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Presidential Research Grants

Presidential Research Grants

Presidential Research Grants are intended as a one-time award during
a graduate student’s GVSU academic career.

Grant awards of up to $1,000 are available to support the research projects of graduate students.  Applicants must be degree seeking and in good academic standing.  The research must be tied to completion of some aspect of the applicant’s graduate degree.  Typically, these grants are intended to support research undertaken for purposes of a thesis, dissertation, or final scholarly project.

 Application Process

Please complete and submit the Presidential Research Grant Cover Page.  The cover page must include original signatures of your research advisor, Department/School Chair, and Dean of your College.  Submit the cover page of the application in paper form to the Office of Graduate Studies, via U.S. mail, intercampus mail, or hand delivery.  Our office address is 318C DeVos Center, 401 West Fulton, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.

The following items should be submitted electronically to gradstudies@gvsu.edu:

• Research Description (3-5 pages) including the following sections:
  • Introduction/Background material
  • Specific Research Question/Hypothesis
  • Methodology/Design/Data Collection/Data Analysis
  • Plans for Dissemination of Information
  • Project Timeline
     
• Budget (1-2 pages)
  • A detailed budget for the research that is tied directly to the research design/data collection.
  • Include the approximate purchase price of each item. 
  • For travel requests provide a complete description of dates of travel and mileage.
     
• Letter of support from your research advisor.
  • Letters of support must be sent directly from the advisor’s GVSU e-mail account to gradstudies@gvsu.edu.  You may not submit such letters on behalf of your advisor. 

Application Review

Applications are reviewed by a committee comprised of the Dean and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, along with graduate faculty members from several disciplines.  Grant awards are made based on a number of factors, including the originality of the research, the quality of the research proposal (including the matching of the research methods to the funds requested), the merits of the research outcomes, the impact the research will make on the discipline, and the research advisor’s letter of support.

Awards

Students selected for awards will be notified via letter from the Dean of Graduate Studies.  Please note that grant awards are not guaranteed, nor are all grants awarded at the amount requested.

Presidential Research Grants are for a specified semester, as stated in the award letter.  Expenditures must be made during the semester for which the grant is intended.

To receive reimbursement, all receipts, along with a completed travel and expense voucher (on the GVSU Business & Finance web pages), must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Office within thirty days from the final date of the grant (as stated in the award letter).  Further details on how to purchase supplies and materials for your research will be provided upon award notification.  A final report on your project must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies by the deadline identified in the award letter. Please click here to review the Presidential Research Grant Budget Guidelines.

Deadline Dates for Application

October 15, for Winter Semester research
March 15, for Spring/Summer Semester research
April 15, for Fall Semester research

If you have questions, please contact Irene Fountain in the

Office of Graduate Studies at 331-7123 or fountaii@gvsu.edu.