Most funding available for undergraduate research goes to Sophomore/Junior students. It is for advanced research conducted to support declared majors. In contrast, the first-year Monroe grants encourage first year Scholars to explore any discipline.

First-year Monroe Scholars may apply for funding to undertake three-week research projects. These projects extend or build on topics they studied in their first year classes.

When first-years become Sophomore/Junior Monroe Scholars, they receive funding for a seven-week research project.

The Monroe Scholars Program provides stipends of $1,000 to approximately 50 first-year Scholars. The stipend buys us 120 hours (three full weeks) of your time over the summer. If your project is selected for a grant, you will

1. Spend a minimum of three full weeks on your research
2. Post a brief abstract of the Monroe project to the First-year Monroe Research blog
3. Post at least three additional entries to the blog over the summer. Your last post will be a summary of your project
4. Post at least two substantive comments to other First-year Monroe Researchers' blogs
5. Present your work at the Charles Center-sponsored Summer Research Showcase event in the fall.