Senior Scholars Program

The Senior Scholars Program is designed to support upper-level undergraduate students as they deepen their research experience and expertise. This program provides funding for students to continue their research project alongside the Primary Investigator (PI) from their previous years of study, with a focus on promoting academic excellence, professional development, and preparation for post-graduation success.   

Program Requirements

To participate in the Senior Scholars Program, students and Primary Investigators must meet academic, research, and funding requirements.

Requirements for Students

Selected students will be required to:

  1. Work 7-10 hours per week on the research.
  2. Attend two (2) Professional Development Activities per semester.
    1. Please see schedule below, as dates and times are already set.
  3. Complete the mid-year and year-end assessment surveys.
  4. As part of the Senior Scholars Program, students are required to disseminate their work in the three following ways:
    1. Submit an abstract and present at the Fall OR Spring Symposium of Student Scholars;
    2. Present at an additional conference, this can be discipline-specific or a general undergraduate research conference;
    3. Follow-through with the publication process of the manuscript from the Junior Scholars Program with the previously identified scholarly, peer-reviewed journal (either a student-focused journal or a collaborative submission to a professional journal with the student as a co-author).
      • If initial submission is denied, actively work on revisions to submit to another peer-reviewed journal.

Requirements for Primary Investigators (PIs)

As this program provides a funding resource for the accepted research projects, the Office of Undergraduate Research maintains these requirements for all Primary Investigators (PIs) accepted into the program. 

The PIs will be required to:

  • Supervise the student(s) on research over the next academic year.
  • Complete the mid-year and year-end evaluation surveys for each matched student.
  • Commit a minimum of 1-hour to judge at the Symposium of Student Scholars, each semester.
  • As part of the Senior Scholars Program, PIs are required to guide students in disseminating their work in the three following ways:
    • Submit an abstract and present at the Fall OR Spring Symposium of Student Scholars;
    • Present at an additional conference, this can be discipline-specific or a general undergraduate research conference;
    • Follow-through with the publication process of the manuscript from the Junior Scholars Program with the previously identified scholarly, peer-reviewed journal (either a student-focused journal or a collaborative submission to a professional journal with the student as a co-author).
      • If initial submission is denied, actively work on revisions to submit to another peer-reviewed journal.

These requirements, particularly the progress reports and surveys, are vital to collecting data on how the funding is being utilized, as we rely on the PIs to relay this information to us. Should an audit of Office of Undergraduate Research funding usage be requested, this is our current reporting method.

Failure to fulfill these requirements will result in ineligibility for 1-year of future funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Please email our@kennesaw.edu if you have any questions. 

In order to be eligible, the following requirements must be met: 

  1. The student and Primary Investigator (PI) worked together in the First-Year Scholars, Sophomore, and Junior Scholars Programs.
  2. The student and PI completed required assessment surveys at the end of the First-Year Scholars, Sophomore, and Junior Scholars Programs.
  3. The student completed all required activities as part of the First-Year Scholars, Sophomore, and Junior Scholars Programs.
  4. The student is listed in the program as a presenter at the Symposium of Student Scholars.
  5. The student remains enrolled at Kennesaw State University for the full academic year.
  6. The student has a 3.0 GPA or higher.
  7. Both the student and PI have a strong track record of successfully completing program requirements for participation in any other Office of Undergraduate Research funding programs within the last academic year. 
  • Senior Scholars receive $1,000 in the Fall and $1,000 in the Spring. They are expected to work on the research project for 7-10 hours per week, attend professional development workshops and complete mid-year and year-end surveys.
  • Primary Investigators (PIs) receive $1,000 per student. These funds must be used to support the Senior Scholars Program project.
    • PIs will create a budget for their project in the application. Please contact us at our@kennesaw.edu with questions regarding allowable expenses.
    • Funding that cannot be used for the purposes described in the application will be forfeited.

Application Process

The application for the 2026-2027 academic year opens on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. 

The application process is to be initiated by the Primary Investigator (PI), by logging into InfoReady and filling out the initial application (please use your KSU credentials) which was due on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 11:59pm. 

Once submitted, the student section is automatically routed to the student for completion on Monday, March 30, 2026 at 11:59pm. 

PI's may list one student per application. If the project included more than one student in the First-Year, Sophomore, and Junior Scholars Programs from previous consecutive years, and the PI would like for each of them to be considered, a separate application for each student is required. Additionally, each students' outcomes and description must be tailored to each individual student in each respective application. 

Please reference the application components tabs below to see what you can expect from the application then, when it is made available, click the apply now button to access the InfoReady application platform.

Apply here

The application process is to be initiated by the Primary Investigator (PI), by logging into InfoReady and filling out the initial application, as detailed below:

  1. Your name
  2. Your KSU email address
  3. Your KSU organization
  4. Academic Year Commitment Acknowledgment
  5. If applicable, list any co-PIs on the project
    1. Co-PI name
    2. Co-PI KSU email
    3. Co-PI college affiliation
    4. Co-PI department affiliation
  6. Student Name
  7. Student KSU ID
  8. Student major
  9. Office of Undergraduate Research Funding Received in the last Three (3) Fiscal Years.
    1. Please select and add all sources of funding you and/or your students received from the Office of Undergraduate Research for the past three fiscal years.
  10. Previous Funding Outcomes
    1. What outcomes emerged from the three years of funding noted on the previous page?
  11. Project Title
  12. Project Description
  13. Program Readiness Statement of Support (If you are submitting applications for more than one student, ensure that the outcomes and description are specific to each individual student for each respective application.)
  14. PI Research Portfolio
  15. Does this research project align with any of the Research Communities?
  16. Budget Table Submission

Once the PI completes their section, students are required to fill out all questions included in the InfoReady application as follows:

  1. What will be your student status as of Fall 2026?
  2. Student Interest Essay (300 words maximum)
    1. Describe your experiences in the First-Year, Sophomore, and Junior Scholars Programs. What do you hope to gain by continuing the experience? For example, what did you learn last year and what do you hope to learn this year? How will the Senior Scholars experience assist you in achieving your goals, both in the next few years and after graduation?
  3. Other Dissemination of Research (500 words maximum)
    1. As part of the Senior Scholars Program, students are required to disseminate their work in the following ways: present at the Symposium of Student Scholars; present at a disciplinary conference or undergraduate research conference; submit a manuscript for publication to a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal. In consultation with your mentor, describe your research dissemination plans and specific targets for the upcoming year. For the manuscript, please include a month-to-month timeline of completion.

Dates and Deadlines

Professional Development Activites

Date Time Location Topic
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Wilson Student Center Meeting Room 216 [Marietta Campus] Senior Scholars Orientation
Thursday, September 17, 2026 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Academic Learning Center (ALC) 5500 [Kennesaw Campus] Senior Scholars Orientation
September - December You will book this based on your availability. Book Your Appointment Career Coaching appt –  completed by December 7, 2026 at 11:59pm
Wednesday, February 17, 2027 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Wilson Student Center Meeting Room 216 [Marietta Campus] Interview Skills
Thursday, February 18, 2027 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Academic Learning Center (ALC) 5500 [Kennesaw Campus]  Interview Skills
January - May You will book this based on your availability. Book Your Appointment Individual Leadership Coaching – completed by April 26, 2027 at 11:59pm

Stipends and Progress Reports

Date Event/Activity
By Friday, October 9, 2026 First Fall Stipends should be received
Friday, December 11 at 11:59pm Student and PI Mid-Year Surveys due
By Friday, February 5, 2027 Spring Stipends should be received
Friday, April 30, 2027 at 11:59pm

Student and PI Year-End Surveys* due 

 

*PI Survey will include uploading proof of conference presentation, the manuscript final draft, AND proof of submission to the chosen journal.

Available Resources