Funding for Undergraduate Research

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Fellowships, Scholarships and Internships

No listing of this type can be complete since new opportunities arise frequently, but here are some great places to start:

  • The Undergraduate Academic Awards (UAA) Office administers a number of campus wide scholarships open to undergraduate students from all colleges and majors.
  • Check for scholarships applications periodically by using your campus NetID and password to log into the Scholarships@UW-Madison application portal and answer all the questions in the ‘Match Scholarships’ section to find currently available applications.
  • The Grants Information Collection at Memorial Library has databases and other listings of funding opportunities, and the librarians are happy to help you use them. They offer free workshops as well.
  • For assistance with applications and proposals, take advantage of the Writing Center
  • The College of Letters and Sciences Scholarship page features useful links and instructions.
  • Check bulletin boards in departments for announcements on internships and other research opportunities, and ask faculty members and advisors
  • Visit career planning offices for additional lists of funding opportunities for research
  • Ruth Bleier Scholarships are awarded to women to encourage them to pursue careers in the natural sciences, medicine or engineering.

Funding for Students in Particular Academic Programs

  • McNair Scholars Program is a graduate school preparation program for UW-Madison undergraduates who are  first-generation college students from low-income circumstances or from a group that is traditionally under-represented in graduate education. Students in this two-year program engage in research a well as receive support for their plans pursue a PhD degree in their area of study.
  • Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URS) is a program for first and second year students. Students earn academic credit or pay for working as research assistants on faculty research and scholarly projects.

Summer Programs

Many summer research programs offer full financial support. For more information on summer programs, click here.


Community-Based Research Funding

  • Wisconsin Idea Fellowships support collaborative service-learning and community-based research projects among undergraduate students, faculty and community organizations. Recent projects have included student-led diabetes prevention programming for at-risk Madison populations and student efforts to enhance science education in rural school districts.
  • The Undergraduate Academic Awards (UAA) Office administers a number of campus wide scholarships open to undergraduate students from all colleges and majors. Hilldale and Holstrom awards will support community-based research in addition to basic research. Others, including the Meyerhoff and the Bascom Hill Society Scholarship, recognize students for both academic and public service achievements. The UAA Office also administers nationally competitive awards, such as the Udall and Truman Scholarships, that support students who have demonstrated potential and commitment to pursuing careers in public service.
  • The Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea competitive grant program is open to faculty, staff and students who develop innovative initiatives or add new dimensions to existing outreach activities through partnerships with the broader community. They are intended to advance The Wisconsin Idea by strengthening partnerships and collaborations, sharing and applying knowledge, and expanding access to lifelong learning.
  • Morgridge Center for Public Service Community Service Awards. The Morgridge Center for Public Service launched awards for students and community organizations in 2007.  These awards have been created to recognize the long history of engagement by students and community organizations to advance the Wisconsin Idea and make a difference in the community.