Rutgers Summer Service Internship (RSSI) Program provides select students from Rutgers-Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick with an opportunity to earn up to $5,000 while interning for a minimum of 150-hours over 10-12 weeks during the summer at a public service non-profit organization or direct-service government office. Students also participate in a concurrent virtual, asynchronous internship course designed to explore and engage with the topic of public service while building their career readiness and professionalism skills. 

Students are required to attend three in-person events/seminars at the beginning (April), middle (July), and end (September) of the RSSI Program. Specific dates will be announced soon. Travel to Rutgers-New Brunswick campus is necessary for two of these events.
 

Course Description

The RSSI course is a 3-credit, pass/no credit, virtual and asynchronous internship course that will require an estimated one (1) hour of coursework per week. This course is meant to ground students’ experience in their public service internships, providing them with the theoretical foundation and professional and civic skillset to thrive in their internship site and their communities. Through readings, reflections, and virtual discussions, students will explore and engage with the topic of public service while building their career readiness and professionalism. 

The application process for this Program is open to Rutgers-Camden, New Brunswick, and Newark current sophomores and juniors. Applicants must have an overall cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and be in good standing with the university. Applicants must also have the ability to travel to an internship site in New Jersey, New York City, or Philadelphia region, and have a passion for community engagement and/or public service.

Students who participated in the RSSI Summer 2022 cohort are not eligible to re-apply.

Yes, international students eligible for Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) can apply to the RSSI Program. This includes the fulfillment of at least one academic year in the United States. You can find additional information on Curricular Practical Training (CPT) here.

Stipends, experience, knowledge, scholarships, networking, and events!

Stipends and Experience: Students selected for RSSI receive $5,000 for completing complete a minimum of 150-hour hands-on summer internship in public service where they make a difference, contribute to solutions of societal problems, view American life from a fresh perspective, and develop a better understanding of their responsibilities as citizens. Rutgers stipends are paid in two installments as long as students are making satisfactory progress towards internship goals. 

Note: students are responsible for applicable taxes.

Knowledge and Scholarships: Accepted students participate in a concurrent virtual, asynchronous course designed to explore and engage with the topic of public service while building their career readiness and professionalism skills. RSSI students also receive a scholarship to cover the expense of the 3-credit course.

Networking and Events: Meet talented students from across Rutgers University who have a passion for making the world a better place. Students selected for RSSI will participate in three seminar events at the beginning, middle, and end of the RSSI program where they will hear from guest speakers from the world of public service and build fellowship with one another. After their summer internship experience, students will share their stories and experience at a September celebration with the broader university community.

Apply here.

All eligible students must apply by December 14. Candidates complete an application form, attach a resume and unofficial transcript, and respond to three essay prompts. The application form also asks for the name, title, and contact of two references, at least one should be academic-based. Students who participated in the RSSI Summer 2022 cohort are not eligible to re-apply.

Student applications will be reviewed by a selection committee and RSSI administrators. All student applicants will be notified of their status in the program by mid-February 2023.

Selected students will be responsible for scheduling their interview slots with internship sites in which they are interested. Specific information about the virtual interview process will be shared in the spring. After the interviews, students will rank their internship site preferences and employers will rank their student preferences. The RSSI administrators will determine summer matches based on these rankings. 

Apply here.

Contact Heather Escalona, Assistant Director, at rssi@echo.rutgers.edu to learn more.

Apply here for the Rutgers Summer Service Internship (RSSI) Program.

The Rutgers Summer Service Internship (RSSI) Program is accepting student applications for the summer 2023 cohort. The application deadline is Wednesday, December 14. Students will be notified by mid-February of their program status.

Please read the full instructions below and collect all items before getting started. We highly recommend that you preview the application (preview the complete application here) to ensure you are ready to submit all required information before starting the process.

Students can learn more about RSSI and the application process by attending an information session. Register for an upcoming information session on Handshake.

Before completing the Rutgers Summer Service Internship (RSSI) Program Summer 2023 Application,  please collect/draft the following items: resume, unofficial transcript, contact information for two references, and responses to the essay questions. All materials must be submitted via this form by December 14. It is important to note that students cannot save draft version(s) of this form and return to it later.

• Notes for supporting materials
  • Resume: One page preferred, two pages maximum (Need Assistance? Career Advising Resources: Camden | New Brunswick | Newark)
     
  • Unofficial Transcript: Rutgers transcript, including your current semester of classes. If you are transfer student and have been at Rutgers for less than one academic year, please include transcripts from previous colleges/universities.
     
  • Two References: Provide the name, title, organization, and email address of two contacts who can speak to your experiences and work ethic. References can include advisors, faculty, staff, supervisors, etc. Your references should not be related to you, and one should be academic. Reference checks are conducted when more information is needed to determine between two or more equal candidates.
     
• Essay Prompts: Responses will allow the selection committee the opportunity to learn more about each candidate. Please craft your responses in a word processing application (MS Word, Google Doc, etc.) to ensure your answer is within the noted word limit of each essay prompt. 
   
  1. Why are you applying, what do you hope to get out of RSSI, and why should you be selected? Please describe your interest in public service and how it might relate to your career goals. Applicants are encouraged to include previous relevant experience or related personal experiences. (300 words or less)
      
  2. Tell us about a time you encountered someone with a perspective different from your own. How did you approach the situation to work across differences? (200 words or less)
      
  3. Tell us about a time when you encountered an unexpected problem at school, in the workplace, at a co-curricular activity, or in your personal life. What was your approach to solving the problem? What motivated you to persevere through adversity? And what did you learn from that experience? (200 words or less)
      
  4. Is there anything else we should know about you? (optional)
      

When you submit your application, you will see a confirmation screen and receive a copy of the submitted application to the email you provided.

All students will be notified of their selection into the program by mid-February 2023. Selected students must confirm acceptance prior to participating in interviews with internship sites.

Students who participated in the RSSI Summer 2022 cohort are not eligible to re-apply.

All internship sites must:

• Have a mission in service to the public
• Provide a primarily in-person (at least 75% in person) immersive, high-impact learning experience
• Host an intern for a minimum of 150 hours over 10-12 weeks between late May and mid-August (averaging 15 hours per week)
• Experiences must incorporate opportunities for the intern to engage directly with the community served by the organization or indirectly through employees who can do so

We look to allow for a focused learning role, complete with mentorship, feedback, and the ability to ask questions. The focus should be a professional development experience – not just completing tasks. Click here for a list of items that we typically ‘red-flag’ in an application. Rutgers departments are ineligible.

Yes, you can offer more than one internship for consideration. When completing the RSSI Employer Application linked at the bottom of the page, you will have the opportunity to indicate the total number of unique internship type(s) you would like to offer.

All internships must be primarily ‘in-person’ experiences (at least 75% in person) unless the university determines a switch to remote due to health and other environmental factors.

Only organizations that are external to Rutgers University are eligible to apply for RSSI. The applying organization cannot be affiliated to Rutgers in the following ways:

• Cannot be a Rutgers Department/Satellite/Extension/Farm/Program/Initiative – only external organizations can apply
• The intern’ s full-time supervisor cannot be Rutgers faculty or staff
• The external organization cannot be receiving other sources of Rutgers funding
• The permanent business address and/or office cannot be owned/operated by Rutgers University
• The external organization does not have a reporting structure that includes Rutgers University in any capacity (funding, staff hierarchy, etc.)

Follow this link to a walkthrough document that outlines learning objectives and how to create them for your internship experience.

• Student applications are due in December.
• Employer applications are due by Wednesday, January 18, 2023. These applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 
• Those selected to participate in our 2023 program will be notified by late January.
• If selected, employers will be asked to set up a virtual booth to share their experience and available interview times. Booths will be created in a virtual platform called vFairs. (watch demo). All booths must be completed by Wednesday, February 15, 2023.

Selected employers will participate in virtual interviews with students using our vFairs platform in March. After the interviews, students will rank their internship site preferences and employers will rank their student preferences. The RSSI administrators will determine summer matches based on these rankings. 

Final matches between students and employers will be determined by the end of March 2023. 

Please see the question below regarding guaranteed acceptance or student placement.

Rutgers University does not guarantee acceptance into the Rutgers Summer Service Internship Program or guarantee that all placement sites or experiences will receive a matched student. We have a limited number of employer positions available for this program. If you are not accepted into the program, please know we can assist you in gaining awareness of your organization by setting up a Rutgers Handshake profile. Please email recruiting@echo.rutgers.edu for more information.