Campus Awards & Resources

The Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships encourages students to become involved with programs and recognition opportunities on campus. These activities can help build your profile as a scholarship and fellowship candidate and provide valuable experiences that will follow you throughout your life. Additional scholarship and fellowship opportunities are also listed.

Scholars Programs

University Scholars and Global Scholars

The university offers two parallel programs for the university's best sophomores. Students who complete their first year at KU with at least a 3.5 GPA are invited to apply for the University Scholars and/or the Global Scholars Programs. Students get the chance to meet some of their brightest peers from across campus, take a seminar from one of the university's distinguished faculty members, are paired with faculty mentors, and receive small stipends.

Applications are due in September of each year. See each program for specific details.

Mentored Scholars Program (MSP)

This program supports the academic success and career preparation of Pell-eligible and first-generation Jayhawks. Each academic unit has its own MSP application and directions for applying. Please visit the page for your respective academic area.

TRIO McNair Scholars Program

The mission of the KU TRIO McNair Scholars Program is to diversify the academic and research fields by preparing low-income and first-generation college students for the Ph.D. We provide engaged and experiential learning through research and scholarly activities to produce lifelong learners and leaders who represent our society at large. Discover if you are eligible from the program.

Beckman Scholars

The Beckman Scholars Program is a 15-month mentored research experience for exceptional undergraduate students in chemistry, biological sciences, or interdisciplinary combinations thereof. Access the application.

Honor Societies

Phi Beta Kappa

KU is home to the Kansas Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa -- the oldest chapter west of the Mississippi of the nation's oldest and most well-known national honor society, emphasizing excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.

Phi Kappa Phi

Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's largest all-discipline honor society. KU is home to Chapter 171.

KU Awards, Scholarships & Fellowships

KU Scholarships via UKASH/AcademicWorks

KU's scholarship opportunities portal house awards for a number of departments on campus.

University Awards

Administered by the Office of Student Affairs, the University Awards are a set of seven different awards that recognize undergraduate excellence at KU. Typically awarded to graduating seniors at Commencement, the awards process begins in January each year.

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships

Critical Language Study is part of a U.S. Department of Education initiative to encourage students in U.S. American institutions to study and master foreign languages less commonly taught in schools but essential to the nation's positive engagement with the world. Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships provide financial support for students to immerse themselves in the study of a critical language of their choice. 

Study Abroad Scholarships

There are many different scholarships available for study abroad through the University of Kansas as well as outside private sources. Scholarship deadlines can vary, so some students choose to start exploring their options up to a year in advance to make sure they meet all of the scholarship deadlines.

Non-Traditional Student Scholarships

The Student Involvement and Leadership Center administers the award process for non-traditional student Endowment and Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) scholarships. 

QT Scholarships

The Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity is honored to be the steward of four QT-centered scholarships which range between $1,000 and $5,000 in non-renewable awards. Please select the link below to learn more about these scholarships and to submit an application.

Hall Center for Humanities Research Grants

Humanities Undergraduate Research Grants provide funding to support KU undergraduate students working on research projects in the humanities that require access to research materials at archives, libraries, museums, and other research sites, either locally or out-of-state. Some research sites are willing to photocopy, scan, or film materials and send them to a researcher, sometimes free of charge but more often charging for this service. Others require researchers to visit in person. Awardees can use this funding to pay for travel, board and lodging, admission fees, and/or costs associated with photocopying, scanning, or filming research materials. The size of the grant will depend on the particular needs of the student.

University of Kansas Award & Scholarships Hub (UKASH)

University of Kansas Award & Scholarships Hub (UKASH) is a one-stop destination for KU scholarship opportunities. UKASH empowers KU students to find, apply to and accept KU scholarships across campus.

Undergraduate Research

Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

Research experience is often a key component of successful scholarship applications. The KU Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships can help you get started. The Center offers two major funding opportunities.

• Undergraduate Research Awards: $1,000 scholarships to fund your research or creative project, offered every semester.
• Student Travel Awards: Up to $500 to pay for students to travel to professional conferences to present their research, offered every semester and awarded each month.

Undergraduate Research funding also has a number of other great resources.

Emerging Scholars/Emerging Transfer Scholars

The Emerging Scholars Program provides research experiences for low-income students in their first year at KU and supports their overall transition to college. Students get paid an hourly wage to work 4-7 hours per week as a research assistant and to complete a monthly professional development activity and attend the monthly professional development workshops. Third and fourth year transfer students may be eligible for the Emerging Transfer Scholars Program.

Building Emerging STEM Scholars of Tomorrow (BESST)

Building Emerging STEM Scholars of Tomorrow (BESST) is a 2-year program for STEM students interested in gaining authentic research experience. It is open to low-income STEM students in their third and fourth year and provides research experience and professional development. Students are paid an hourly wage to work as a research assistant with a faculty or staff mentor, complete a monthly professional development activity, and attend the monthly professional development workshops.

Research Experience for Undergraduates

The University of Kansas REU program in Lawrence, Kansas is an intensive 10-week summer research experience for curious and motivated undergraduates. Consider our program if you would like to apply your knowledge in a laboratory research setting and work toward a career that involves solving biological problems. Our program receives funding from the National Science Foundation to cover the expenses of student participants, including housing, room and board, and travel.

Aligning STEM Trainees for Enterprising Research (ASTER)

ASTER supports STEM undergraduates through research stipends, professional and personal development, and team mentorship. The program unites students with peers and faculty to promote graduation and high-impact education.

Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC)

The MARC program provides financial support for undergraduate students in the biomedical sciences who are interested in pursuing careers in biomedical research. Major components of the program include mentored student research experiences, professional development workshops, faculty and peer mentoring, guidance for applying to graduate school and attendance at scientific meetings. Learn more about MARC.

Jayhawk BioResearch Scholars (JABRS)

The Jayhawk BioResearch Scholars Program is for students who are interested in pursuing research careers in the Biomedical Sciences. JABR Scholars with be paired with a graduate mentor, will participate in professional development workshops, and be provided guidance for getting started in a research lab. A subset of JABR Scholars will be selected for the MARC program in their sophomore or junior year.

Publishing

Depending on the quality and scope of your research project, your research mentor might recommend that you try publishing your results in a discipline-specific research journal, the same ones where professors themselves publish their research. Students writing an undergraduate thesis should consider submitting their work to KU ScholarWorks.

KU students might be interested in the following publications that are run by other KU and/or regional offices or groups:

• Midwestern Journal of Undergraduate Sciences (KU)
• Zenith! Undergraduate Research Journal for the Humanities (KU)
• The Kiosk Magazine (KU)
• Crossing Borders: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship (K-State)

KU Postbaccalaureate Programs

BioGem

The BioGEM program provides financial support for recent college graduates who have limited or no prior research experience. Scholars engage in interdisciplinary projects that study how organisms, populations and species respond to their past and present environment and how genetic mechanisms equip organisms to respond to future environmental change.

Postbaccalaureate Research Education Experience (PREP)

The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at the University of Kansas provides mentored research experiences, coursework, and professional development training to assist recent college graduates with preparing for graduate programs in biomedical fields.