Pauley Undergraduate Fellowship

2027 Pauley Undergraduate Research Fellowship - University Partners Program

The application window for our 2027 University Partners Fellowship is Friday, October 30-Friday, November 13, 2026. The application portal is linked below.

Requirements

This fellowship is open to full-time undergraduate students who are sophomore, junior, or senior students at our partner institutions listed below at the time of application. 

This fellowship is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents only.

University partner schools and faculty coordinators:

Prior to the summer fellowship program, students will be required to take a one-credit preparatory course at their respective institutions during the spring 2027 semester. Please contact the program faculty at your respective institution listed above for more details on this course.

Students are encouraged (but not required) to continue their research project with their mentor after the conclusion of the summer program, with the goal of presenting their findings at a national meeting and eventually defending an honors thesis before they graduate.

Summer Program Dates

For 2027, the summer portion of this program will be held onsite at the VCU Health campus in downtown Richmond from Monday, May 17-Friday, July 23, 2027. Participants must be available and willing to attend in-person for the full 10 weeks of the summer fellowship and be able to commit to at least 30 daytime hours per week Monday-Friday (actual hours may vary depending on your research project and arrangements made with your faculty mentor). Check out the Program Overview section of our website for a sample weekly schedule.

Stipend & Housing

Fellows will receive a stipend of $6,000 which will be paid in two installments (exact payment dates TBD but typically in late June and late July).

VCU dormitory housing will be provided as needed (at no cost to students) for the 10 weeks of the summer fellowship. Note: Students are not required to stay in the dorms if they have other housing options. Students who choose not to stay in dormitory housing will be responsible for securing housing at their own expense.

How to Apply

The application window for our 2027 University Partners Fellowship is Friday, October 30-Friday, November 13, 2026. The application portal and recommendation form will be linked below on October 30, 2026. 

Application requirements:

  • Online application form
    • Within the application form, applicants will be provided a current list of faculty mentors and their research projects and are required to rank their top three choices of faculty to be paired with for the summer. 
    • The form will include a personal statement section in which applicants must address specific prompts as outlined in the form.
  • Undergraduate transcript(s) from all undergraduate institutions attended (including transfer institutions)
    • PDF format preferred.
    • Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
    • If including transcripts from another institution from which you have transferred, please insure all letter grades are listed.

  • Two recommendations

All application materials, including recommendation forms, must be submitted by 11:59 PM on November 13, 2026. Any questions can be directed to pauley.undergradfellowship@vcuhealth.org.