Scholarships & Awards

General Information

Students should obtain up-to-date guidelines for the scholarships and awards listed below from the relevant administrative center(s) before applying. Students may also compete for various national prizes and graduate fellowships. Our undergraduate advisors, faculty (including the chair of the Undergraduate Awards Committee), and administrators in the University Honors College may have helpful suggestions about national opportunities.

Brackenridge Undergraduate Fellowships

More than 40 fellowships for interdisciplinary summer study projects under the direction of a faculty member, each fellowship carrying a monthly stipend of $1,000, are awarded annually by Pitt's Honors College, with an application deadline midway through the spring semester. Consult the Honors College, 3500 Cathedral of Learning, for details.

Burkhart / Alumni Scholarship

Upon faculty nomination, more than $2,500 is awarded each year to outstanding senior majors in English literature. The Undergraduate Awards Committee normally announces these awards in the fall.

Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Fellowships

Ten university fellowships of approximately $800 are awarded each semester for independent study projects by sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with application deadlines toward the following spring or fall semester. Consult the Honors College for more details.

Chancellor's University Teaching Fellowships

Each term, 10 fellowships of approximately $800 support sophomores, juniors, and seniors in one-term research or analytic projects that assist faculty members in the instruction of their courses. The Honors College administers the awards.

CWES / Rees Undergraduate Research Symposium

Pitt's Centers for West and East European Studies sponsor a competition for undergraduate research papers on any aspect of European culture within the humanities, social, or natural sciences. So, papers on British or other European literature and history are eligible. Abstracts of papers are due in January, with finalists chosen to present their papers orally at an April conference during which eight prizes totaling $2,000 have been awarded to entries judged best for both written and oral presentation. For entry guidelines, consult the Center for West European Studies.

McDowell Award In Nonfiction

To honor the late Pittsburgh television newsman Al McDowell, a prize of $2,500 in tuition remission is awarded, following faculty nomination

Nationality Rooms Scholarships

Seven scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $4,000 are awarded annually for accredited summer study abroad at institutions in England, Scotland, Ireland, Africa, and other foreign countries relevant to English Department interests. The Nationality Rooms Program administers applications, with a deadline in mid-January.

Provost's Scholarships For Study Abroad

Undergraduates with QPAs of better than 2.75 in the College of General Studies or in six other undergraduate professional schools, as well as minority undergraduates in any school, may apply for 10 $1,000 scholarships for summer-long, semester, or year-long study abroad, with a May deadline for fall study, a November deadline for spring study, and a March deadline for summer study. Consult the Study Abroad Office, for details.

USX Or Toretti Undergraduate Research Awards

Several awards of $3,000 support summer research projects. The terms of the awards are similar to the Brackenridge Undergraduate Fellowships, and winners will participate in the Honors College's Brackenridge summer program. But USX/Toretti awards have an earlier application deadline—in February—and may favor projects with proposed research bibliographies of secondary scholarship rather than primary readings. For details, consult the Office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs.

Research Abroad Program Assistantships

Pitt's University Center for International Studies (UCIS) and Honors College cosponsor summer assistantships of $3,000 for honors undergraduates working abroad under the on-site direction of a faculty member pursuing a research project. Students may not apply directly except by bringing this to the attention of a faculty member planning foreign research for four to eight weeks, who may request a grant to cover his and three student assistants' expenses. Applications are due in March. Consult University Center for International Studies for details.