Mary Gates Research Scholarship

• Mary Gates Research Scholarships are competitive scholarships intended to enhance the educational experiences of undergraduate students at the University of Washington while they are engaged in research guided by faculty. We hope that with research scholarships, students may focus more attention and time, deepening their inquiry into a discipline or project with a reduced financial burden.
• Students receive research scholarships to pursue research in a variety of disciplines. Learn more about research in the social sciences, arts, and humanities.
• Applications are accepted once per year, every Autumn Quarter. The scholarships are $5,000 and disburse in installments of $2,500 each over two quarters. You can choose two of quarters between Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn of the following year. Graduating seniors with one quarter left of enrollment may request to receive a one-quarter award totaling $2,500.

1. Applicants must be matriculated UW undergraduate students registered full time during the award period and pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the UW Bothell, Seattle or Tacoma campus.
   • You are eligible to apply even if you are not enrolled full-time during your quarter of application (Autumn) as the full-time enrollment requirement only applies to the quarter(s) in which you receive the award.
2. Once awarded, recipients must be actively engaged in their leadership project and remain full-time undergraduate students (enrolled in 12 credits or more) during their award period.
   • During summer quarter, students only need to be enrolled for one credit to receive their award. This only applies to students who select Summer quarter as one of their quarters of award.
3. Applicants do not need to be already engaged in research with faculty to be eligible to apply. 
4. A student may receive a maximum of one Mary Gates scholarship at a time.  Students may successfully apply for multiple scholarships, but can receive funding for only one scholarship in any given quarter.
5. Eligibility for previous Mary Gates Scholarship recipients:
   • Previous Mary Gates Research Scholarship recipients are eligible to apply for a second award; however, reviewers will evaluate these applications using additional criteria.
   • Students who have received the same type of Mary Gates scholarship twice are not eligible to apply for a third award of that scholarship type.
   • Students are eligible for a total (maximum) of three Research and Leadership Scholarships (for example, if you have previously received two Research Scholarships, you would only be eligible to receive one Leadership Scholarship).

If you receive need-based financial aid, learn more about how receiving a Mary Gates scholarship may affect your financial aid package.

To apply for a Mary Gates Research Scholarship, please begin by perusing all the materials on the website pertaining to the Research Scholarship, particularly the selection criteria.  You may also find the profiles of past Mary Gates scholarship recipients informative.

When you are ready to prepare your application, begin with the Application Guidelines to find out what you will need in order to apply.  Start your application by using the Application Login on the left panel of the website.

All complete applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff. Please see the Review Process & Selection Criteria page for more information.

Applicants may stay updated on their application status by checking their application online. We will notify you and your mentor via email whether or not you are awarded the Research Scholarship. The review process takes approximately 8 weeks.

• For the duration of the award period, you must continue to be actively engaged with your research project and faculty mentor, and remain a full-time undergraduate student. (During summer quarter students need only to be enrolled for one credit to receive funds).
• You will be asked to complete one brief survey during each quarter of award.
• You are required to present your work at the Undergraduate Research Program’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in May. A call to submit proposals for the Symposium is announced during winter quarter. If you are unable to participate in the Symposium the year you receive the scholarship, you are expected to present the following year. If you are receiving support for research from the Mary Gates Endowment through other programs, such as the Friday Harbor Laboratories, you are also encouraged to present at the Symposium.