Rising Bird Fellows Application Process

• October 7, 2025 - Applications open
• November 11, 2025 - Student Application closes
• November 13, 2025 - Employer Agreement closes

All Winter Quarter applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by December 5, 2025.

• January 13, 2026 - Applications open
• February 17, 2026 - Student Application closes
• February 19, 2026 - Employer Agreement closes

All Spring Quarter applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by March 13, 2026.

• February 24, 2026 - Applications open
• April 21, 2026 - Applications close
• April 23, 2026 - Employer Agreement closes

All Spring Quarter applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by May 22, 2026.

• When applications are open the Rising Bird Fellows page will display any active application timelines and links to the online Student Application for open quarters.
• A student should submit this application after they have received an offer for an unpaid internship and have confirmed all of the details of their opportunity, including the name of their supervisor, the start and end date of their opportunity, the number of hours they will work per week, and their core responsibilities.
  • The application asks questions about the student’s eligibility for the program, identifying information, financial aid, the organization providing their opportunity, and their work and responsibilities during the opportunity.
  • A list of questions from the most recent Student Applications for Winter/Spring and Summer Quarter can be viewed by following this link to the Sample Student Application. The content of the document is updated to reflect the most recent application each quarter.

• When a student submits the Student Application their supervisor will automatically receive an email with a link to complete the Employer Agreement for that student’s application.
  • It is the responsibility of the student to follow up with their supervisor to confirm the supervisor received the form and to ensure that the supervisor submits their portion of the application before the deadline.
• The student’s supervisor will be asked to verify the information about the opportunity provided by the student in their Student Application. If the information the student submitted is not accurate, the student will be required to revise their application. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor to discuss any discrepancies before submitting their updated application.
  • A list of questions used in the Employer Agreement can be viewed by following this link to the Sample Employer Agreement.
• 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 or submitted by the student, it will be considered invalid and the student will be ineligible for Rising Bird Fellows funding.
  • If a student anticipates issues that may make it difficult for their supervisor to complete the Employer Agreement, such as a language barrier or policies in place at an organization that would prohibit the supervisor from completing a portion of the Employer Agreement, please contact risingbirdfellows@stanford.edu at least one week before the application deadline. 

The Rising Bird Fellows application will be considered complete once both the Student Application and Employer Agreement have been received and reflect consistent information about the opportunity. If it is necessary for the Rising Bird Fellows Team to prioritize applications, the date upon which the application is submitted is one of the criteria used to determine priority. Students are encouraged to complete the Student Application as early as possible and to request their supervisor to complete the Employer Agreement as soon as the supervisor is able.

A member of the Rising Bird Fellows team will review the Student Application and Employer Agreement to confirm that the student, opportunity, and supervisor meet eligibility requirements. 

If additional information or clarification is required, a member of the Rising Bird Fellows team will contact the student or their supervisor. Students may also be asked to schedule a brief interview to discuss their application.

Funding for the Rising Bird Fellows program is limited, and it is not possible to offer stipends for all students who submit eligible applications. As such, the Rising Bird Fellows program offers stipends based on the prioritization process below. 

• Students are grouped based on their financial aid category, with priority going to eligible applicants with the highest level of financial need.
  • A student’s financial aid category is provided to the Rising Bird Fellows team by the Financial Aid Office only if the student consents to the release of the information in the student application.
  • Students who do not wish to have their financial aid category disclosed will be considered in the lowest priority financial aid group.
• Applications with the same financial aid category are ordered based on application submission date, with the earliest submissions given priority
  • For Summer Quarter, each financial need group is divided based on returning student status, with priority given to first-, second-, and third-year students over fourth year co-term students and graduating seniors.
• If a student is already receiving funding from Stanford for an experiential learning opportunity, priority may be given to eligible students who have not already secured funding from Stanford.

Once the application deadline has passed and all applications are reviewed to determine eligibility and priority, the Rising Bird Fellows team will send each student an email with the outcome of their application. Eligible applicants will be offered stipends in order of priority until all funding for the quarter is exhausted. Applications which are incomplete, ineligible, or eligible but will not be able to be funded will be informed when the status of their application is confirmed. 

The Rising Bird Fellows team is 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.

• Confirm you have received a written offer for an unpaid opportunity and that you, your opportunity, and your supervisor meet all eligibility requirements as outlined on the Rising Bird Fellows Eligibility and Requirements page.
• Read through the Rising Bird Fellows Commitments and Policies page.
• Meet with your supervisor to explain that you are applying for a Rising Bird Fellows stipend and confirm that they are willing to complete all the expectations for a supervisor of a Rising Bird Fellow.
• Confirm the following information with your employer:
  • the name and contact information of your supervisor
  • the opportunity's start and end dates
  • the number of hours you will work per week
  • the number of weeks you will work
  • your worksite location
  • scope of planned work

• Review the eligibility requirements for you, your opportunity, and your supervisor.
• Collect all the information and materials you will need to complete the Student Application.
  • All applicants will need to upload a current copy of their unofficial transcript.
  • Students who wish to have their financial aid status considered as part of their prioritization criteria will need to upload a copy of their financial aid award letter for the current academic year.
• Complete the Student Application for the quarter you will be participating in your unpaid opportunity.

• Confirm that your supervisor received an email with a link to complete the Employer Agreement for your application.
  • This email is generated and sent automatically upon the submission of your Student Application, but your supervisor’s email service may mark the email as spam or junk, or may block the email delivery.
  • It is your responsibility to confirm that your employer received the email. Contact risingbirdfellows@stanford.edu if your supervisor does not receive the email.
• If your supervisor indicates on the Employer Agreement that any of the opportunity-related information in your Student Application is incorrect, you will receive an email with a link to update your Student Application.
  • Submitting an update to your Student Application will send another email to your supervisor asking them to confirm the new information in the Employer Agreement.
  • This process will continue until your supervisor confirms all of the information in your Student Agreement is accurate.
• After we receive your completed Student Application and your supervisor has submitted an Employer Agreement that confirms all of the opportunity-related information in your Student Application, you will receive an email confirming that your Rising Bird Fellows application is complete.
  • If you do not receive this email, your application may not have been completed correctly.

Contact risingbirdfellows@stanford.edu if you believe you have successfully submitted both parts of the application but did not receive an email confirming that your application is complete.

The Rising Bird Fellows team confirms the information provided by you and your supervisor on the Student Application and Employer Agreement to determine that it is accurate and meets eligibility requirements. Stanford Career Education staff do not necessarily have direct experience with, nor do we professionally endorse, organizations/employers. Stanford is not in the position to verify, and therefore does not verify, whether the opportunity will further your academic or professional goals, or whether the project will take place in a safe and secure environment. Stanford cannot warrant the safety or convenience of the circumstances under which you will be traveling, living or working. You are solely responsible for evaluating the safety of the environment in which you will be traveling and/or working and for taking appropriate precautions to safeguard your health and personal belongings.

Make sure that the information on your application is clear and provides the details asked about in each question. Below are some examples that can help ensure that your opportunity is demonstrated accurately:

• Show that you have discussed the major tasks, responsibilities and deliverables for your opportunity with your supervisor.
  • A job listing alone does not always accurately capture this information. Be sure to write out your specific responsibilities and deliverables as you understand them.
  • This is a chance to clarify that the responsibilities of your position would demonstrate eligibility for a stipend when some roles in that organization would not be eligible.
• Provide a clear explanation of how your opportunity aligns with your academic and professional interests.
• Be sure that the links you provide are working and direct to the correct pages, and that any files you upload contain the correct documents (e.g. your application should include your unofficial transcript, not your official transcript).

The Rising Bird Fellows program assesses applications only to determine eligibility and funding priority and does not perform merit-based reviews. Funding priority is based on financial need, returning student status, and date of application submission. To maximize your priority within your financial need and returning student status group, you should submit your application as early as possible after confirming your receipt of an offer of an unpaid opportunity. Please see the Funding Priority section of this page for more details about how Rising Bird Fellows prioritizes funding opportunities. So long as you, your application, and your supervisor meet all eligibility requirements, it is not possible to make the contents of your application more likely to be selected for a stipend.

The Rising Bird Fellows program does not have a set number or percentage of applications that it funds each quarter. The number of applicants receiving stipends each year is based on the number and stipend value of the funding requests received from applicants and the total program funding allocated for that quarter. These numbers vary from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year, and it is not possible to provide an applicant with the number or percentage of applications which will be funded for the quarter in which you apply.

You can and are encouraged to apply for all sources of funding for which your opportunity is eligible to increase the likelihood of receiving funding. However, you cannot accept a Rising Bird Fellows stipend for your opportunity after you accept funding from another source to fund the same opportunity. You are expected to withdraw your Rising Bird Fellows application or decline a Rising Bird Fellows stipend offer once you accept funding from another source. If you receive an offer of funding for the same opportunity from another source after accepting your Rising Bird Fellows stipend, you must receive written permission from Rising Bird Fellows staff before accepting any additional funding for this opportunity from Stanford, your employer, or any other source.