Faculty/Departmental Grant Eligibility Requirements

Important Note

Faculty and staff should carefully read our eligibility requirements for all VPUE Department and Faculty Grants prior to submitting a proposal and making offers to undergraduate researchers.

Table of Contents

Project Eligibility

Project and program proposals must be designed, authored, and submitted by faculty and/or designated staff with faculty oversight.
Off-campus or international projects must be clearly described in the proposal, and funding may only be disbursed after additional requirements on the part of students, mentors, and departmental staff are completed.
All grant proposals must include an appendix with a contingency plan in the event that disruptions (not just COVID) occur.
All research programs and projects are subject to change at any given point and time depending on Stanford Global Risk advisories and CDC guidelines.
Projects and programs must focus on undergraduate engagement in original scholarship and associated learning outcomes.
Full details about individual proposal requirements can be found on our Proposal Guidelines Page.

Mentor Eligibility

All projects supported by a VPUE Grant must be conducted under the guidance of a qualifying Stanford Faculty Mentor. The mentor must be an Academic Council member, University Medical Line faculty, or have prior approval from VPUE. This approval is generally granted to academic staff who are accepted as primary thesis advisors in an honors program or artists-in-residence.
Co-mentoring may be provided by other faculty, academic staff, post-doctoral scholars, and advanced graduate students as appropriate, and should be clearly described in the proposal.
Mentors must have their own active research or creative agenda in a discipline closely related to the main disciplines and methodologies of the students' projects.
Mentors must be available to provide consultation, training, and advice throughout the project timeline, and ideally throughout the participating students' undergraduate careers.

Student Eligibility

Stipends, prizes, or awards paid to undergraduate students who are receiving other forms of financial aid for any purpose are a form of financial assistance and may require adjustment to a student's scholarship eligibility, and/or adjustment to their overall cost of attendance. The Financial Aid Office has the responsibility to determine whether adjustments are necessary and it's the individual responsibility of the student to contact the Financial Aid Office about the impact of their awarded stipend on their overall cost of attendance.
Student athletes should confirm their eligibility and the impact of any awarded stipend on their athletic eligibility by contacting the Compliance Services Office prior to accepting any VPUE funding.

Enrollment & Academic Standing

Students must be enrolled in units while using grant funding, except during the Summer.
Students must be in the undergraduate (not graduate) tuition group while using grant funding. Please refer to this Registrar webpage for details on when co-terminal masters students are switched to graduate tuition.
Graduating seniors are not eligible for funding in the summer after degree conferral.
Students may not receive both academic units and funding for any single project activity.
Students may not be serving a suspension.
Students may not be on a Leave of Absence (LOA) while using grant funding. Students who have been on a LOA for three (3) consecutive quarters prior to the funding period are not eligible (e.g., a student on leave for Autumn, Winter and Spring is not eligible for full-time Summer grants).
VPUE does not use a GPA requirement for student eligibility, and VPUE discourages the use of GPA as a criterion for inclusion in a research opportunity.

Program Participation & Expectations

Full time projects may only be offered during the Summer Quarter. Full time projects devote 35+ hours per week over the 10-week Summer Quarter, or equivalent.
Students who are awarded funding for a full-time opportunity may not engage in any additional full-time internship, job, or volunteer positions whether funded by Stanford or another source. A student may only hold one full-time commitment during the Summer. Participation in any additional part-time opportunity must receive prior written approval from all relevant parties, including faculty mentors, site supervisors, and program coordinators. These approvals must be shared with all involved parties before the start of the summer. Approval is contingent upon confirmation that the additional commitment(s) will not interfere with the student’s ability to fully meet the expectations of their full-time research opportunity. Failure to adhere to this policy may result in the reversal of stipends already paid or processed.

Enforcement

VPUE can rescind funding for unaddressed policy violations.
VPUE can rescind funding in the event of unaddressed safety or ethical concerns.
Student violations of grant policies may result in low priority for future funding and/or partial reversal of stipends. Egregious violations may constitute violations of the Fundamental Standard and may be referred to the Office of Community Standards.