Grants for English Majors

University of Pennsylvania Research Grants

• The English Department at the University of Pennsylvania offers a small number of research grants in English to its undergraduates who are engaged in an original research project. The money may be used for any aspect of the research project. The grant is intended to fully or partially cover all the costs that the student incurs while engaged in the project. Applicants for the grant must 1) work under the supervision of a research director, 2) submit a 500--1,000 word proposal, and 3) submit a well-researched and itemized budget.

  Department of English
  University of Pennsylvania
  Fisher Bennett Hall, Room 127
  3340 Walnut St.
  Philadelphia, PA 19104
  215-898-7341
  english.upenn.edu

Ohio Northern University Talent Award

• English majors who are interested in creative writing should consider Northern Ohio University. A talent award of up to $12,000 is offered to incoming freshmen and is renewable every year. To be eligible for the award, you must be accepted at the university. The award is decided on merit. To apply, you will need to submit a portfolio of written work and a letter of recommendation from a sponsor who is a high school English teacher. The writing samples in the portfolio may be essays, research papers, school newspaper articles, personal journal selections, and original creative writing. The latter can include poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

  Talent Awards
  c/o Dr. Eva McManus
  Department of English
  Northern Ohio University
  525 S. Main St.
  Ada, OH 45810
  419-772-2000
  new.nou.edu

Rice University Research and Travel Grants

• The English Department of Rice University offers a research and travel grant to finance summer research projects for English majors. The grant is sponsored by the David and Caroline Minter summer scholar program. There are four grants offered each summer, which range from $750 to $3,000. The money may be used for either a research project or a creative-writing project. Recipients of the grant have used it to study the history of Shakespeare at the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. Other recipients have used the grant to do research on the Spanish American War at the National Archives in Washington D.C. To apply for the grant, the student should submit: 1) a one-page statement describing the project, 2) a detailed budget for the project, 3) a letter of recommendation from an English department sponsor, and 4) a five-page writing sample.

  Department of English
  Rice University
  6100 Main St., MS 30
  Houston, TX 77005
  713-348-2666
  english.rice.edu