Eligibility

All BU students are eligible to apply (including international students).

The deadline to apply is February 1, 2026. Start yours today.

Student Qualifications:

  • Must either be a current BU student in any school/college or an alumni within 1 year of graduation. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and PhD candidates are all welcome to apply.
  • Remain in good disciplinary standing during the internship program. We reserve the right to rescind or seek repayment of the stipend if a student fails to maintain good disciplinary standing during their program participation.
  • International students who meet program requirements are welcome to apply. Since the award is a non-service-based scholarship, international students are not required to obtain U.S. off-campus employment authorization in order to participate.

FAQs

Can students doing fully online programs apply to Enlight?
The application is open to all students; however, the fellowship is conducted on-site in Boston. Students need to be local to the Boston area during the fellowship. 

Can students taking full-time classes in the Summer apply for the program?
The program requires you to be at your internship 3 days a week and at Innovate@BU sessions 2 days a week. If you are able to manage that with your schedule, you are welcome to apply. 

* Please check with your ISSO advisor if you are an international student.

Is the fellowship considered a part of on-campus employment?
This is not considered as on-campus employment. 

Can students work on campus if awarded the fellowship?
Yes, they can work on campus alongside the fellowship. 

* Please check with your ISSO advisor if you are an International Student

Does working towards your own venture count towards the internship for the fellowship?
No, the internship portion of the fellowship cannot be working on your own venture.

Application Details

Application Closes: February 1, 2026

Program Dates: Summer 2026

  1. Double-check the student and organization requirements below
  2. If you’re applying for an internship at an organization to be identified by Innovate@BU, please be ready to upload your CV/resume
  3. If you’re applying for a self-procured internship, please be ready to provide the job description for the position you’ve been offered, your supervisor’s contact information, and your offer letter

Innovate@BU Identified Organization Requirements:

Need to share this information with the host organization you are applying to?

Download the PDF Overview

Self-Procured Organization Qualifications: 

In order to be eligible to host an intern paid for by Innovate@BU for the summer, hosts must provide the following:

  • Any nonprofit organization applying must be able to show proof of official status in MA. 
  • Any Social Impact startups must meet the following criteria:
    • For-profit companies with <$10MM in funding 
    • Have less than <$2MM in annual revenue  
    • Are not led/founded by current BU students
  • Must produce a valid job description for up to 30hrs of work per week
  • Must be willing to provide feedback in a midway and final review of the internship and projects presented by interns. (roughly one hour each meeting)
  • Are not headquartered at the IDG Capital Innovation Center
  • Interns may not be the spouse, child, grandchild, sibling, niece, nephew, or spouse of a child, grandchild, sibling, niece, or nephew of any employee of the hiring company.

Need to share this information with the host organization you are applying to?

Download the PDF Overview

FAQ’s For Organizations

  • What is Boston University Innovate@BU? Innovate@BU is a University-wide initiative to enable all BU Terriers to become drivers of innovation in their own lives, careers, and communities. Through its physical home on campus, the IDG Capital Student Innovation Center, Innovate@BU provides experiential learning programs that foster an entrepreneurial mindset by teaching innovation, communication, and collaboration skills.
  • How will hosts be paired with students? Students will apply for the program and Innovate@BU will vet students for eligibility and then organize interviews between vetted students and hosts. 
  • Can I determine my intern’s schedule? To a degree, yes. Students who participate in this program are required to attend a workshop once a week at the IDG Capital Innovation Center. It will be the same day every week. Beyond that, host organizations are welcome to set whatever hours work best for them and the student during the standard work week.