Rising Bird Fellows Application Process

Student Application Timeline

• Applications for spring and summer 2025 are now closed. Please be on the lookout for announcements about the Rising Bird Application timeline for the 2025-2026 academic year.

How do I apply?

A complete application includes two parts:

1. You must complete a Rising Bird Fellows Student Application.
2. Your supervisor must complete an Employer Agreement form, which will be automatically forwarded to them as soon as you submit your application. It is your responsibility to follow up with your employer and ensure that they submit their portion of the application before the deadline.
   • Your supervisor will be asked to verify the information about your opportunity which you submitted in your application.  If the information you submitted is incorrect, you will be asked to revise your application so it aligns with your supervisor’s responses, so please be sure to have all of the details related to your opportunity before starting your application. 
   • Your application will be considered complete once both parts have been received and reflect consistent information about your opportunity.  If we are forced to prioritize applications, the date upon which they are received will be considered so please encourage your employer to submit your application as early as possible.
   • The Employer agreement must be completed by a company representative who has the authority and is willing to commit to program policies and requirements on behalf of their organization and themselves. If the employer agreement is completed by the student, it will be considered invalid and the student will be ineligible for Rising Bird Fellows funding.
3. When applications are open the Rising Bird Fellows page will display links to the online Student Application for you to complete.We have provided a list of the questions asked in the Summer 2025 Student Application and Employer Agreement for your reference.
   • Summer 2025 Sample Student Application
   • Summer 2025 Sample Employer Agreement

Application Process

• After we receive your completed Student Application and the Employer Agreement completed by your supervisor, we will review both to determine whether you meet Rising Bird Fellows eligibility requirements.
• If we have any follow up questions, we will email you or your supervisor for clarification. If we have additional questions, we will schedule a brief interview with you.
• Once all applications are reviewed, we will share the outcome of your application and, if applicable, the stipend amount that will be transferred to you by the Financial Aid office.
• We are unable to provide outcomes or likelihood of funding prior to reviewing all applications. Timing for communication of outcomes will be dependent on the number of applications received.