Significant changes in the application were adopted beginning with the 2020 application cycle. For a summary of the changes and the rationale see University Scholar New Application Summary
A University Scholar application consists of five parts:
- Applicant Information
- Proposal (including overall statement of interests, learning plan, project plan, references)
- Learning and Project Plan Form (including any substitution requests)
- Transcript
- Advisory Committee Evaluations and Endorsements
The strongest applications will show exceptional breadth and/or depth and will bring together multiple fields of study, methodologies, and/or points of view. For detailed instructions for each section, see the Instructions page.
Important note: In order to apply, you must have submitted a letter of intent by the September deadline.
Advisory Committee
As you prepare your application, you must seek the advice of three faculty who will constitute your advisory committee. See Advisory Committee for guidelines on constituting this committee. Two members of your advisory committee will be expected to complete Faculty Evaluations as part of the application process. If you are selected as a University Scholar, your advisory committee will guide your studies through to graduation.
Review and Selection Process
Once submitted, your application will be evaluated by the University Scholar Oversight and Selection Committee. See Assessment for the criteria on which applications are evaluated.
University Scholar Program and Honors
Applicants to the University Scholar Program need not be members of the Honors Program. For University Scholars who are enrolled in the Honors Program, the University Scholar project may, with the permission of their departmental Honors advisor in their Honors major(s), also serve as the Honors thesis. It is the student’s responsibility to seek this permission.