Quad Undergraduate Research Scholars Program

Quad Undergraduate Research Grants are competitive, open-discipline awards that support faculty-driven, scholarly undergraduate research and creative inquiry experiences for University of Chicago College students. 

Quad Undergraduate Research Scholars receive a monetary grant and participate in CCRF programming to enhance their experience and build a cross-disciplinary research community. Quad grants support engagement in faculty-driven research for two or three quarters of the entire academic year. Single-quarter grants are not offered. (See below for help deciding which grant length is right for you.) Two-quarter grants are $3,300, and three-quarter grants are $5,000.

These awards are for students who have identified or are already pursuing research under the direction of a faculty member, faculty research cluster, or other faculty-driven research initiative. "Faculty" includes instructional professors. Postdoctoral scholars who are not also appointed as instructors may not serve as primary faculty mentors but may be listed as additional mentors within the application.  Students may also undertake research with other senior scholars with University arts and research institutes, so long as these scholars are formally appointed (paid) by the University of Chicago.

Applications are accepted two times per year, in the second week and after the final week of Autumn Quarter. Candidates must apply by the stated deadline; applications are not reviewed or awarded on a rolling basis and extensions are not possible.

Which time frame and application cycle is right for me?

Quad Undergraduate Research Scholar grants promote sustained engagement with the questions and methods of an academic discipline, which is why we ask applicants to commit to at least two quarters of research. At the same time, we recognize that it also takes time to establish mentoring relationships and develop research plans; and we know that many undergraduate researchers also choose to engage in study abroad or other opportunities that take them away from campus-based research for a quarter. Thus, we offer two-quarter and three-quarter Quad grants, in the amounts of $3,300 and $5,000, respectively. Consider the following factors as you choose which grant to apply for, and when:

• Will you have a mentor secured and a research plan in place by the end of Week 1 of Autumn Quarter, and will your research activities begin in Autumn Quarter?
  • YES: Apply by the October deadline.
  • NO: Use Autumn Quarter to contact potential mentors and develop your research plan, then apply in December for a Winter-Spring grant.
• Will you be undertaking research activities...
  • Throughout Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters? Apply in October for a 3-quarter grant.
  • Autumn and Winter only, or Autumn and Spring only? Apply in October for a 2-quarter grant.
  • Winter and Spring only? Apply in December for a 2-quarter grant.
    • Applications submitted in October for Winter-Spring timelines will be deferred for consideration in the December cycle.

Retroactive funding is not available. That is to say, December-cycle grants cannot include funding for research undertaken in the Autumn Quarter.

Applicants for 2-quarter grants will be asked to explain the reason for not undertaking research during the omitted quarter. Such reasons might include, but are certainly not limited to: time spent securing a mentor and making a plan; study abroad; taking a leave from the College; the mentor's project is anticipated to conclude midyear; the applicant will graduate at the end of the term.

Quad grantees may not "mix and match" funding sources during the academic year by:

• Being paid from their mentor's research funds, a Metcalf grant, or any other source for research with the same mentor during the same term in which they are receiving a Quad grant. This applies even for applicants undertaking nominally "different" projects with the same mentor. The Quad grant supports your overall research experience with your mentor, not a discrete fraction of it.
• Opting for a 2-quarter Quad grant for the sole purpose of drawing on a separate funding source for ongoing research with the same mentor during the non-Quad supported quarter.

Read more about the eligibility, scholar benefits and expectations before applying to the Quad Undergraduate Research Scholars Program:

• Eligibility
• Scholar Benefits and Expectations
• Application

What is scholarly undergraduate research? Undergraduate research is a faculty-driven investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge; it is a meaningful scholarly activity that is guided by a faculty mentor or other research mentor(s), aids in the development of research tools, and enriches the student's academic experience by helping them develop a greater understanding of their chosen discipline(s) and its research methodologies.