APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Before applying, please carefully review all materials pertaining the program, eligibility, expectations, and deadlines.
Applications submitted after the stated deadline will not be reviewed. Applications are reviewed following the stated deadline, not on a rolling basis. There are no exceptions to the deadline and no off-cycle awards.
ALL application materials, including recommendation letters, are due on the stated deadline.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
To complete your application, you will be asked for the following information:
- Basic information about yourself
- Project information: project title, name of your international faculty mentor(s), the name of your host institution and country, approximate start/end dates of the research, average hours dedicated to the research per week
- Research Proposal (pdf): maximum of 1000 words, single spaced, 12-point font. Please include the title of your project and name in the header of your essay.
- Please use the proposal template provided here, addressing fully all of the required sections.
- Please treat this as a formal research proposal; it should be written clearly and carefully. It functions as the core of your application and its quality will determine the success of your application.
- Host country engagement section: Included in the Research Proposal (section 4 of the template) is a brief statement explaining how you will engage with your local host country community outside of your formal research. This might include language training, community service, or other activities that will allow you to engage with local communities, develop cultural competency, and learn more about your international environment.
- An unofficial copy of your most recent transcript.
- Academically-focused curriculum vitae (CV). You can find guidance on crafting a CV here.
- Proof of affiliation or access.
- For faculty-driven research projects, this would consist of communication with and/or an invitation from your host-country mentor or the individual whom you have been in touch with about accessing relevant collections, etc. This should be a brief statement of support indicating that you have been invited to join their research enterprise for the summer. It can also be a PDF of the email correspondence you have had with archivists, curators, museum and/or library professionals who will assist you in accessing key resources.
- For BA/BS thesis projects, this would consist of whatever is necessary to assure application reviewers that you will have access to the research resources and locations you have proposed. This could be correspondence you have had with archivists, curators, museum and/or library professionals who will assist you in accessing key resources. It could also be proof of the opening hours (note any special summer hours) and the access requirements—and your ability to satisfy these—of the institution(s) you plan to visit.
- For advanced language training, this would be proof of admission to an advanced language program, along with any other relevant logistical details you are able to provide.
- As this is not a letter of recommendation and is not confidential, YOU will upload this (not your international contact).
- These documents/details are due on the stated application deadline.
- Letter of recommendation from a current research mentor or teaching faculty at the University of Chicago. Please also send a copy of your research proposal to your letter writer. You will be asked to confirm that you have sent/will send the proposal to your letter writer as a part of your online application.
- NOTE: Recommendation letters are due on stated application deadline.
Undergraduate research entails developing skills and knowledge that are important to discover and practice on your own. Because use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools inhibits development of these skills and knowledge, students are not allowed to use any AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Dall-E 2, in the preparation of this application. Students are expected to present work that is their own without assistance from others, including automated tools. If you are unclear if something is an AI tool, please check with CCRF.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE APPLICATION.
REVIEW PROCESS
Applications will be reviewed after the stated deadline.
We will notify you by email within approximately 4 weeks of the submission deadline about the outcome of your application.