Career Access Fund
The Career Access Fund (CAF) provides financial support for expenses related to career preparation, professional development, internship and job interviews, and graduate study preparation. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the academic year and are based on financial need as well as the quality of the request.
Read below for more information about eligibility, covered expenses, and the application process. Or, if you're ready, you can apply here now.
NB: As with all of our funding programs, CAF is a limited resource and highly competitive. As a result, we can not guarantee funding; though, we do our best to fund as many students as possible.
Eligible Students: Any students receiving financial aid and who are currently enrolled in the College. (Students on leave or students not receiving aid are unfortunately not eligible.)
Eligible Expenses: CAF can cover both anticipated expenses and reimbursements.
Anticipated Expenses
- Must show the actual cost of items you intend to purchase. (No estimates)
- Must be within 60 days of expense - anything further in the future will not be accepted.
Reimbursements
- Must submit original itemized receipts (i.e. showing what was purchased, not just a receipt with the total)
- Must be submitted within 30 days of purchase
- For the first two weeks of CAF, we will accept reimbursements going back to June 1st for returning students (this is not available for first years). After September 11 at noon we will go back to only accepting reimbursements within 30 days of purchase.
Categories: Career Access Fund grants are available to help cover expenses that include, but are not limited to:
- Professional attire for specific, upcoming opportunities (up to max listing in the Average Clothing Costs guide; limit of 2 full outfits per student)
- Hair Care/Grooming (up to $250 for service; up to $50 for necessary products)
- Graduate school test preparation (e.g. GRE, MCAT, LSAT, etc.)
- Graduate school application fees
- Attendance to professional development workshops or academic conferences
- Professional development courses (e.g. Harvard CORe, programming bootcamps, etc.)
- Travel expenses for career-related trips (including meals while traveling and lodging)
Please note that any tech hardware (e.g. cameras, phones, money towards a laptop, etc.) is not supported by CAF at this time.
As a reminder, while we try to fund as many students as possible, simply submitting an application is not a guarantee you will receive funding. CAF is still a limited resource and a competitive process.
Awards are granted for the listed expenses only. Grants are based on actual expenses, not estimates. We do not award lump sums for general amounts. Applications require students to upload screenshots or PDFs of the actual items they intend to purchase or have already purchased. Failure to upload the appropriate detailed documentation will be grounds for denial.
Need level for award amounts is determined by the Williams Financial Aid Office. Based on your classification, you could be eligible for up to the following amounts:
- High Need: up to $750 total for the academic year
- Medium Need: up to $625 total for the academic year
- Low Need: up to $450 total for the academic year
The academic year runs from September 2024 - May 2025 and does not reset in January. (i.e. if you’re awarded $750 in October 2024, you cannot apply for CAF again until September 2025.)
Eligible students will receive an email from our office letting them know which tier they are in. Additionally, if any student is unsure of their need level, please email caf_committee@williams.edu to find out.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Future Purchases: Awards for future purchase requests are considered taxable income. As a result, Williams College will generate a 1042-S tax document for any international student who has received a CAF award for a future purchase. Depending on your country's tax treaty with the U.S., you may be responsible for paying taxes on your CAF award in your home country.
Reimbursements: Receipts submitted for reimbursement are not subject to taxes. As is our current policy, students must submit proof of purchase including an itemized receipt and proof that payment was made. If your request is a reimbursement, the College will not generate a 1042-S.
DOMESTIC STUDENTS
Future purchases: Awards for future purchase requests from domestic students will not generate a 1099-misc from the College; however, your CAF grant could still be considered reportable income depending on your individual tax situation. We recommend you discuss this with a tax professional who can speak to your specific situation.
Reimbursements: Receipts submitted for reimbursement are not subject to taxes. As is our current policy, students must submit proof of purchase including an itemized receipt and proof that payment was made.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis every Wednesday from 1-2pm by the CAF Committee for as long as funds are available. To apply, simply complete the CAF application form. Applications received after noon on Wednesdays will be reviewed at the following CAF Committee Meeting.
After your application is reviewed, you will be contacted via email regarding the status of your request and will be notified of any next steps if you have been awarded funds.
If you have any questions regarding the CAF application process, please contact caf_committee@williams.edu.
CAF funds are paid out through Direct Deposit via Accounts Payable (AP). Even if you have direct deposit set up for payroll, you may need to set up direct deposit for AP payments as they are separate processes. You can update your direct deposit details here.
Awarded students will receive an email that contains a CAF waiver which must be completed before payment can be processed. Failure to complete the waiver will delay payment processing and will increase the time it takes to receive your award.
Timeline:
- Applications submitted before noon on Wednesday are reviewed at 1pm.
- Later that afternoon, award/denial letters are emailed to students.
- Awarded students submit their CAF waivers accepting the funds ASAP.
- On the following Monday, payment requests for awarded students are submitted to AP.
- AP processes payments on Wednesdays; in most cases, funds appear that day.*
*Note: there can sometimes be a delay before the funds appear in your account. Additionally, if you do not have direct deposit set up, AP will mail a physical check to the address they have on file for you. To be safe, we tell students to expect payment within 2 weeks of processing.
If you are requesting funding for an expense you expect to incur in the next couple of days, please note that your payment may not arrive in time. CAF is not for urgent payment requests.
For detailed information, open the sections above. If you need a quick run-down of what CAF is, here are the bullet points:
- Only for students receiving financial aid from Williams College.
- The Financial Aid Office determines each student’s need level.
- Depending on the qualification by Financial Aid, students are eligible for up to $750, $625, or $450 for the academic year (from September 2024 - May 2025).
- Students can request funding for future purchases expected within the next 60 days OR for reimbursements for purchases made within the past 30 days.
- Eligible purchases include: Professional Attire; Graduate School Application Fees; Graduate School Test Prep; Professional Development Courses; Conference Attendance; Travel Expense (including meals and lodging)
- NB: Clothing purchases must be connected to a specific upcoming event (interview, networking event, internship, etc.) and will only be funded up to the maximum amount listed in the Average Clothing Cost Guide.
- Applications are reviewed weekly on Wednesdays from 1-2pm. Applications submitted after noon on Wednesdays won’t be reviewed until the following week.
- All awards are paid out via direct deposit, so students must make sure they’ve updated their direct deposit information for Accounts Payable.