Researching Colleges

College Research Grants

Understanding the 'grant' concept:

College research grants are in a way, generous gifts by a number of colleges and universities. The grants are generally offered as undergraduate research grants that provide the necessary support for full-time students and their mentors. The availability of the College research grants differs in the case of each college and university.

The difference lies in the amount of grant, method of assessment and the availability of the funds or facilities. It will also depend in a way on the number of dedicated students short-listed by the concerned college and university authorities for the grant. The college research grants are an ongoing procedure in most colleges and universities and the mandatory rules and regulations applicable are expected to be adhered to very rigidly, for the entire undertaking to be fair.

The specifications:

The instructions are made available to the concerned students and those vying for the college research grants via a number of online and offline dedicated resources. The instructions are supposed to be followed to every minute detail specified by the college and university authorities, in accordance with the law applicable.

Any shift or change in the procedure for application of the specified instructions is regularly updated and accessible by all those concerned by the college research grant. Some of the universally accepted and mandatory requirements include:

- Students are expected to be very active participants of the college.

- Competitive students are generally expected to secure a 3.5 or higher and ideally, should have completed at least thirty regular college hours, including six dedicated to honors.

- To receive the desired funding, successful applicants are expected to be regularly enrolled in a full-time course of study at the concerned college or university all through the grant period.

The process:

The application process involves:

- Filling out the specified Research Application Form, either at the university or college office itself or online.

- Printing the PDF file, if applying online and this is generated while filling in the form. The candidate is required to save a copy for personal reference, after printing.

- Delivering the completed Research Application Form to the concerned and specified authorities, with all required documentation listed below the form.

- Securing an approval letter, in the case of students offering human subjects, including, however not limited to resources such as surveys, interviews, and regular testing.

- Copying of the official university transcript with the specific honors course highlighted.

- Securing the Honors College budget narrative.

- Availing of three letters of recommendation, specified by the concerned authorities.

- Maintaining an original and a copy of a well-written and carefully documented research proposal that should ideally, not exceed 5 pages.

- Maintaining a one-page abstract, two-page faculty vita and two-page student resume, in original and a copy.

Researching Colleges