Internships offer students invaluable, real-world experience and the opportunity to build a professional portfolio that reflects their individual strengths and career aspirations. To support our students in these endeavors, we offer competitive internship awards that provide cash assistance to help offset the costs of low-paid or unpaid internships, ensuring students can pursue meaningful opportunities regardless of financial constraints.
Internship Awards
Journalism
Nelson Dream Big Award
The Nelson Dream Big Award is available to students who have secured print journalism internships at major national publications.
Eligibility: You must be a declared journalism major who has demonstrated academic excellence and secured a news editorial internship at a top newspaper, magazine, news website, or news service in these major media markets: New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Washington, D.C.
*Students who accept an internship in the month following graduation are eligible to apply.
Journalism
Rural Journalism Fellowship Award
The Rural Journalism Fellowship award is available to students who have a journalism or broadcasting internship during the summer.
Eligibility: During your internship, you must do 50% or more of your reporting in a rural community outside of the Lincoln or Omaha areas.
Applications will open in March 2027
Sports Media and Communication
Dana and Lynn Roper Fund
The Dana and Lynn Roper Fund supports students pursuing sports media and communications majors pursuing unpaid or underpaid internships.
Eligibility: You must be a sports media and communications major with an unpaid or low paying summer internship that's located in a top market ("top market" is determined by the college's scholarship and student success committee).
Applications will open in March 2027
Advertising and Public Relations
Kris Malkoski Fund
The Kris Malkoski Scholarship Fund supports advertising and public relations majors pursuing unpaid or underpaid internships.
Eligibility: You must be a declared advertising and public relations major with a low paying or unpaid summer internship.
Applications will open in March 2027
Advertising and Public Relations
J. Steve Davis Jump Start Fund
The J. Steve Davis Jump Start Fund supports students pursuing advertising internships in large metropolitan markets outside of Nebraska.
Eligibility: You must have an ADPR-focused internship in a large metropolitan market outside Nebraska. This award can be given to any CoJMC major.
Applications will open in March 2027
Journalism
Rural Nebraska Internship Award
To qualify for the Rural Nebraska Internship Award, students must intern with a newspaper, broadcast outlet, nonprofit, or community organization in a Nebraska town with a population under 80,000. The award helps offset the cost of temporary housing during the internship.
Applications will open in April 2027
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