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What is SPARK?

SPARK = Students Pursuing Academic and Real-world Knowledge.

SPARK is intended to help make possible great opportunities that can inspire learning, growth, and connections that can be life-enriching, door-opening, and career-enhancing.

Nazareth University's Center for Life's Work offers $1,500 SPARK grants to help cover undergraduate student costs for:

• an unpaid or underpaid summer internship
• unpaid or underpaid summer research
• an international experience (a Nazareth-approved study abroad or service opportunity abroad) any time of year

Nazareth also provides a tuition scholarship for summer SPARK-eligible experiences that earn credit, bringing the total SPARK support to more than $4,000 (for a 3-credit experience).

Who is eligible?

• First-time full-time undergraduate first-year students within 24 months of your start date at Nazareth. 
• First-time full-time undergraduate transfer students within 12 months of your start date at Nazareth (exception: 18 months if you transfer to Nazareth before the end of your first year). 
• Overall GPA of 2.5 or greater required when your application is approved. (Students may apply for an exception through a petition process.)
• You must be registered at Nazareth for the semester following your SPARK experience.
• You have an active planning process established with your career coach.

**If you already have a bachelor's degree, either from Nazareth or another college or university, you are NOT eligible. 

When can it be used?

• Summer Internships: May through August. You will be notified when you are eligible to register for this course, which you then do in Student Planning. (Your career coach will help you determine the appropriate course).
• Summer Research: May through August. You will be notified when you are eligible to register for this course, which you then do in Student Planning. (Your career coach will help you determine the appropriate course).
• Study Abroad: Eligible for fall, winter, spring or summer, both short term and long term semester programs.

Other benefits to the SPARK program?

• Housing: If you line up a summer internship or summer research experience in Rochester and you don't live locally, a limited number of on-campus rooms are available for a nominal fee, per summer term (A and/or B). Indicate your housing need on the SPARK Grant application and apply through the Nazareth housing system by the deadline. 
• Credits: You can receive a SPARK scholarship for up to 3 credits for a summer internship, research, or study abroad experience (within the eligibility time frame).

How to Apply

1. Seek the guidance of your your career coach, early on to start the application process. Also see the guidelines below for internships, research, and international experiences.

2. Line up the program you're going to do, choosing an international experience program, a summer internship role, or a summer research role.

3. Use the SPARK application checklist to guide you through each step of the application process.

• Complete the Student Payment Check Request Form 
• Set up your e-check account in NazNet Self-Service to get your e-check. E-check steps. Even if you have an on campus job, you need to set up a separate e-check account for SPARK. 

4. Get the appropriate experience approval form signed BEFORE the experience begins.

• International experience approval form
• Research application and approval form
• Internship supervisor approval form. Also, if you are registering for a major-specific internship, the Professional Internship Program student application and advisor approval Form.
• Performing arts intensive approval form

4. Have all of the following handy in digital form::

• Signed experience approval form. You can scan and email it to yourself at the Nazareth library at no charge.
• Your resume as a pdf, See your career coach for resume help.
• Unofficial transcript (Login to Naznet Self-Service, choose Academics, then Student Planning, then Unofficial Transcript.) This transcript should reflect that you are enrolled in classes for the following semester
• Student Payment Check Request Form

5. Meet with your career coach to complete the application. Please have the digital documents with you, ready to upload. Your coach will then send it on to be entered into the system. 

*Please note that SPARK is not retroactive. Applications will be denied and check requests will not be processed if submitted after an internship or research experience is over OR after your departure from the U.S. to begin an international experience. Internship and research experiences must be completed and approved by the drop/add deadline for summer courses.

Apply for a SPARK Grant

What happens after I apply?

Your application will be reviewed by the SPARK committee (including your career coach). You will receive an email within a few weeks to let you know whether your application has been approved. Please reach out to Chrissy Miller in GAC 121 or email her at cmiller81@naz.edu with any questions. 

If approved, how and when do I get the funds?

You have set up your E-checking account through Naznet by now, so your funds will be dispersed depending on your chosen pathway.

For an internship or research experience, your SPARK grant monies will be deposited  beginning at the start of Summer A . (Date will vary depending on start date of experience.)

For a long-term international experience, you will receive the funds at the start of the Fall or Spring semester (your term of experience).

For a short-term international experience, talk to Josh Fess or Chrissy Miller in the Center for International Education. SPARK may not be used as a deposit for a study abroad program. You can expect to receive the $1,500 after you have already paid some or all of required study abroad payments.

Reminder: You will receive the $1,500 deposited directly into your bank account only after you have entered your banking information into NazNet Self Service and Accounts Payable approves it. Also, if you have an account for an on-campus job or tuition refund, you still need to set up a separate e-check account for SPARK.

For the majority of short-term international experiences, after you complete the SPARK application, your grant is applied toward your final payment(s) and will be deposited directly into the program account on your behalf.

Additional requirements and aid if you're earning credit for your experience

If you will earn credit for your approved SPARK experience, you also receive a SPARK tuition scholarship to cover up to 3 credits.

• Talk to your career coach to determine if your summer experience has a credit-bearing component and (if yes) to understand the process and timing of when you register for the course.
• Be aware that the registration process automatically generates a student invoice/bill for these credits — and you (and any family member who receives your tuition bills) will receive an email to check your NazNet Self-Service Account. Don't panic! Your semester billing statement will show your SPARK experience tuition temporarily, until your tuition waiver is processed by the Financial Aid office. Once your entire financial aid record for the coming year (summer, fall, spring semesters) is complete (including the FAFSA form/process), you will receive an electronic award notice from the Financial Aid office as well as an email from Student Accounts prompting you to view an updated bill that will show a SPARK tuition scholarship offsetting the cost of the credits for the SPARK course. (The waiver does not cover a registration fee of $30, nor any on-campus housing fees if you are approved to live on campus.)
• Nazareth's Financial Aid Office will let you know if you are missing any documents needed to complete your financial aid package for the coming year.
• Your financial aid record will show your $1,500 SPARK grant as an "outside scholarship direct to student — SPARK." The grant will not change your bill because the grant goes to your e-check account.
• If you have questions about the status of your financial aid so this process can be completed, please email finaid@naz.edu.

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