Grants and Writing Resources for the University of Georgia

In April 2026 two UGA juniors were named Barry Goldwater Scholars, a mechanical engineering major and a physics and astronomy major, out of 454 undergraduates chosen nationally. Both started research in their current labs in the spring of their first year. That summer UGA led the nation with 18 Boren Scholars, a record for the university. Sixteen of them will study Russian in Kazakhstan or Portuguese in Brazil.

Research Money From CURO

The Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities gives 500 CURO Research Awards a year. Each is a $1,000 scholarship for one semester of faculty-mentored research in any discipline, and a student can hold it more than once. The mentor may sit in another department or college if the work serves the student's program of study. Recipients present at the spring CURO Symposium.

The Summer Research Fellowship pays $3,000 for at least 320 hours of summer research. Applicants write a proposal of up to 500 words for a general audience and a personal statement of the same length, and the mentor sends a letter. Fellows present twice, at a Final Forum in late July and at the next CURO Symposium. Undergraduates invited to present at a conference in the United States can ask for a Conference Participation Grant of up to $1,000 toward registration, travel, lodging and meals, one per academic year.

The Symposium, Paper Prizes and JURO

The annual CURO Symposium is where UGA undergraduates present research to the community. Any presenter may enter the Best Paper Awards, judged in eight categories that run from life sciences to public service and outreach. Each winner receives a certificate and $100 at the Keynote Session. The UGA Libraries' Undergraduate Research Award is open to every undergraduate, with cash prizes from $250 to $1,000. Entries can be essays, fiction, websites, games, music or art, and judges look at creativity, clarity of expression and reflection on the research process.

Best Paper entrants can also ask faculty to consider their papers for JURO, the Journal for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. It is a student-run, faculty-reviewed digital journal of UGA undergraduate research.

Fellowships and Graduate Awards

The Morehead Honors College's major scholarships office advises on national and international awards such as Fulbright and Boren. Staff help with drafting a personal statement, program of study statement, research proposal and CV, and with recommendations and interviews.

Graduate students don't apply directly for Graduate School awards; programs nominate them. The Presidential Graduate Fellow Award adds $10,000 a year to an assistantship for four years, plus $1,000 a year for travel. Doctoral Fellows receive a $7,000 supplement for four years and Master's Fellows $4,000 for two. The Dissertation Completion Award goes to doctoral students who expect to graduate in the award year and frees them from teaching while they write. The Summer Doctoral Research Assistantship funds candidates in the fine arts, humanities and selected social science and professional programs who have no other summer support.

Graduate School Travel Grants cover up to $1,200 for a conference in the contiguous 48 states and up to $1,700 for one abroad. The student must be the primary author presenting thesis or dissertation results. Each student may receive two in a lifetime, and the Director of Graduate Studies or a graduate program administrator submits the application.

Writing Help and the Format Check

The UGA Writing Center works with undergraduates and graduate students on any type of writing, at any stage from brainstorming to a full draft. Consultants meet students in Park Hall, the Science Library and the Miller Learning Center. The limit is one appointment a week. Consultants teach self-editing and don't proofread entire papers.

The Graduate School's Theses and Dissertations Style Guide sets the format. Staff in the Graduation Office check each document through the ETD site and send back any formatting corrections before final submission. The guide makes the student responsible for proofreading and the major professor responsible for seeing that the guide is followed. Approved work is archived in ProQuest and the University Library System. The UGA Libraries' theses and dissertations page explains how to find full text from 1999 on, and notes that some authors restrict access for two years after graduation.

Before a UGA thesis goes to the Graduation Office, or a paper goes to a CURO judge, our editors can give it a final edit for grammar, consistency and format. See our University of Georgia dissertation and thesis editing and University of Georgia essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• The Secret to Better Grades: Starting Your Writing Process Early
• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• ProQuest Readiness: The Final Mechanical Audit