To apply for the TruScholars Summer Undergraduate Research Program, students should first identify a Truman faculty or staff member who agrees to serve as the student’s research mentor, then work with the research mentor to prepare the application materials.

Students are encouraged to work with their faculty mentor well in advance of the deadline, as the proposal is intended to be a collaborative process and application materials will take time and energy to prepare.

Selection Criteria & Process

Applications will be scored by faculty according to the TruScholars Evaluation Rubric (NEW – Updated January 2026).

The application process is competitive – each summer, around 12-15 grants are awarded, depending on funding availability.

Required formatting rules and detailed guidelines/advice can be found here.

Read the rubric, rules, and guidelines carefully – this was all updated in January 2026.

Reviewers are not necessarily in the student’s area of study, so applications should be geared towards a multi-disciplinary audience and unexplained, technical terminology should be avoided.

Application Requirements

Proposal

Organize your proposal in the following order with the following headings as specified, all in one single document:

Title
I. Background and Contribution to Broader Scholarship
II. Research Goals and Project Objectives
III. Research Methodology and Project Design
IV. Educational Benefits
V. Timeline*
VI. Budget*
VII. References*

There is a strict 1500 word maximum limit on the project proposal inclusive of the Title, sections I, II, III, and IV and all headings and figure legends. If you are including any diagrams, charts, pictures, or images necessary for the proposal, do not go over 6 pages total for sections I – IV. *Timeline, Budget, and References are excluded from the word/page limit.

Proposals that go over the word/page limit will be automatically disqualified. 

To protect the anonymous process, do not include your name anywhere in the proposal at all and do not include your name in the title of a saved document. You can save the document as “Tru Scholars Proposal” or use the title of your project.

Violations of the anonymity rule result in automatic disqualification.

Submit as a PDF only. Use 12 point font, 1.5 spacing, 1″ margins, and include page numbers in upper left corner.

Please carefully read the rubric and required formatting rules and guidelines document linked above.

Funding

TruScholars projects may request up to $5,750 in funds. Funds may be requested from one or more of the budget categories (student stipend, faculty mentor stipend, and supplies/travel expenses). Funds cannot be transferred between budget categories once the 8-week program period has begun. All expenses must follow University guidelines. All funds must be used by the last day of the program period.

Project funds may cover stipends for the student (max. $3,500) and faculty mentor (max. $1,750). Funding for supplies and travel to conduct the research may also be included but does not have a maximum value as long as the total budget does not exceed $5,750. The maximum funds that can be requested from each budget category are outlined below:

Only one TruScholars application per project per year is allowed. Only one student can be awarded the TruScholars project grant. Stipends cannot be split among multiple students, so only the student awarded the TruScholars grant can receive a stipend. Additional people, whether co-investigators or research participants, cannot be paid through TruScholars funds. Incentives for research participants should be an item (gift cards are not allowed by the Business Office) purchased through supply funds.

Please note that all supplies and travel must be necessary to conduct research and utilized during the TruScholars period. Travel to present results of research or other ancillary travel is NOT a permitted expense.

Faculty may mentor any number of students in the TruScholars Program but can receive a maximum stipend of $3,500 for mentoring two or more students.

IRB or IACUC Plan

Only required if the research involves human or animal subjects, written by student and mentor

The following should be included:

• A plan to acquire approval from the Institutional Review Board or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee before the start of the research project
• A statement describing the status of the IRB or IACUC submission (in progress, approved, intending to apply by a certain date)

Funds will not be dispersed until IRB or IACUC approval is granted.

Mentoring Plan

The Mentor Plan is worth 10% of the overall proposal score.

It is written by the faculty mentor, submitted by the student. Students are encouraged to work with their mentor well in advance of the deadline as the mentoring plan is integral to the overall proposal.

In order to attempt to make this a blind review process, faculty should NOT use the student’s name in the mentoring plan – use “student” or something similar.

The following should be addressed by the faculty mentor:

• Provide a clear plan for mentoring, including how you will meet or check in with the student weekly (or more often)
• Describe how you will monitor and assess progress, tailored to this student and project
• Highlight your relevant expertise, experience, and available resources, and how these support the project’s goals
• Explain your role in designing the project and how you will guide the student through each stage
  Indicate your level of availability and the type of support you will provide to help the student grow professionally
• Emphasize how your mentorship will enable the student to grow professionally and develop skills, knowledge, or creative practice

Please see the rubric for assessment criteria the mentoring plan will be graded upon.

2 pages maximum (standard 12 point font, 1.5 spacing)

Faculty Mentor Availability Form

Mentors should also fill out the PDF form – student will upload the completed form along with the application.

Note that this is a PDF form, with fields that should be filled out in the PDF file itself. The completed form can be saved in Acrobat Reader using the “Save As…” command in the file menu.