How to Apply

• Eligible students are notified in winter of sophomore year.
• If you are off campus in the winter, do not wait until spring to begin contacting faculty as some faculty may select their Scholars early in the process.
• Applications are not reviewed until after the application deadline in the spring, so there is no benefit to submitting applications early.
• Student application forms and faculty mentor confirmation forms must both be submitted by the application deadline.
• Research assistantships may begin as early as "sophomore summer," and both terms must be completed by the end of spring term of junior year.
• Both terms of the assistantship must be conducted while students are on campus. It is expected that students be enrolled in classes and that their faculty mentors be on campus throughout the term. In some cases, this policy may be waived if there is a compelling reason to do so. Information and a link to the petition form are available in the "waiver information" section of the current scholars page.
• Students will receive notification of acceptance to the program 3-4 weeks after the application deadline.
• Failure to follow instructions may result in a delay in your application decision or rejection of your application. Be sure to read ALL of the information carefully.

• The program does not match students with faculty, students are responsible for finding their own faculty research mentors.
• Mentors for this program must have the following type of appointment: tenure-line faculty, research track faculty or lecturers/senior lecturers.
• Your faculty research mentor should be in your major department or program or a related area.
• Students contact potential mentors directly to arrange interviews during winter and/or spring term. UGAR does not coordinate or facilitate the interviews. 
  • Interviews are conducted by the faculty at their discretion. Faculty may not necessarily interview all interested students.
  • If you will be off campus during the winter term, you are strongly encouraged to contact faculty about assistantships during winter term rather than waiting until you return to campus in the spring. Students who are off-campus in the winter may be able to arrange interviews via phone or Zoom. Some faculty wait until spring term to select a Scholar so that all interested students have the opportunity to interview for the assistantship, but some opt to select Scholars during the winter term.
• You may interview with as many potential faculty mentors as you wish, but you may submit an application for only one two-term assistantship with one faculty mentor.
• You may not switch faculty mentors. When you apply and are accepted to this program, you are entering into a contract with the faculty mentor to work together on a specific project. Both you and the faculty mentor have made a commitment to each other to do this research.
  • Exceptions are made only in unusual circumstances (e.g. the faculty mentor leaves the College). 

Once you have found a faculty research mentor, complete the application form (see below). This will generate an automatic email to you and your faculty mentor:

• Save a copy of this email as it is confirmation of your application submission.
• The email includes a link for your faculty mentor to confirm the research assistantship. Be sure to follow up with your faculty research mentor to ensure that they have received the email and are aware of the deadline. If your faculty research mentor does not receive the automatic email or is having difficulty with the form, contact Undergraduate Research.

Selection by a faculty mentor does not guarantee acceptance into the program. If there are more applications than stipends available, applications will be judged on factors such as:

• Relationship of the research to your major and academic trajectory
• Plans for pursuing a senior honors thesis
• Preparation for the project (coursework, previous research experience, etc.)
• Project abstract and description of your role in the project

START EARLY! Completion of the form may take longer than you anticipate. Late applications are not accepted, and applications that do not adhere to the guidelines will not be considered for funding.

Online application system:

• The link to the online form is available from the first day of each academic term until the application deadline for that term.
  • If you are unable to access the application form, contact UGAR
  • Application forms must be submitted no later than 11:59pm on the deadline.
  • DO NOT wait until the last minute to access the application form. You may find that you are not prepared to answer all of the questions on the form, and no extensions will be granted.
• When you submit the form, you will receive an automated email.
  • Save this email as it is confirmation of your application submission.
  • Do not contact UGAR for confirmation of your submission unless you do not receive the automated email.
• Submission of the form will also generate an email to your faculty mentor
  • This email includes a link to an online form that your faculty mentor must submit.
  • Follow up with your faculty research mentor to ensure that the s/he has received the email and is aware of the deadline.
  • If your faculty research mentor does not receive the email or is having difficulty with the form, contact Undergraduate Research.
• If after submitting the form you realize there is an error or you need to revise the information, submit a new form. You do not need to contact UGAR. When there is more than one submission by a student, the most recent one will be considered. Previous versions will be discarded.
• Notifications of decisions will be sent via email approximately 3-4 weeks after the application deadline.

Filling out the form:

• CAREFULLY READ application do's and don'ts before beginning the form.
  • Reviewing these guidelines is VERY IMPORTANT. If your application does not conform to the guidelines, it will be rejected.
• Be sure that all information entered is accurate and free of errors as this information will comprise your formal program record
• Incomplete application data is saved and accessible for one week from start date, at which point any applications not submitted will be automatically purged

Presidential Scholars Application Form

• The link is available only during the application cycle (mid January through the application deadline)

The form must be submitted no later than 11:59pm on the day of the deadline.

When you submit the form, you will receive an automated email. Save this email as it is confirmation of your application submission. Do not contact UGAR for confirmation of your submission unless you do not receive the automated email.