OUR Scholars

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) continues the research scholarship program to recognize undergraduate student engagement in original research, scholarship, or creative work under the guidance of a Purdue faculty or approved mentor. These annual, non-renewable, academic scholarships, in the amount of $1,000 ($500 per semester) and disbursed through the Division of Financial Aid, are funded through an equal matching agreement between the OUR and each of the participating Colleges and Schools except for the Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies which continues to fully fund their projects.

OUR Scholars are full-time undergraduate researchers who excel in their programs. OUR Scholars are determined for a full academic year and must meet certain program requirements, such as presenting at the annual Undergraduate Research Conference or "Celebrate..." (when available) events and completing wraparound professional development.

Applications are now open for the 2023-24 OUR Scholars cohort.

OUR Scholar Qualifications

• Full-time student (minimum of 12 credit hours) in good academic standing at the West Lafayette campus who are working towards their first bachelor's degree - including PharmD students who have not been awarded a bachelor's degree - for the entire 2023-24 academic year.
• Work on the same, year-long project for two academic semesters (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024).
• Students with multiple majors (including students in the John Martinson Honors College) may only submit applications through a single college or school for application review.
• Purdue Polytechnic Institute projects: Proposed research projects from students in the Polytechnic Institute must align with one or more of the Polytechnic research impact areas:  Realizing the Digital Enterprise, Future Work and Learning, and Holistic Safety and Security.  Descriptions for each can be found on the Polytechnic research office website.  Faculty support letters must describe how proposed projects are in alignment with one or more research impact areas.
• Previous OUR Scholar recipients are not eligible.

OUR Scholars Expectations

• Enroll and earn a passing grade in an approved one-credit undergraduate research online course in the Fall and Spring semester. 
• Present research at the Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference in the spring or the Celebrate Purdue's Thinkers, Creators, and Experimenters showcase in the spring, if available.
• Submit end-of-the-semester self-reflection papers through the online course assignments.
• Failure to meet these requirements may result in a full or partial scholarship revocation.

 Sponsoring Academic Units:
College of Agriculture · College of Education · College of Engineering · College of Health & Human Sciences · College of Liberal Arts · College of Pharmacy · College of Science · John Martinson Honors College · Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business · Purdue Polytechnic Institute · Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies

Scholarship Opportunity for Summer 2023 - Open

Summer Session has dedicated summer scholarships in an optional program for a limited number of OUR Scholars. Current and incoming OUR Scholars could receive up to $2,500 to defray tuition expenses to either extend (AY 2022-23 Scholars) or begin (AY 2023-24 Scholars) their research in Summer 2023. This scholarship requires full-time summer enrollment (minimum 7 credits: including a one-credit, online course hosted by the OUR from this list) and a minimum of 140 hours spent contributing to their faculty-led OUR Scholars project. There is no additional expense to the colleges and schools for these scholarships.

Decisions to receive this summer scholarship should be emailed to Angie Welshimer no later than April 21, 2023.