Center for Career Exploration

Application & Acceptance Process

Application, Ranking & Matching

The new SPRINT Fellowship Application Process is made up of 4 steps:

  1. Initial Application
  2. Ranking and Review
  3. Matching and Acceptance 
  4. Next Steps

Step 1: Initial Application

To apply to SPRINT, you must complete two parts before the application deadline

Your SPRINT application will not be reviewed unless you complete and submit BOTH the UFunds registration AND at least one Google Form application.  

 

Part 1: UFunds Registration

Through UFunds, you will register your interest in applying for a SPRINT Fellowship. You should  complete your UFunds registration first, well in advance of submitting application materials for specific SPRINT Fellowships through Google Forms. You don’t need to know which SPRINT Fellowships you will apply to in order to complete the UFunds registration.  The UFunds registration should be relatively quick and easy to complete, which will then allow you more time to prepare your other, more detailed application materials. If you fill out the UFunds registration but then decide not to submit application materials for any SPRINT Fellowships, that’s perfectly fine - we won’t hold it against you!

 In UFunds, you will submit a brief reflection on your individual strengths and the areas of growth you want to focus on by engaging in a SPRINT Fellowship. These areas of strength and growth are grounded in the National Association of Colleges and Employers' career readiness competencies.

Completing the UFunds registration first, before submitting application materials for specific SPRINT Fellowships, may help inform your selection of SPRINT Fellowships and your preparation of customized application materials. The information entered in the UFunds registration is not considered part of your individual applications and will not be shared with the host organizations, faculty, or committees reviewing those applications.

Part 2: Google Forms Application

You will apply for individual SPRINT Fellowships through Google Forms. You will submit one Google Form for each SPRINT Fellowship that you apply to. You may submit up to 5 total applications (and thus, 5 Google Forms) across all SPRINT Fellowships. Each SPRINT Fellowship will require a combination of some of the following application materials:

  • Resume
  • Cover Letter
  • Short answer questions
  • Proof of internship offer
  • Research project proposal
  • Recommendation submitted by faculty or community mentor (Advanced Undergraduate Research and Royce Fellowships only)

     

  • Additional Guidance  
    • You may apply to multiple opportunities within a single Brown-Generated SPRINT Fellowship (for example, five different UTRAs), or distribute your applications across Brown-Generated and Student-Generated Fellowships (for example, two UTRAs, one iProv, one IBES, and one Royce).
    • You may only submit only one application for each Student-Generated SPRINT Fellowship. If multiple applications are submitted for the same Student-Generated Fellowship (for example, you submit two Royce proposals), the final application you submitted will be the one reviewed.
    • You should only submit applications for SPRINT Fellowships that are of genuine interest to you. 
       
  •  Brown-Generated Google Form Application 
    • Use this form to apply to a Brown-Generated SPRINT Fellowship opportunity. To apply to multiple opportunities, you will submit this form multiple times. 
    • Please take care when completing the form to ensure that you are entering or attaching the correct materials for the specific Fellowship to which you are applying. You will be able to edit your application(s) until the deadline by following the link in the confirmation email you receive after application submission.
    • The SPRINT application process includes two parts: registration in UFunds and submission of one or more applications via Google Forms. Your application will not be complete until both parts are completed.
    • The application deadline for Brown-Generated SPRINT Fellowships is 11:59pm on Sunday, February 2, 2025. 
       
  •  Student-Generated Google Form Application 
    • Use this form to apply to a Student-Generated SPRINT Fellowship opportunity. To apply to multiple Fellowships, you will submit this form multiple times. 
    • Please take care when completing the form to ensure that you are entering or attaching the correct materials for the specific opportunity to which you are applying. You will be able to edit your application(s) until the deadline by following the link in the confirmation email you receive after application submission.
    • The SPRINT application process includes two parts: registration in UFunds and submission of one or more applications via Google Forms. The Advanced Undergraduate Research and Royce Fellowship programs also require submission of a recommendation form by a faculty or community recommender. Your application will not be complete until all required parts are completed.
    • The application deadline for Student-Generated SPRINT Fellowships is 11:59pm on Sunday, March 2, 2025. 

Step 2: Ranking & Review

After the application deadline, you will receive an email request to provide a preferential ranking (via Google form) of your submitted SPRINT Fellowship applications. For Brown-Generated SPRINT Fellowships, the ranking process will begin on Tuesday, February 4 and conclude on Friday, February 7.  

  • It is important that you check your email and complete the ranking form by the February 7 deadline.
  • You should only rank SPRINT Fellowships that you are willing to accept.
    • You will only be matched to a SPRINT Fellowship that you ranked.
    • If you apply to a SPRINT Fellowship that you rank #5, you might be matched to that Fellowship and you should be willing to accept that match.
    • If you are matched with a SPRINT Fellowship, you will only receive one match and will not have the option to decline that match in favor of another SPRINT Fellowship.
    • If you decline a match, that SPRINT Fellowship will likely go unfilled, which is why we strongly encourage you to only rank SPRINT Fellowships you are willing to accept if matched.

For Brown-Generated SPRINT Fellowships, host organizations, faculty, and committee members review applications through March 12, 2025. During this period, you may be contacted to participate in an interview. You should respond promptly to all interview requests and try to schedule interviews before March 12.  

  • If you are not contacted for an interview, that doesn’t mean you aren’t still being considered for a SPRINT Fellowship - while many host organizations do conduct interviews with candidates, not every faculty member or review committee does so.
  • If you need help preparing for an interview, please meet with a Peer Career Advisor or a Career Counselor in the Center for Career Exploration.
  • Your preferential rankings of SPRINT Fellowship applications WILL NOT be shared with host organizations, faculty, or review committee members, nor do you need to disclose these rankings as part of the interview process.

Following the March 2nd Student-Generated application deadline, applicants to both Brown-Generated and Student-Generated SPRINT Fellowships will receive an email request to provide a preferential ranking (via Google Form) of up to five submitted applications. This ranking period begins Tuesday, March 4 and ends Wednesday, March 12. If you have accepted an offer outside of SPRINT, you can use the withdrawal request form to withdraw all your SPRINT applications.

For Brown-Generated SPRINT Fellowships, you will have the opportunity to update your original rankings. Your preferences may change after participating in an interview or after reconsidering the SPRINT Fellowships that most interest you. Not every organization or faculty member will conduct interviews or interview every applicant. If you no longer want to be considered for a Brown-Generated Fellowship for which you submitted an application, you should leave that Fellowship unranked in your updated rankings. If you do not submit updated rankings, your first set of rankings will be used to determine your preferences.  

For Student-Generated SPRINT Fellowships, you will have the opportunity to submit your rankings along with your updated rankings of any Brown-Generated SPRINT Fellowships that you applied to. 

 
Please note:
  • It is important that you check your email and complete the ranking form by the March 12 deadline.
  • You should only rank SPRINT Fellowships that you are willing to accept.
    • You will only be matched to a SPRINT Fellowship that you ranked.
    • If you apply to a SPRINT Fellowship that you rank #5, you might be matched to that Fellowship and you should be willing to accept that match.
    • If you are matched with a SPRINT Fellowship, you will only receive one match and will not have the option to decline that match in favor of another SPRINT Fellowship.
    • If you decline a match, that SPRINT Fellowship will likely go unfilled, which is why we strongly encourage you to only rank SPRINT Fellowships you are willing to accept if matched.

       

Students who have accepted an alternative opportunity outside of SPRINT or wish to withdraw their application from all summer 2025 SPRINT Fellowships should submit a withdrawal request form by March 21, 2025.  Submitting this form will withdraw all of your submitted SPRINT applications. If you only wish to withdraw yourself from consideration for one or more specific SPRINT Fellowships while remaining in consideration for others, do not use the withdrawal form. Instead, only rank the opportunities you are willing to accept during the Ranking and Updated Ranking processes.

Choosing to withdraw your SPRINT Fellowship applications will not affect your eligibility to apply to SPRINT Fellowships in future years.  

The deadline for submitting the withdrawal form is March 21, 2025.

Step 3: Matching and Acceptance

At the conclusion of the updated ranking period, student preferential rankings and host organization/faculty/committee rankings, together with the SPRINT Principles and Expectations, will be used to make matches.  

Prioritizing student preferences, all applicants will be matched with 1 or 0 SPRINT Fellowships.  In other words, if you do receive a SPRINT Fellowship match, it will only be for one experience.  

Match notifications will be sent by March 31, 2025 and students will have until April 7, 2025 to accept a SPRINT Fellowship offer. If you choose to decline your match, you will not receive an alternate match and you may no longer be eligible to apply for summer SPRINT Fellowships in the future. If you decline your match for a Brown-Generated SPRINT Fellowship, it is likely that the Fellowship will go unfilled, which would be disappointing for the affiliated SPRINT faculty, host organizations, or community partners.

Outside organizations for Brown-generated opportunities are required to provide students with a written offer within one week of matching. Being matched with an organization does not guarantee an internship offer from the organization or award funding until the organization provides a written offer with start dates, end dates, and other work expectations.

Step 4: Next Steps

Students who are successfully matched and accept an offer through SPRINT are encouraged to review the information for accepted students.

Students who are not matched with an opportunity through the 2025 SPRINT Fellowships program may connect with the Center for Career Exploration to support their search for other summer opportunities.

The Center for Career Exploration Career Counselors are available to meet via Zoom or in-person. You can reserve time directly with a Career Counselor in Handshake. If you visit Handshake and can’t find a time that works for you, please email careercenter@brown.edu and Center staff will work to schedule a meeting with you.

2025 Summer Timeline

DateBrown-GeneratedStudent-Generated
Mon, Dec 16th

Applications Open

Applications Open

Sun, Feb 2ndApplication Deadline
(UFunds and Google Form application 
materials collection)
 
Tues, Feb 4thStudent Ranking Begins 
Fri, Feb 7thStudent Ranking Closes 
Sun, Mar 2nd Application Deadline
(UFunds and Google Form 
application materials collection)
Tues, Mar 4thStudent Updated Ranking BeginsStudent Ranking Begins
Wed, Mar 12thStudent Updated Ranking ClosesStudent Ranking Closes
Fri, Mar 21stApplication Withdrawal DeadlineApplication Withdrawal Deadline
Mon, Mar 31stAward Notifications to StudentsAward Notifications to Students
Mon, April 7thStudent Acceptances Due

Student Acceptances Due