Student Grant Programs
UAR offers research grants to registered Stanford undergraduates. Grants support faculty-mentored research projects, and are typically used to pay for research/creative supplies, travel, and room and board/ Major Grant and Chappell Lougee Scholarship recipients may include a stipend within their budget if they are working full-time on their project over the Summer Quarter.
For the 2010-11 academic year, students have access to the following grant programs:
- Small Grants provide for student projects that explore a topic of interest or contribute to the development of future intellectual pursuits. They are often used for smaller projects, preliminary research, and follow-up expenses associated with larger projects.
- Major Grants support larger projects that normally span several quarters. Funded projects typically culminate in an honors thesis or some other substantial capstone product that demonstrates a focused and intellectually rigorous perspective on the topic of interest. Major grant proposals are subject to a review process that includes input from faculty in the relevant departments.
- The Chappell Lougee Scholarship supports sophomores who wish to undertake research in the humanities, creative arts, and qualitative social sciences. Students receive a grant for full-time research under the supervision of a faculty mentor. In addition, UAR provides guidance for students to transform their research into a creative performance, a capstone or honors project, or post-baccalaureate study.
- Angel Grants assist students in producing a finished public creative work such as an art exhibit, film, stage production, or concert.
- Conference Travel Grants support students who have been invited to present their research at a professional or scholarly conference. The grants fund travel expenses to and from the conference, and normal conference registration. Students demonstrating financial need may also include conference-associated food and lodging in their budget. Normally, Conference Travel Grants are intended to match funds made available by the faculty mentor or some other source.
For current deadlines and program details, see http://studentgrants.stanford.edu.
The application for any student grant consists of:
- a student-authored project proposal, including a line-item budget
- a letter of support written by a qualified member of the Stanford faculty
UAR may also consult student transcripts as well as outside faculty reviewers. Proposals are judged on intellectual significance, rigor and feasibility of project design, and evidence of student preparedness. The program is competitive, and not all good proposals can be funded.
UAR provides advising support for students considering a research grant, including proposal writing and project design consultation and advice on administrative policies. Students can view sample proposals at the UAR office. For more information, see http://studentgrants.stanford.edu.