Undergraduate Research Funding Opportunities

Students involved in research under the mentorship of a faculty member can explore the variety of funding opportunities available to undergraduate students. Some students apply for this funding while pursuing an honors project in Psychology and/or a BPhil degree through the University Honors College (UHC). Check each program for deadline information.

University Honors College (UHC) Awards

The UHC provides these research programs in the fall and spring terms. Undergraduate students who are interested should choose between the following:

Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Fellowships

The Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Fellowship is intended to support student involvement in independent research under the direction of a faculty mentor. Up to ten $800 fellowships, administered by the University Honors College (UHC), are offered to encourage the enrichment of the students' experience in defining objectives and selecting methodologies appropriate to original research in their chosen field of study. The fellowships are available for one term, either fall or spring.

Fall/Spring Brackenridge Research Fellowships

The Brackenridge Fellowship supports undergraduates conducting independent research projects and a discussion of progress in a weekly seminar. The fellowship awards a stipend of $800; in addition, it requires students to register for 1 credit of research and participate in one or two weekly seminars: a mandatory one in which students discuss each other's research progress and an optional one in which faculty mentors present their work to the assembled students.

Community Research Fellowships

The CRF’s mission is to provide experiential learning to students as they engage with curriculum concepts to create a socially responsible, mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources with community partners. Students will explore civic learning and develop an understanding of equity, implicit bias, and strengths-based orientation as they pertain to community engaged scholarship. The Fellowship includes a weekly seminar to discuss, reflect, and learn about community-based research methods and best practices. Students will also post monthly critical reflections on the Pitt Honors blog. At the conclusion of the seminar, fellows will be expected to produce a final deliverable for the community partner and a final presentation to the larger University and Pittsburgh communities. These will all be dependent upon the community partner’s needs and each student’s project will differ.

Mary Ellen Callahan Undergraduate Student Research Fund

The Callahan Research Fund supports undergraduates conducting independent research projects in the social sciences. All participants receive a stipend for their work to encourage commitment. Students may also receive reimbursement for travel and other research-related expenses. The fellowship is open to undergraduate social science researchers who can be from any class, including freshmen and seniors.

G. Alec Stewart Student Achievement Awards

The G. Alec Stewart Student Achievement Awards recognizes students who embody the Frederick Honors College's core values of academic achievement, intellectual curiosity and commitment to social good. It honors the College's beloved founding Dean, "Doc" Stewart, whose vision of excellence and inclusion still guides our philosophies.

The Tina & David Bellet Brackenridge Research Fellowship

This Brackenridge Summer Research Fellowship award provides financial support to undergraduate students pursuing independent research with a focus on business, economics and/or entrepreneurship as part of the Brackenridge Research Fellows Program. The recipient can participate in either the summer or semester Brackenridge Research Fellows Program.

Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research Awards

View A&S Undergraduate Research Awards and Funding »

Summer Undergraduate Research Awards

The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences is seeking applicants to join a diverse community of undergraduate scholars and researchers from the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Awardees enroll in a one credit seminar, ARTSC 0125 Special Topics in Research, and receive $3,500 to support 12 weeks of independent research and scholarship during the summer term.

Fall Undergraduate Research Awards

Fall Undergraduate Research Award recipients join other students in the pursuit of an independent research project. You will receive a stipend of $1,000 in recognition of the quality of your project, and you will participate in three interdisciplinary workshops co-hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity and the Academic Resource Center. These workshops provide the opportunity to engage in conversations across disciplines and acquire an appreciation for the diverse range of research conducted at the University.

Spring Undergraduate Research Awards

Spring Undergraduate Research Award recipients will join other students in the pursuit of an independent research project. You will receive a stipend of $1,000 in recognition of the quality of your project, and you will participate in three interdisciplinary workshops co-hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity and the Academic Resource Center. These workshops provide you with the opportunity to engage in conversations across disciplines and to acquire an appreciation for the diverse range of research conducted at the University.

Center for Translational Mental Health Research Undergraduate Research Program

The Undergraduate Research Program awards highly talented undergraduate students with fellowships to perform early-career, hands-on engagement in cutting edge neuroscience research. Opportunities focus on schizophrenia and related disorders and are primarily translational in approach; that is, the research approach begins with clinical observations about the disease process that are converted into hypotheses that can be tested in the more tractable conditions of the laboratory in order to guide the development of novel therapeutic interventions.

Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition Funding

Many CNBC faculty supervise undergraduates in their laboratories either as paid research assistants or as part of research courses associated with the faculty member's home department. Special opportunities for undergraduate research are also provided by the programs listed below. Two of these programs are specifically run through the CNBC, while the others are run by various other departments, but have participation by many CNBC faculty. 

External Funding for Undergraduates (NSF and NIH)

National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates

NSF funds research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of a approximately ten undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project working closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either a US or foreign location.

Using the web page, Search for an REU Site to examine opportunities in the subject areas supported by various NSF units. Also, you may search by keywords to identify sites in particular research areas or with certain features, such as a particular location.

Students must contact the individual sites for information and application materials. NSF does not have application materials and does not select student participants. A contact person and contact information is listed for each site.

NIH Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Programs for All Degree Levels: The Summer Internship Program (SIP) »
SIP welcomes eligible high school, college, graduate, and professional students to spend eight to ten weeks conducting biomedical research with NIH investigators.

Programs for College Students: The Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) »
This program provides up to $20,000 in scholarship support per year to eligible undergraduates pursuing degrees in fields related to biomedical research.

Post-Baccalaureate Awards

Hot Metal Bridge Scholars Program

The Hot Metal Bridge Program at the School of Arts and Sciences is a new two-semester (fall and spring) post-baccalaureate fellowship program (including tuition and stipend) for up to nine fellows who will help meet our diversity goals. The point of the HMBP is to bridge the gap between an undergraduate degree and a graduate training program and to help individuals prepare themselves for a successful program of doctoral studies.

The Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Program

The Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) is a biomedical research program that enables eligible recent college graduates planning to apply to graduate or professional school to spend one or two years working with investigators at the NIH.

The NIH Academy

The NIH Academy is a year-long biomedical research program (renewable for a second year) at the NIH for eligible recent college graduates who (1) are planning to apply to graduate or professional school and (2) wish to pursue an interest in domestic health disparities.