Scholars Program Opportunities

The Scholars Program helps foster a close-knit, vibrant academic community for high-achieving and motivated students. Scholars will enroll in a sequence of first-year courses together, and participate in social and academic events throughout the year.

Most students at Union College enroll in three courses each term. Scholars have the opportunity to enroll in a fourth course each term (beginning in the Winter Term of their first year) at no extra charge. Scholars rely on fourth course registration to pursue additional majors and/or minors, but also to enroll in any courses of interest throughout their time at Union.

All Scholars are invited to participate in the Scholars Internship Program, which consists of a six-term, immersive experience over the first two years at Union, preparing for and leading to a valuable, paid internship opportunity at the end of the sophomore year (unpaid internship opportunities with nonprofit organizations are eligible for funding awards from Union College).

These students will work with the Career Center in Becker Hall over their first six terms to engage in the UReady career readiness success steps, including professional development, career exploration, resume preparation, and more, to be successful in their internship and in future work-related experiences. In addition to their classroom, research and supplementary experiences, the group will meet together each term to discuss: program overview; time management skills; resource identification and use; and professional development. Students who satisfactorily complete the Scholars Internship Program and remain in the Scholars program, will have the opportunity to engage in internship opportunities at the following or similar companies/organizations based on their interests and strengths:

• AYCO
• Dell
• GLOBALFOUNDRIES
• IBM
• Paul, Weiss
• Texas Instruments

Per each company’s internal guidelines and policies, these summer internships will range between 8-10 weeks and pay in the range of $3,500 - $5,000 (unpaid internship opportunities with nonprofit organizations are eligible for funding awards from Union College). Interns will connect with the entire Scholars cohort and alumni through GarnetGrove, so experiences can be shared collectively.

All Scholars will develop a sophomore project and receive one-on-one mentorship from a Union College faculty member. The sophomore project allows Scholars to pursue their research interests and develop their own, unique courses of study. The sophomore project provides an early opportunity for Scholars to engage in experiential learning and creative problem solving.