Financing a Summer in D.C.

Estimated student budget for Summer 2025

Ways to Finance Your Summer in Washington, D.C.

The Public Service Center and CITC Director team work extremely hard to make our program accessible to all students regardless of economic background. However, we are unable to provide financial support beyond a small number of need-based scholarships that partially subsidize housing costs. We recognize this is a high-cost program, and we are doing all that we can to support students through year-round fundraising efforts. We will continue to work with our wonderful CITC alumni to offer scholarships to as many students as possible. 

Here are some ways to finance your summer in Washington, D.C.:

CITC Alumni Scholarships

A select amount of scholarships will be awarded to CITC participants based on financial need and review of financial aid records. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, please indicate so on Section V of the CITC Application, and include a screenshot of your Student Aid Index (SAI) in Section VI. All students who indicate interest will be notified of their scholarship eligibility prior to Winter Break 2024-2025. All scholarships apply directly to the cost of housing at the UC Washington Center.

Outside Scholarships

Start looking for outside scholarships and apply NOW to prepare for your trip. Two good UC Berkeley resources where you can search for outside scholarships are Scholarship Connection and the California Alumni Association Scholarships. You will also be provided with a working resource list of outside scholarships you can start with upon acceptance into the program.

Jobs

Here are some ways students have paid for their summer in D.C.

• Students work part-time during the fall and spring semesters to save for trip expenses/housing costs during the summer.
• Some students secure part-time jobs during their summer in D.C.
• Students apply for paid internships. Please note: although paid internships in Washington D.C. are becoming more common, they are extremely competitive. We advise all of our students to apply to both paid and unpaid positions. 
• Some employers offer a stipend for commuting. 

Support of Family and Friends

Begin planning early, especially around the holidays. Talk to family and friends about your plans to travel to D.C., and if they are willing to offer any assistance. Past students have used crowdfunding websites such as Piggybackr or GoFundMe as successful platforms for giving.