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Graduate Students Interested in Applying

Are you interested in using your education and knowledge to help find solutions for nonprofits and community organizations while gaining valuable experience? Fellowship assignments last approximately three months.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

The CONNECT program is open to any graduate student currently enrolled at the University of Houston.
The upcoming opportunity to apply to be matched with a project is Fall 2022. The application window opens up a few months before each matching opportunity.See below for upcoming opportunities to submit your application:

Click the upcoming project cohorts to view timeline details: Fall 2021 Cohort, Spring 2022 Cohort
The CONNECT program does not take responsibility for specifically sourcing project opportunities that will fulfill internship requirements. It is your responsibility to get the CONNECT project approved by your graduate advisor as your internship requirement.
Step 1: Organizations submit their project requests via an online form.

Step 2: Students tell us about themselves via a short, online form. The form generally takes between 5 - 10 minutes to complete.

Step 3: Matches are then determined based on project requirements and students’ availability, skillset, experience and interests.

Step 4: Contingency notifications are sent out via email to all students who have matched with a project. The purpose of the contingency notification is to verify that each matched student is still interested and able to work on the project them have been matched to. Students have a short window to respond to the contingency match notification - either accepting or denying the match.

Step 5: Organization notifications are sent out via email to all matched organizations. Organizations receive information on the student they have been matched to and have the choice to accept or deny their match.

Step 6: Official match notifications are then sent out to the students who both accepted their contingency match and were accepted by their match organization. CONNECT then begins coordinating the initial project kick-off meeting at this time.
To view summaries for past CONNECT projects, visit the Hobby School's CONNECT Program Project Library. The Hobby School is working closely with the RGK Center at the LBJ School to launch the CONNECT program at the University of Houston. To date, most projects have taken 3 - 4 months (about a semester), have typically been accomplished within 5 -10 hours of work per week, and have allowed for the ability to work remotely.

Yes! CONNECT fellowships are issued to all participating students to recognize program participation. The fellowship is a one-time payment that will be issued two-thirds of the way through the program. For additional information regarding CONNECT fellowships, please reach out to Emily Janowski at eajanows@central.uh.edu


Please note:

Funds disbursed to students are applied to bars and outstanding cash and tuition loans (whether they are currently due or not) because these are considered demand notes. For students with financial aid that includes cash and tuition loans, the funds from the CONNECT fellowship may be applied toward these loans, rather than received as cash.

Please be aware that there is a mandatory 14 percent tax withholding on any scholarship/fellowship payment to a nonresident, including students.

If you have questions about how receiving your CONNECT research fellowship could affect your financial aid, please contact the University of Houston Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at 713-743-1010 or visit their website at https://uh.edu/about/offices/enrollment-services/financial-aid/
Most CONNECT projects are scoped to be worked on by just one individual. Occasionally, under special circumstances, two students are assigned to the same project to work as a team. You will be notified if this circumstance applies to your project.
Yes - Participation in the CONNECT program is voluntary and the project-related fellowship does not any impact on student employment opportunities. Please be aware that the fellowship is considered taxable income and may affect your personal tax reporting situation and financial aid.