Well, we had a deal with our kids before they started college on what they would have to pay for. Books, spending money, and any expenses related to an unpaid internship. So I get where your parents are coming from. There is no reason they should fund this for you. It might be a different story if you were a junior AND were in a field where unpaid internships are the norm (political science, for example). My advice is to go home and work this summer, and work part time during the school year as well. Get some money in the bank, then next summer you are positioned to take an unpaid internship and cover the expenses yourself if that is the best thing that comes up.