Research Grants
Northwestern University, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Psychology offer funding, on a competitive basis, to help support undergraduate research. Students can receive funds to help cover research costs or summer living expenses.
- The university provides academic year and summer grants through the Office of Undergraduate Research. Their website also includes extensive information on research options across the university, as well as guidance on preparing a grant proposal.
- Information on Weinberg College grants for the academic year and for summer is available through the college webpage on funds for undergraduate research.
- Each summer the Psychology Department offers two or more undergraduates a Benton J. Underwood Summer Research Fellowship. Students who accept these fellowships spend most of the summer working on research at Northwestern with a psychology professor. The exact schedule is worked out with the professor who supervises the research. Both current juniors and current sophomores can apply for this award; priority is given to current juniors. To apply for an Underwood Fellowship, follow these steps:
- Choose a faculty member to supervise your research and talk with him or her about what you will be doing and what your time commitment will be. You should also talk with the faculty member about the need for Institutional Review Board approval for your planned project.
- Prepare an application in which you include (a) a statement describing your plans for this research (this can be the same proposal you submit to the university's grants committee); (b) a copy of your transcript (an unofficial transcript is fine); and (c) information about your general interests in psychology, your relevant course work, your previous research experience, and anything else that you think is relevant.
- Have the faculty member who will supervise your research write a confidential letter of support for your application.
- The application and letter of support should be sent by email to Dr. Sara Broaders, s-broaders@northwestern.edu. The application deadline is always the same as the deadline for summer grants from Northwestern's Office of Undergraduate Research.
- Psychology students should also consider applying for summer research funding from the Cognitive Science Program at Northwestern or through the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistant (SURA) program at Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research Different funding sources have different selection criteria, and applying to more than one will enhance your chances of receiving an award.