Scholarships at Stanford University

Stanford VPUE Major Grants support undergraduate student-driven, full-time immersive summer research, arts, or senior synthesis projects under faculty mentorship, with priority given to juniors beginning honors theses or capstone work. The grant provides an $8,500 core stipend for a 10-week summer commitment, plus a possible $1,500 need-based supplement. Applicants submit a proposal of up to 2,500 words by March 1, 2027, with a faculty mentor letter due March 8, 2027. Recipients must work at least 35 hours per week and may not hold another full-time summer commitment without prior written approval.

Stanford VPUE Conference Grants support undergraduates who have been accepted to present their own scholarly or creative work at professional conferences, festivals, or conventions with competitive peer-reviewed selection and multi-generational presenters. Stipends up to $1,500 may cover travel, registration, food, and lodging for conferences more than 50 miles from campus. Applications are due on the first of each month from October through May, with faculty mentor letters due the seventh. Each student may receive only one Conference Grant per academic year, and graduating seniors may apply for conferences within one quarter of degree conferral.

Predoctoral, postdoctoral, and junior faculty researchers working on nuclear security policy, nuclear terrorism or nonproliferation, or nuclear energy may apply. This is an in-residence fellowship at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation for one academic year of research and writing. Award amounts vary. Applicants are considered for all eligible CISAC fellowships, including the Nuclear Security Fellowship.

Citizens and residents of all countries may apply to Knight-Hennessy Scholars if they earned a first bachelor's degree in January 2020 or later (January 2018 or later for U.S. military veterans) and are applying concurrently to a full-time Stanford graduate degree program starting in the same year. Scholars receive up to three years of funding: tuition and associated fees, a living and academic stipend, an annual economy travel stipend, a one-time relocation stipend, and optional supplemental academic enrichment funds. The Knight-Hennessy application is separate from but concurrent with Stanford graduate admission. It includes essays, recommendations, and evidence of independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and a civic mindset. Knight-Hennessy Scholars is a multidisciplinary leadership development program at Stanford University preparing graduate students to tackle difficult global challenges.

The Lunsford Award for Oral Presentation of Research at Stanford University honors innovative oral and multimedia presentations that undergraduates create in PWR 2 and Write 2 courses. The award emphasizes presentations that blend strong research with dynamic delivery and multimedia elements, reflecting the complexity of second-year writing and rhetoric projects. Since 2009-2010, two winners are selected each quarter, and all winners and nominees are invited to a May awards ceremony. Instructors submit nominations quarterly; there is no separate student application process for this presentation prize.

The Firestone Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Research at Stanford University honors the top ten percent of honors theses completed each year in the social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. Awardees receive an engraved bronze medal and a monetary award, and are recognized at the annual Undergraduate Medals Celebration during Commencement Weekend. Departments and honors programs nominate theses based on originality, research method, field value, argument quality, and presentation. Students who submit a final honors thesis between Summer 2025 and Spring 2026 are eligible for the 2026 competition; nominations are due to VPUE in week eight of spring quarter.

The David M. Kennedy Honors Thesis Prize at Stanford University is awarded to the single best honors thesis in each of four areas: humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering and applied sciences. Established in 2008 to honor history professor David M. Kennedy's mentoring of undergraduate writers, winners receive an engraved plaque and monetary award and also receive a Firestone or Golden Medal. Recipients demonstrate exceptionally advanced research with strong potential for peer-reviewed publication. Departments nominate eligible theses to VPUE; all Kennedy Prize recipients are recognized at the Undergraduate Medals Celebration during Commencement Weekend.