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Maryland Summer Scholars

The Maryland Summer Scholars Program (MSS) provides opportunities for University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) undergraduates to spend much of the summer working closely with faculty mentors on ambitious research, scholarly, or artistic projects. The MSS program provides awards of $3,000 to approximately 25-30 outstanding undergraduates each summer.

Scholars may conduct their summer research on the College Park campus or elsewhere in the U.S. or abroad as required by the nature of the project. Students whose projects require travel for an extended period of time to off campus locations (not to include regular commuting) may submit a travel supplement request as directed in the online application form.

Many Summer Scholars expand their summer research into an independent study or honors thesis project the following autumn semester, and find that their research experience helps distinguish their applications for graduate study, fellowships, internships, employment and other competitive opportunities.

To be eligible to apply for an MSS award students must:

  • Have earned 12 or more UMD course credits (not including AP or IB credits) by the date of the application deadline;
  • Have a cumulative UMD GPA of 3.40 or higher by the date of the application deadline; and
  • Expect to receive their undergraduate degree no earlier than December 2023.
  1. A completed and submitted online application form (see "Apply Now" link in the information box above).
  2. A student-written summer research proposal (see "Project Proposal Elements and Advice" page) uploaded to the application
  3. A letter of recommendation from a UMD faculty member addressing the merit of the proposed summer research and the student's qualification to undertake that project, and a brief description of their plans for providing suitable mentoring/advising for the project. Please note: If an appropriate UMD expert does not have a faculty appointment, but has a position of comparable expertise/responsibility at the University, that is acceptable. Please see the FAQ page if you are certain that an appropriate expert cannot be found at the University of Maryland.
  4. A second letter of recommendation which may be from a secondary mentor/advisor for the summer research project or a general academic reference addressing the student¹s academic abilities and potential. Both recommendation letters should be emailed to ugresearch@umd.edu.
  5. An unofficial University of Maryland transcript including any coursework/grades from the fall semester preceding the date of the application deadline. The transcript should be uploaded to the application.

Please note: The MSS application platform allows students to upload their project proposals and transcripts directly to the application rather than emailing them as separate documents. However, some ad and data-collection blockers can interfere with the new MSS application. If you find that the MSS application is not loading on your computer, please disable all blockers and try again.

Summer Scholars will be required to:

  • Complete a concise research report, or submit a specified alternative final product of their research;
  • Present a poster describing their work at Undergraduate Research Day in the Spring following their Summer award. Undergraduate Research Day usually takes place on the last Wednesday in April in the Stamp Student Union. Students who will have graduated in December are exempt from presenting at Undergraduate Research Day.

Students are encouraged to apply for any sources of funding that can assist in supporting their summer research plans. However, for students accepting MSS awards, the MSS award should constitute the sole UMD-related source of funding for their proposed MSS research. Students will be free to decline MSS awards in favor of alternate funding, if that is preferable. MSS awardees should notify MCUR promptly if they expect to receive support specifically for their summer research from additional sources. MSS awards may only be used to support the research proposed in the MSS application. MSS awards may not be used to provide supplementary support for students admitted to NSF REU, NIST SURF, or similar summer research programs that provide funding to participants.

This is the rubric used by readers in the selection of Maryland Summer Scholars.

Criteria Excellent (3 points) Good (2 points) Fair (1 point) Weak (0 points)
Academic merit and significance Proposal strongly shows how project addresses substantive questions/problems in context of its field(s) of study and mentor’s research* (* where applicable) Proposal clearly states how project addresses substantive questions/problems in context of its field(s) of study and mentor’s research* Proposal discusses project in relation to substantive questions/problems in its field(s) of study or mentor’s research,* but does not make clear connections Proposal does not show adequate awareness of substantive questions/problems in its field(s) of study or mentor’s research*
Academic/ other relevant preparation Student is strongly prepared by academic and other relevant experience to carry out project Student has sufficient academic and other relevant preparation to carry out the project Student has some academic or other preparation for project, or does not clearly present preparation Student does not describe adequate academic or other preparation for project
Clarity, adequacy, and feasibility of research plan Research plan is clear and well-detailed; proposed methods and timeline are appropriate for project Research plan is clear; proposed methods/timeline are sufficient for project Research plan lacks clarity; methods/timeline are vague or may not realistically account for activities proposed Research plan is unclear; methods/timeline are inadequate or inappropriate for activities proposed
Student initiative and responsibility Student creativity, initiative, and understanding is evident in project design, and student is responsible for principal activities, including analysis Student show good grasp of project design, and is responsible for principal activities, including analysis Student addresses project design, and is responsible for substantial activities, but not significantly involved in analysis Student does not address project design, carries out less substantial activities, and is not involved in analysis
Suitability of mentoring plan Mentor provides strong, detailed support for project; provides a clear mentoring plan Mentor provides strong, general support for project; provides a clear mentoring plan Mentor provides general support for project; provides a mentoring plan in vague terms Mentor expresses limited support for project; inadequate mentoring plan
Impact of project on student’s development SStudent persuasively explains relevance of project to own academic and career aims Student clearly describes relevance of project to own academic and career aims some connections between project and own academic and career aims Student’s project does not appear to be well related to academic and career aims

Recorded Information Session

Want to learn more? Contact ugresearch@umd.edu to schedule an appointment, or fill out this survey to gain access to our listserv and ELMS resource page. 

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