The goal of the Graduate Student Career Accelerator (CAF) is to provide financial support for skill-building, networking, and professional development that will facilitate career exploration and education beyond the professoriate. This includes experiential learning (like internships) as well as other career building activities (like joining professional organizations, attending professional conferences, etc.) that can help a student develop valuable skills, professional contacts, expanded understanding of an industry or a career pathway, and more.
Amount of award
Recipients, the number of recipients, and amount of support shall be determined in accordance with current guidelines and procedures.The maximum award is $5,000 per recipient.
Graduate Student Submission Criteria:
- Summer 24 Application Period: January 2nd, 2024 - March 2, 2024 (11:59pm ET)
You must have applied to, be applying to or obtained an unpaid or minimally paid internship, research role, or other career building experience prior to application.
Fundable Activities:
- Low or unpaid internships
- Other experiential learning opportunities like study abroad, volunteering, service-learning, job shadowing
- Career-related skill building experiences like training programs, boot camps
Networking and professional development experiences such as professional organization membership, conference attendance, etc.
*INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS * please be advised that any paid or unpaid off campus work experiences must have a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) form on file with the Office of International Affairs (OIA). International students can learn more about CPT here.
How to Apply for The Graduate Student Career Accelerator Fund
To be eligible for a Graduate Student Career Accelerator award, students must be:
- Currently enrolled as a graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences
- Remain enrolled for the award period (summer 2024)
In good standing, as defined in the Graduate School Handbook (5.1)
Submission Instructions:
Review the application form and its various requirements. Determine which materials may be required for your unique application along with any formatting requirements (e.g., naming conventions, document type).
You may start and save your application, so we encourage you to review it in its entirety early.
Confirm with Student Financial Aid that a Graduate Student CAF award would not adversely affect your aid/award package from the institution. Awards will be disbursed at the start of the summer term.
- Prepare the following materials. ALL applicants are required to provide the following:
- Budget Worksheet.
- Applicants must use the budget template available here: Grad CAF Budget Worksheet
- Detailed guidelines on what can and cannot be included in your budget worksheet may be found here: Grad CAF Budget Guidelines
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to review a sample budget here: EXAMPLE Grad CAF Budget Worksheet
- If requesting funds for lost income (see Grad CAF Budget Worksheet, tab D for details), Career Success will contact your current employer verifying hourly wage and number of hours lost.
- Resume. Applicants are asked to submit a resume - not a CV. Click here to access a guide from the Princeton Center for Career Development on transforming a CV to a resume. The resource also includes multiple sample resumes.
- Description of position or activity from the organization’s website.
- Acceptable documents include (which makes the most sense may depend on your proposed activity):
- Position posting from Handshake or other job board
- Description of position or program from the organization’s website
- Letter or email from an on-site mentor, supervisor, or leader detailing the primary duties and responsibilities of experience
- Detailed daily/weekly schedule.
- Letter of support from a faculty member. The letter should make clear the faculty member’s role in relation to your academic work and articulate their support for the proposed activity. Click here to access a template for a Faculty Support Letter.
- Budget Worksheet.
- Depending on your proposed activity, you may be asked to provide:
- A letter from an onsite supervisor, mentor, or leader detailing the primary duties. Please encourage your supervisor/mentor/leader to use the letter template available here: Employer Certification Letter
Review of Applications:
Graduate Student CAF applications are reviewed by a committee of ASC faculty and staff. Reviewers are asked to consider the potential impact of the proposed experience on the student’s non-academic career exploration/goals relative to its cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if the applicant is still a current graduate student in good standing within the College of Arts and Sciences, they are eligible for a Graduate Student CAF. Please note that for applicants graduating from a master's program in the spring but continuing to a PhD program in the fall, Graduate Student CAF awards depend on their commitment to a College of Arts and Sciences PhD program. As a result, we will request evidence of their commitment to a PhD program in the College of Arts and Sciences if they are awarded Graduate Student CAF funds.
For graduate students on a Graduate School fellowship through the summer term: If applicants plan to pursue Graduate Student CAF funds to support a no- or low-paid internship, please consult with the Graduate School in advance of submitting the application materials at
Yes, artist residencies are eligible for Graduate Student CAF funding. However, the applicant must demonstrate a strong case for how this opportunity relates to their non-academic professional and career development
Yes, professional conferences and bootcamps/summer schools are eligible activities for the Graduate Student CAF. Please note that it will be important for applicants to demonstrate that there is a clear and strong connection between the professional conference/summer school/boot camp and their non-academic professional and career development.
Should the applicant receive an award from the Graduate Student Career Accelerator Fund, it may affect their overall aid and scholarship package. Before submitting the application, the applicant must confirm with Student Financial Aid that receipt of a Grad Student CAF will not adversely affect their financial aid and other awards. Contact Student Financial Aid here: https://sfa.osu.edu/contact-us
Graduate Student CAF award will only be applied toward activities taking place during the summer term. The activities that extend into the fall (or begin early in the spring) cannot be covered by the award. For instance, for an internship that begins on April 1 and runs through July 31, the Grad Student CAF funding could not be used to help cover the cost of housing for the weeks prior to the start of the summer term.
Applicants are not precluded from submitting a CV, but they are STRONGLY encouraged to take the time to generate a resume. A resume template may be found HERE. Beyond the Professoriate and Beyond Graduate School, two career training platforms free to ASC graduate students, offer multiple modules around developing professional materials like resumes and cover letters. Additional resources include OUAB’s Technical Tuesdays series include career related workshops exclusively for graduate students, Buckeye Careers offers regular resume workshops, and The Ohio State Writing Center provides both individual and group writing consultation, including technical writing projects like cover letters and resumes.
Yes, ASC graduate students who previously earned a Graduate Student CAF can reapply for future cycles. However, first-time applicants will receive priority consideration over repeat applicants in the review process.
Full-time Ohio State employees are not eligible for the award.
An applicant’s academic research and their career development beyond the professoriate are not mutually exclusive. Research skills are highly valuable and can open many professional doors. But this award is NOT meant to fund research. The goal of the Grad Student CAF is to provide financial support for skill-building, networking, and professional development that will facilitate career exploration and education beyond the professoriate. That said, we recognize there may be a connection between the applicant’s research and non-academic career goals.
- Low or unpaid internships
- Other experiential learning opportunities like study abroad, volunteering, service-learning, job shadowing
- Career-related skilling-building experiences like training programs, boot camps
- Networking and professional development like professional organization membership, conference attendance
If you don't see an answer to your question, feel free to join a Grad Student CAF office hour and ask your CAF-related questions. No registration is needed. Use the links below to join.
- Thurs, Feb 1, 2024| 12-12:30pm ET | www.go.osu.edu/addie
- Fri, Feb 16, 2024 | 12-12:30pm ET | www.go.osu.edu/addie
- Monday, Feb 26, 2024 | 4:30-5pm ET | www.go.osu.edu/addie
- Thurs, Feb 29, 2024 | 4:30 - 5pm ET | www.go.osu.edu/addie
*NOTE* If you are uncertain as to whether to apply, please contact Director, Graduate Student Professional Success Addie Cheney at cheney.45@osu.edu
"With the Grad CAF, I attended a residential writing workshop this summer. The week was an important professionalizing experience. I got to hear my instructor and classmates compare notes on publishing: how much to submit to literary magazines—and which ones; residencies to apply to; how to query agents; and what to consider when signing a first book deal. "
Kurt Ostrow
MFA Candidate in Creative Writing
2024 Graduate Student CAF Recipient