Application Instructions

The University Scholar Application consists of five parts (listed below) to be submitted on UConn’s Quest portal. This page provides section-by-section advice for preparing an application. Be sure to begin work on your application well in advance of the deadline to give yourself ample time to receive feedback from your advisors and revise your application.

  1. Applicant Information
  2. Proposal (including overall statement of interests, learning plan, project plan, references)
  3. Learning and Project Plan Form (including any substitution requests)
  4. Transcript
  5. Advisory Committee Evaluations and Endorsements

1. Applicant Information

You must complete all fields in the applicant information area in the Quest portal: name, UConn e-mail address, telephone number, major(s) etc . You will be expected to sign the following statement: I confirm that I have prepared all components of this application in accordance with University standards for academic integrity. See the page on Academic Integrity for more information.

2. Proposal

The proposal may be a maximum of 8 double-spaced pages (one inch margins, 12 point font) excluding references and any required appendices. (Recommended page lengths: four pages for the overall statement of interests and the learning plan; four pages for the project plan). The proposal should be submitted in PDF format.

  • Overall Statement of Interests
    • What question (or set of questions) do you intend to explore during your final three semesters?
    • How did you develop an interest in this question?
    • How has your learning to date prepared you to take on this question? Consider courses, projects, independent reading, research, and co-curricular experiences.
    • How is this question related to your long-term goals?
    • How do your learning plan and project plan support each other?
  • Learning Plan
    • What are your learning objectives for the remainder of your time as an undergraduate?
    • How do these learning objectives relate to your guiding question or questions?
    • How does your course selection for your final three semesters contribute to your learning objectives?
    • What additional learning opportunities have you identified that will contribute to the knowledge and skills required to pursue your interests (both broad and project-specific)? Explain their relevance to your broad interests and/or project.
  • Project Plan
    • Field of Interest, Statement of Problem, Deliverables
      • Describe the project you intend to pursue.
      • Describe the deliverable(s) that you intend to produce (e.g. scholarly essay, work of art, performance, professional journal publication, etc.).
      • Explain how this project addresses your guiding question or questions.
    • Review of Scholarly Literature or Artistic Field
      • Provide a review of the scholarly literature or the artistic field as it relates to your project.
      • Cite appropriate foundational resources and how your project will contribute to the field.
    • Methods, Theoretical Approach, or Artistic Approach
      • Describe the steps that you will take to conduct your project. Use enough detail to allow the committee to evaluate the quality and feasibility of your project.
      • For hypothesis-driven fields of inquiry, clearly state your hypothesis.
      • For projects that include data collection and analysis, provide specific details on how these tasks will be completed.
      • For humanities fields, state what theoretical approach (method) you will take toward your materials and why you believe this approach is particularly appropriate for your project.
    • References and for students in the social sciences and humanities, an additional list of Significant Work in the Field. (These are not included in the eight-page maximum. These should be single-spaced)
  • Appendices
    • Students conducting surveys must submit sample survey questions in PDF format.
    • Students proposing creative projects may provide a link to an online portfolio.

3. Learning and Project Plan Form

Upload your Learning and Project Plan Form (including any substitution requests) in PDF format. The Learning and Project Plan Form lists the courses you plan to take, other learning opportunities you intend to pursue, and project milestones that you hope to achieve each semester. Your Substitution Request Form lists the major and/or general education substitutions you are proposing and provides a justification for these. See the Forms page for the required forms.

4. Unofficial Transcript

Upload your unofficial transcript in PDF format. If you are a transfer student, please also submit a copy of your transcript(s) from your previous institution(s).

To obtain a PDF of your unofficial transcript:

  • Go to Student Admin to your unofficial transcript.
  • Using the “print” function, save your transcript as a PDF.

5. Advisory Committee Evaluations and Endorsements

You will share your application with your three-person Faculty Advisory Committee, so that they can complete their evaluation form and/or endorsement.

5a. Two Faculty Evaluations
Two members of your advisory committee will be asked to complete evaluations of your application.

  • Evaluation 1. From the faculty member most closely supervising your project, serving as chair of your committee. This person should be listed as Advisor One. Further Info for Faculty Evaluation One, including questions asked.
  • Evaluation 2. From another faculty member on your advisory committee who can evaluate your skills as a learner. This person should be listed as Advisor Two. Further Info for Faculty Evaluation Two, including questions asked.

5b. Three Endorsements
All three members of your advisory committee will be asked to endorse your application and to agree to serve as an advisor. They will be asked to sign the following statement:

  • I have read ____’s University Scholar Project Proposal and Plan of Study and agree to serve as a member of their University Scholar Advisory Committee. I agree to meet with the student regularly to monitor their progress and to provide input and feedback regarding their Scholar Project and Plan of Study.
  • I have reviewed the student’s proposed plan of study and support the choices of coursework, including any proposed substitutions for General Education. (Note: Gen Ed substitutions must be endorsed by the student’s advisory committee and are approved or denied by the University Scholar Oversight Committee at admission. See substitution request form for details on this student’s requests.)
  • I approve any major requirement substitutions proposed by the student, as meeting or exceeding the expectations of the major department that I represent on this committee. (Note: Major substitution requests are approved by the advisor representing that department on the student’s advisory committee. Admission to the UScholar Program formalizes that substitution. See substitution request form for details on this student’s requests.)

Questions may be directed to the coordinator of the University Scholar Program.