Academic year grants of up to $1,200 are intended to support part-time research during the academic year.
Summer research grants of up to $4,000 for ten weeks or $1,600 for four weeks are intended to support full-time research during the summer.
Funds are expected to be used for student wages, although a small amount of grant funds can be used for research supplies.
Students are required to go through a formal proposal process, including selection of a faculty mentor, development of a research project, composition of a formatted proposal, and the experience of a review process at the school and college level.
How do I get started?
If you think that you are interested in a particular field of research study, talk to your adviser, one of your faculty members, or the Chancellor’s Office staff. They will help you to identify faculty members who are conducting research or other scholarly activity in your area of interest. The next step is for you to meet with the specific faculty member to determine how to proceed.
- Is the faculty member willing to be your research mentor?
- Where do I look for funding?
- How do I get started writing a proposal?
- Should I do the work for credit, as an independent study, senior project, or as a work-study activity?
Before research is begun or grant funds can be expended, the University requires that you complete the online training program related to Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI). The training modules are located on the SARI portal.
How do I apply for a grant?
- Identify a faculty mentor, and review the Grant Program Proposal Requirements.
- Review the proposal deadlines at Undergraduate Student Research Deadlines.
- Download and complete the Application Form (Word).
- After you have completed the application form, upload this file via the Grant Upload Form.
- Review the Scoring Rubric for Undergraduate Research.
- Complete the Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) training (before research is begun or grant funds expended).
Are there any other requirements?
- Yes, you must provide a written accounting of your research program using the Undergraduate Student Project Final Report Template (Word). Report due dates can be found at Undergraduate Student Research Deadlines.
- Submit the final report as a Word document via the Submit Final Report Form.
- Participate in the Undergraduate Research Conference.
What else do I need to know?
Penn State undergraduates who present the results of their research at national or regional professional conferences may request financial support to defray the costs for attendance conference travel. For more details, see Undergraduate Conference Travel Grants.