina Graduate Student COVID-19 Impact Program Application.”
Please include the following materials:
- A statement (no more than 600 words) outlining the following:
- Your cancelled summer opportunity
- Goals you had hoped to achieve
- Your alternative plan for the summer to advance your academic and/or professional goals
- The award amount or confirmed stipend of the cancelled/postponed experiential opportunity or fellowship
- Any other funding you have received in response to losing your funding opportunity. So that we can better track student need and funding impact, please include if you have applied to the Carolina Student Impact Fund and if you have received funding through that program.
- Documentation certifying that your summer opportunity has been cancelled or postponed due to the impacts of COVID-19, and
- A supporting statement from your program Director of Graduate Studies.
- For students who are applying because of a cancelled/postponed internship opportunity, please be aware that the CARES Act may provide federal unemployment compensation equal to 1/4 of the state’s average weekly benefit, if the worksite has been closed due to the COVID-19 crisis. This benefit will be administered through state unemployment offices. Please be sure to address how you are ineligible for unemployment benefits through the CARES Act in your application materials as appropriate. This may include a statement from your host organization confirming your ineligibility.
Applications will be accepted until May 9th. All funds will be disbursed by June 15, 2020.
Contact Us
Please direct any questions regarding the Carolina Graduate Student COVID-19 Impact Program to Julie Montaigne, director of fellowships, at julie_montaigne@unc.edu.