Program Information

Grants for costs associated with senior honors thesis research. Late applications are not accepted. There are separate deadlines for the recommendation request and for submission of the application and faculty recommendation, so be sure you are aware of all deadlines.

Honors thesis grant eligibility

  • Only seniors are eligible for these grants. 
    • Funding is only awarded for honors thesis research (not for culminating experiences or theses that are not in fulfillment of the honors program in your major).
    • Students conducting honors thesis research in the summer before senior year may apply for either an honors thesis grant or a leave term grant depending on which is more appropriate for the individual circumstances.
  • Students are not eligible for these awards once they have completed the requirements and credits for a Dartmouth undergraduate degree (for example, students who have completed a Dartmouth A.B. and are continuing coursework for a Dartmouth B.E. are not eligible for honors thesis grants).
  • Students must meet at least one of these criteria to be eligible for funding:
    • Enrolled as an undergraduate student during the funded term (R term)
    • Enroll in at least one R term following the funded term
  • If your thesis has not yet been accepted by the grant application deadline, you are still eligible to apply if your faculty thesis advisor confirms that approval is pending.
  • Students apply for funding the term before the one in which they require funding. Funding will not be awarded retroactively or for the term in which the application is submitted.
  • Students who have previously received funding through UGAR must be in good standing in that program in order to be considered for a grant (e.g. submitted all required paperwork and final reports).
  • Senior Fellows and Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows are not eligible for these grants.
  • If you have questions about your eligibility, you must contact UGAR prior to the application deadline.

Be sure to also review the eligibility guidelines for UGAR programs before applying for a senior honors thesis grant.

Awards

  • Thesis grants are awarded for expenses directly related to the research, and NOT for cost of living (e.g. housing, meal plan, etc.) or an individual stipend or wages.
  • Award amounts are based on itemized budgets and budget justification. 
    • Be sure that your budget is as accurate as possible and that all expenses are justified.
    • Budgets that are excessive or include extraneous expenses will not be considered for funding.
  • Students must apply for all other potential sources of funding in order to be considered for UGAR funding. 
  • Grant amounts are generally between $500 and $1500. In some cases, grants of up to $2500 will be considered if there is a compelling justification.
    • Funding is awarded only for the subsequent term. Students whose honors thesis projects require more than one term of funding must submit applications for each term.
    • Students who apply for additional funding in subsequent terms will not be awarded more than $1500 in total for the senior thesis research. If there is a compelling justification, total awards may be up to $2500.
  • Students applying for honors thesis grants for expenses that will occur during the winter interim may either apply in the summer or in the fall.
    • Award money will not be available until 3-4 weeks after the application deadline, so be sure to plan accordingly. 
  • Information about payments and processes is on the UGAR stipends webpage.