This summer, students took their academic ventures beyond the classroom, engaging in internships, fellowships and research on College Hill and across the world. Many of these programs were funded through SPRINT fellowships, which provide stipends to students to participate in academic and professional experiences.
The allocated stipend provides additional support based on financial aid, so funding amounts may vary by student. The Herald spoke with students about how they budgeted their allocated funds and whether the funds sufficiently covered their summer costs.
For Nadia Patel ’29, her stipend was mainly allocated toward subletting an apartment. This summer, Patel worked on campus and received funding from an Undergraduate Research and Teaching Award to work on research that aims to create a centralized database of drugs and their alternative uses.
The majority of her $2,500 stipend was used to pay rent, so Patel had to budget and use personal savings for the rest of the costs, such as utilities and groceries.
The base award for remote and U.S. fellowships is $2,500, while international fellowships and programs in designated “U.S. high cost of living” areas award $3,500. Some students who meet specific financial qualifications — which depend on the parental contribution indicated on their financial aid package — receive additional awards.
The stipend has continuously evolved over time. In 2022, students received summer awards ranging from $2,500 to $6,000, depending on the awardee’s financial aid package and fellowship location.
In 2023, the funding system shifted to a “more transparent, component-based model,” with funding ranging from $2,500 to $8,500. Students were awarded a base award, and some were eligible for additional awards based on financial aid and a high cost of living supplement.
In 2024, the high cost of living supplement became a separate flat $1,500 award for all aided students.
Emilie Holmes ’29 felt that her around $5,500 stipend was “adequate” in covering her summer expenses, with travel costs making up more than $1,000 of her summer spend.
The majority of her remaining expenses went toward her rent, which was $700 per month, and groceries, which she estimated to be $600 over the summer. The University also provides 20 meal swipes for on-campus dining, which Holmes found to be a “good fallback.”
At the beginning of the summer, Holmes said she had a rough idea of how she would allocate her funds, but didn’t factor in small expenses like a summer ice cream trip.
“I was able to kind of be spontaneous with certain experiences and like spending time with friends,” she said.
“I think that (funding) makes these opportunities accessible to the broader student body and levels the playing field in a way,” Holmes said. “Oftentimes, some of the opportunities that people are able to engage in can be based off of the feasibility in terms of the financial aspect.”
Aarav Laungani ’29 received an award of $3,500 through the SPRINT fellowship to work at a private equity firm with the Stockholm Entrepreneurship Summer Internship program. The majority of his spending went toward his housing and flights.
Outside of his initial flight to Stockholm, Laungani found that travel costs were low because of Stockholm’s visitor cards that allow for unlimited public transportation rides. He also was able to save money on groceries because the canned food was both affordable and “amazing.”
Still, Laungani had to pay for some expenses out of pocket due to the additional travel costs of interning abroad.
Laungani said his internship was a “really positive experience” and he enjoyed meeting students from Brown despite being a long way from College Hill.
“I don’t know how many people can say they went to Sweden because their university paid them to go,” Laungani added.
Lucia Santiago is a senior staff writer covering undergraduate student life.
