Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Program

The Graduate Summer Research Mentorship (GSRM) program’s last cohort completed the program in summer 2026. Awardees and mentors who are completing the evaluation process are invited to use this page as a reference. Applications will not be accepted for this program for summer 2027.

GSRM Program is designed to provide financial support to UCLA doctoral students in order to release recipients from employment or loan obligations that might delay progress in graduate study. Awardees should consider it as their primary summer activity.

A specific objective of the program is to promote opportunities for students to work closely with a faculty mentor in developing a paper for presentation at an academic conference and/or for publication. General goals are to facilitate close working relationships between faculty and students during the early stages of graduate education, to promote timely degree progress, and to encourage creative scholarship and research productivity.

 

Eligibility

Eligibility

The program is open to UCLA doctoral students who:

  1. Are in the arts, humanities, social sciences, public health, nursing, and institute of environment and sustainability (IoES) whose field of study areas are within the traditional eligibility areas listed. (Please contact the GSRM coordinator for any clarification as to the eligible IoES fields).
  2. Are in year one, two or three of UCLA doctoral study at the time of application; priority will be given to students currently (at the time of application) in year one or two of doctoral study, and to students who have not already received a GSRM award.
  3. Have not yet advanced to doctoral candidacy.
  4. Are US citizens, permanent residents, international or undocumented students who are eligible for an AB540 exemption. For international students, funding is subject to eligibility in regards to visa type. For those with an AB540 exemption, funding will be provided only if AB131 is still in effect for the duration of the award.
  5. Have been continuously enrolled/registered in 12 units the previous Spring and will be continuously enrolled/registered in 12 units the following Fall. If these conditions are not met, the awardee will be required to repay the summer award.
  6. Have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA at time of award (i.e., at time of payment disbursement).
  7. In addition to maintaining points 1-6 during the course of the award period, students are required to submit a program evaluation and a draft of their summer project once the award period is complete. Failure to do so will result in the repayment of the award. Students who do not fulfill this will also be ineligible for the award in future summers.

A student cannot hold the GSRM if they have an existing award that requires them to dedicate 100% effort on the activity (i.e. NSF-GRFP Tenure, etc.).

If a post-audit reveals other funding sources that require 100% effort during the summer, the GSRM will be cancelled, and the student will need to repay the entire award.

Students may apply for the GSRM in only one doctoral degree program and may receive the award only twice. In addition, prior year recipients who did not complete the program evaluation nor submit their paper will not be considered for future applications.

Award

Award Amount

Program participants will receive a maximum $6,000 in financial support. The funds will be disbursed monthly.

Expectations

Program Expectations

GSRM awardees are expected to complete and submit a draft of a paper (either single-authored by the student or co-authored with the faculty mentor) by the end of the summer through the GSRM Program Evaluation. This paper should be submitted for presentation at a professional conference and/or for publication sometime during the following academic year (October-June). This is a program requirement.

It is expected that the faculty mentor will be in frequent contact with the awardee during the summer and committed to working closely with the student. Awardees and mentors must complete a program evaluation at the end of summer. The GSRM coordinator will send out the survey link for the program evaluation near the end of the program and will specify the deadline at that time.

If the program evaluation and paper are not submitted by the end of the program, recipients may be required to repay the award and will not be considered if applying for this award in subsequent years.

GSRM awardees may not work more than 50% time in total. Furthermore, awardees should be mindful that by accepting funding, they are declaring that this will be their primary activity in the summer.

Should a post-audit discover appointment(s) above 50%, the GSRM award will be prorated and reduced accordingly.

Program Dates

Program Dates

The 13-week program begins June 15, 2026, and ends September 12, 2026.

Hints to Prepare a Strong Proposal and Faculty Letter of Recommendation

A strong application will contain the following:

  • The mentoring relationship is a key component in this award. The faculty mentor’s letter of recommendation must address the following:
    • Specific mentoring activities and plans that will prepare the applicant’s summer research for publication or conference presentation;
    • A clear plan for meetings, progress reports, research development, and expectations for final paper to be presented at a conference and/or for publication
  • The applicant’s research overview should be written so that the work will be understandable and its significance appreciated by faculty who may not be expert in the applicant’s field.
  • The description of the research paper should present the following, as appropriate to the subject:
    • The question(s), thesis or hypothesis being addressed;
    • The project scope and research approach, plan or methodology;
    • A synopsis of any preliminary findings, results and/or analysis;
    • The significance, creativity, originality and/or and impact of the work.
  • The relevance and significance of the mentoring activities to the achieving the project goals should be clearly articulated.
  • If you have already received a GSRM award, briefly describe how the award enabled you to advance your research skills and progress and note any presentations and/or publications you have authored or co-authored since receiving the award. Explain why a second GSRM award is justified, as they are made only in exceptional cases.
  • Reviewers will evaluate all applications holistically, with particular attention to the:
    • Overall quality of project and proposal;
    • Applicant’s readiness for this mentoring award;
    • Applicant’s academic record, as reflected in his/her transcripts;
    • Mentor’s recommendation.

Publicizing Awardees

The name and home department of GSRM awardees may be published on the Division of Graduate Education’s website, in its publications and/or posted on its bulletin boards and other Division of Graduate Education venues for educational purposes.  Awardees who do not want their information published must check the “Do Not Consent” box when returning the award contract (Offer of Support).

Contact

askgrad@grad.ucla.edu
Fellowships and Financial Services, 1228 Murphy Hall