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Freeman Foundation Internship Grants: Empowering UM Students in East Asia

The Freeman Foundation Internship Grants provides students with transformative opportunities to gain professional experience in East Asia.

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Exploring East Asia

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Our Purpose and Mission

Established in 1994 by the estate of AIG cofounder Mansfield Freeman, the Freeman Foundation aims to strengthen ties between the U.S. and East Asia through cultural exchange and mutual understanding. Freeman grantees advance this mission by gaining real-world work experience in an East Asian country, serving as cultural ambassadors both abroad and at home.

flags on table

Eligible Countries

The program focuses on sending students to countries that are at the heart of the University of Mississippi's and the Croft Institute's long-standing engagement with Eastern Asia: Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.


Internships in other parts of Eastern Asia can also be supported, and students are encouraged to explore all possibilities within the broader region.

study abroad students sitting at a table

Our Internships

UM Experiential Learning in Eastern Asia funds full-time internships (20+ hours/week) for at least eight weeks—not study abroad programs. Up to two weeks may be used for quarantine if needed. Grantees cannot take classes during work hours but may do so in their free time. Internships should offer meaningful, growth-oriented work, ideally involving a long-term project.

scuba diver underwater

Eastern Asia Summer Internship Program

UM Experiential Learning in Eastern Asia is supported by a grant from the Freeman Foundation, of Honolulu, Hawaii, by the University of Mississippi Office of Global Engagement, and by the applicants' respective schools to intern in an East Asian country during summer 2025. Grantees will receive up to $7,500 to advance their career goals and gain professional experience by interning full-time for at least eight weeks.

Application Essentials

Application Essentials provides key resources, tips, and guidelines to help you craft a strong and competitive application.

The application for UM Experiential Learning in Eastern Asia consists of the following components:

  1. Application essays
    Address the following four questions, each in a separate paragraph.
    • What is the internship you have secured or are working to secure? Discuss: daily obligations, details on the employer, and projects you will accomplish.
    • How does this internship relate to your field of study and professional aspirations?
    • How will you interact with the culture of the country and region?
    • Is there anything else that makes you an ideal candidate for the Freeman Grant or that you would like to share with the application committee?
  2. Documentation of internship: use the certification form (download to the right) OR document your progress in securing an internship. For example, a contract, preliminary agreement, email correspondence, etc.
  3. Professional or academic recommendation: use the recommendation form (download to the right).
  4. Budget
  5. One-page resume
  6. Unofficial university transcript

Applications will not be assessed until all components are submitted. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed.

Applications will be judged based on:

  • Strength of essay and recommendation.
  • Relevance of proposed internship to field of study and career plans
  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated interest in Eastern Asia

Each grantee will be awarded up to $7,500. The application committee will accept applications that exceed the $7,500 grant limit, and grant recipients will be responsible for the additional cost. The application committee will not assess financial need. Proposals with budgets below or above $7,500 are not more or less likely to succeed, so long as they are well-researched and feasible.

Students are strongly encouraged to contact Chase Young to express their desire to apply and discuss the process.

Submit all completed materials  via email to freemangrant@olemiss.edu. 

Please name the documents according to the following format:

  • FreemanApplicationFirstNameLastName

  • FreemanCertificationFirstNameLastName

  • FreemanRecommendationFirstNameLastName

  • FreemanBudgetFirstNameLastName

  • FreemanResumeFirstNameLastName

  • FreemanTranscriptFirstNameLastName

Applications open on January 1 and have a deadline of March 1. 

*First time applicants are given preference over returning recipients who have been awarded the grant previously.

Access the applications here.

Maximize Your Internship: Essential Resources

Essential Resources offers practical tools, tips, and guidance to help you make the most of your professional experience in Eastern Asia.

The following are resources to search for internships:

  • Asia Internship Program
    • Award-winning internship program across Asia and Asia region that provides intern placement to over 8 East Asian regions

The internships may be paid or unpaid Grantees will receive the full scholarship value amount regardless. Grantees may secure their internship by tapping the Ole Miss alumni base and their personal networks, or may elect to use an internship provider.

Applicants are encouraged to use the #umabroadwithfreeman on all social media platforms and share your photos through tagging the UMFreemangrant.

These photos will be used to advertise for the UM Freeman Grant as well as posted on the Croft Institute for International's platforms.

If you do not want your photos shared, please let Chase Young know before going abroad.

Applicants must agree to give back to the University during the semester after their return.

In Fall, each Freeman grantee will be required to submit a two-page reflection that details their professional and personal growth while interning abroad. Grantees must also submit photos and complete a survey about their experience. Grantees will be required to attend an information session about the University of Mississippi Eastern Asian Internship Program in which they speak about their experience and answer questions. Finally, grantees will be expected to write a thank-you letter to the Freeman Foundation.

FAQs

Clear answers to common inquiries about the UM Experiential Learning in Eastern Asia internship program.

No. UM Experiential learning in Eastern Asia does not fund study abroad programs, and you may not use a grant to pay for academic programs.

The grants are primarily funded by the Freeman Foundation of Honolulu, HI. The grants are also funded by the Office of Global Engagement and the respective schools of the grantees.

The founder of the Freeman Foundation, Mansfield Freeman, was a professor of Chinese philosophy and resided in China for portions of his life. The company that was the precursor to AIG was confounded by him in Shanghai. The mission statement of the Freeman Foundation is "to strengthen the bonds of friendship between this country and those of the Far East".

The internship must last a minimum of eight weeks for at least twenty hours per week. Internships of a longer duration are encouraged. Students may not intern for longer hours over a shorter period of weeks (for example, four weeks at forty hours per week).

Freeman grantees must be full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate students at the University of Mississippi in good academic standing in fall 2024, spring 2025, and fall 2025. This means that students who will graduate in spring 2025 are not eligible to receive grants, nor are students who will be enrolled at the University as graduate students.

Yes. International students may receive a grant, so long as they do not use it to intern in their country of origin.

There are no language requirements to receive a grant. There are various ways students who only speak English can be successful interns in Eastern Asia. Some countries have significant English speaking populations, and some organizations seek fluent English speakers. Research your options. You should consider how comfortable you are living in a foreign country and not speaking the dominant language before applying for a grant.

Yes! We are deliberately seeking students from a diversity of fields of study to award grants. The key is to make a strong case for why you should intern in Eastern Asia.

Want to learn more about the Freeman Grant?