Student Research Funding Sources

Student Research Funding Sources

Funding Sources image

Following is information regarding funding sources for general financial support, as well as student research and conference participation. 

Students should review each source carefully to determine the extent of the funding, stipulations regarding how the funds may be used, and deadlines by which applications must be submitted and/or by which funds must be used, etc.

Specifically, for any funding source, students should carefully review the application and be aware of the application deadline and date by which awards are announced, as well as the requirements (e.g., students may need to submit an anticipated budget and/or need a letter of support from a faculty member).  Note the extent and duration of the funding (i.e., exactly how much funding will be provided and for what amount of time), any stipulations regarding use (or retention) of the funds (e.g., some funds may be used only for conference presentations and not conference attendance, the student must be enrolled in a certain number of hours or maintain a certain GPA, etc.), and the deadline by which the funds must be used and/or will expire. 

Students should also be mindful of the UofL policies regarding receiving/using University funds (e.g., submitting UofL-specific forms to document travel), as stated or referenced on the application or in the guidelines.  For those accepting program funding in the form of assistantships, scholarships, tuition awards, etc., thoroughly review the invitation/contract received and ask questions before signing the document to be fully aware of what is (and what may not be) covered by the award (e.g., health insurance, student fees) and what is required to retain the funding if it is renewable.  Finally, students should be aware of what is required as regards reporting and/or returning any unused funds. 

ScholarshipUniverse

The University of Louisville is part of ScholarshipUniverse, and the UofL ScholarshipUniverse Portal is accessible year-round and serves as a central resource for UofL students to find information and/or apply for both institutional and external scholarships.  (Students must be a current or admitted UofL student and must use their UofL userid and password to access the portal.)

For graduate students seeking financial support to cover the cost of tuition and, perhaps, receive a monthly stipend while in their degree program, there are both department-specific and university awards. 

  • The Department of Sociology offers funding in the form of graduate teaching assistants to doctoral (and joint MA-PhD) students in sociology and provides tuition remission, a monthly stipend, and health insurance.  For more information, visit the doctoral assistantships webpage.
  • Several UofL offices (e.g., Admissions, Disability Resource Center, Housing, REACH, etc.) may offer graduate assistantships, and students will find the most recent listings here.
  • The Graduate School provides links to both internal (UofL-supported) and external funding opportunities.  Funding can include tuition-only awards but may also include a stipend (and, in some cases, health insurance).  (Note that University fellowship and diversity scholarship applications are submitted by departments on behalf of their students; students may not apply directly for these awards.)

Student Research or Conference Participation Support

Opportunities for undergraduate and/or graduate students to work with faculty (whether in connection to research grants or not) are circulated to students as those opportunities arise.

There are several opportunities for graduate students to secure funding for their thesis or dissertation research project, as well as some awards which cover expenses related to conference participation.

  • Sociology graduate students can apply for up to $500 annually for a Jon H. Rieger Graduate Student Funding award to use toward expenses related to their research and/or conference presentation.  (The application for Rieger funding awards are circulated by the department at the start of each fall and spring semester.)
  • Students can also apply for up to $250 of funding from the Graduate Network in A&S (GNAS) each semester, and the College of Arts & Sciences' Research Office offers internal grant and fellowship opportunities (e.g., the Graduate Student Intramural Research and Creative Activities Grant, offering up to $500 for individual and $1000 for collaborative projects), as well as provides a list of external funding opportunities.
  • The Graduate Student Council (GSC) offers both travel and research grants, specifically providing up to $200 to students attending a conference and up to $350 to students presenting at a conference, as well as up to $500 for research support.

For undergraduate students, there are also several opportunities for student research, including: