University of Richmond

Graduate Research

Research is an integral part of graduate study in all disciplines. To encourage and support research by graduate students, the University has established the Graduate Research Program. Eligible students may apply for funding to assist in defraying the costs of conducting research and disseminating its results to the scholarly community.

Students may apply for graduate research grants to conduct research and travel grants to  present research.  Students who travel overseas to conduct or present research must contact Michelle Cox in the Office of International Education at (804) 289-8838 at least one month prior to departure to ensure that your travel documents have been properly submitted.

Eligibility

Graduate research grants and travel grants are available to

  1. Regular Arts and Sciences graduate students, full-time and part-time, who have been admitted to and are actively pursuing a degree program.
  2. Recent degree recipients for assistance in publishing or presenting at professional meetings the results of research conducted as graduate students in the University of Richmond.

Special unclassified students, those not admitted to a degree program, are not eligible to receive grants.

Examples of Items That May be Funded

Listed below are items that may be covered, in full or in part, by the Graduate Research Program. Funding is not necessarily limited to the items in this list, nor is the funding of items listed necessarily assured.
  1. Costs for special equipment, materials, and supplies (limited to those items not normally provided by the student's major department).
  2. Charges for services not normally supplied by the Academic Computer Center and the University libraries (e.g., special computer costs, literature searches).
  3. Travel expenses to facilitate research or to present the results of research at professional meetings. Costs that may be covered include transportation, lodging, meals, and registration fees.
  4. Expenses incident with the preparation of papers for presentation at professional meetings or for publication.
  5. Publication costs including page charges for articles in professional journals and charges for off-prints or reprints.

Charges for publication of thesis abstracts and selected theses with University Microfilms International will be covered automatically by the Graduate School. No application is necessary.

Application Procedures

  1. Applications for a graduate research grant must be made using the graduate research grant form. Applications for a travel grant to present research must be made using the travel grant form.
  2. Applicants must have their proposals endorsed by a supervising faculty member (letter of support in a signed, sealed envelope must be attached to the proposal).
  3. A separate application is required for each project for which a grant is requested.
  4. An application may be submitted individually or jointly by two or more eligible students.
  5. If a research proposal involves use of animal or human participants, approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or Institutional Review Board for Protection of Human Participants (IRB) must be obtained before an award will be made.
  6. Completed applications are to be submitted to the Graduate School Office. Deadlines are:
    • September 15 for fall semester projects
    • December 1 for spring semester projects
    • April 15 for projects that will begin in the summer or early fall.
  7. Applications are evaluated by the Arts & Sciences Graduate Council. The Director of the Graduate School will notify applicants in writing of the results of their applications before the end of the month in which their applications are considered.
  8. At the time a grant is made, an expiration date will be established consistent with the projected timetable contained in the application. Extensions beyond the original expiration date may be granted by the Director of the Graduate School upon petition by the recipient. To receive consideration, such petition must be endorsed by the supervising faculty member.

Disbursement Procedures

  1. Upon notification by the Dean of the Graduate School, the Accounting Office will establish an account in the name of the recipient for the amount of the grant and notify the recipient of the account number.
  2. Direct payment to providers of goods and services can be made by the Accounting Office upon submission of the provider's invoice accompanied by the grant recipient's written request to make payment.
  3. Advances for international travel may be obtained by submitting a University Check Request form to the Director of the Graduate School for approval and then forwarded to the Accounting Office. Within one week following completion of travel for which an advance is made, a Statement of Travel Expense form and appropriate vouchers and receipts must be furnished to the Director of the Graduate School for approval and then forwarded to the Accounting Office.
  4. Reimbursement for travel expenses incurred may be obtained by submitting to the Director of the Graduate School a Statement of Travel Expense form accompanied by appropriate vouchers and receipts.
  5. Funds will not be available for student use beyond the expiration date established at the time of the award. All funds remaining in the student's account will revert to the University upon the expiration date. (See Application procedures #8 for procedures to amend the expiration date.)

Conditions

The following conditions apply to any grant from the Graduate Research Fund:

  1. An applicant may not be reimbursed for an expense incurred before an application is approved.
  2. Whenever feasible, equipment, materials, and supplies are to be purchased through the University Purchasing Agent.
  3. Special equipment and materials and unused supplies become the property of the University at the conclusion of the research project.
  4. A recipient of a grant who leaves the University or is dropped from a program must return all unexpended funds to the University.
  5. Any publication resulting from a project supported by a grant shall include an appropriate acknowledgement of assistance from the University of Richmond.
  6. Grant recipients must agree to submit to the Dean of the Graduate School a final report containing: (1) a summary of what was accomplished on the project during the period of the grant, and (2) an itemized list of expenditures. The report is due no later than thirty days after the end of the period for which the grant was given. If a publication (other than a thesis abstract or thesis) or a presentation at a professional meeting resulted from the grant, the report shall be accompanied by a copy of the publication or the program listing the presentation.