Student Awards for Research & Creativity (SARC)

The Award

The Provost's Student Awards for Research and Creativity are grants available to students at CSU, Chico to complete original projects under the guidance of faculty or staff advisors. The awards are made available three times a year from funds allocated by the Provost. Grants for projects undertaken during the Fall and Spring semesters may be up to $850 for undergrads and $1,700 for graduate students. The Summer awards may be up to $2,500 for undergrads and up to $5,000 for graduate students.  

SARC Q&A's - Email Us Your Questions!  sarc@csuchico.edu

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must propose an original project, including an explanation of how the project requires funding. Projects can be considered original if they are a replication of previous studies or works that include changes that might expand the research or creative project.
• Applicants must have a faculty or staff mentor.
• Applicants must not have received a SARC award before, unless the faculty or staff mentor first seeks special permission from the SARC Review Committee. It is acceptable to re-apply for a SARC award as a graduate student if the applicant received a SARC award as an undergraduate.
• Joint proposals are allowable, but if two sets of funds are being requested, then two unique (separate) proposals (one by each student) should be submitted.

Please note CHANGES to allowable expense requests:

For the Fall and Spring Award cycles, funds can only be used for specific materials/supplies for project work, for research dissemination conference or research travel – any other expenses may be approved upon request and review. There will no longer be an option for direct payments to students in the academic year cycles.

For the Summer Award cycle, the same funding allocations as above will be considered as well as an option to request funds in the form of a paid internship to work on research projects. Your submitted detailed budgets will be reviewed for allowable expenses.

Specific details about the application process can be found below or by contacting sarc@csuchico.edu. 

Required Materials:

• SARC Application 
  • 750 minimum -1000 word maximum narrative, written by the student (see tips(opens in new window))

• Faculty Mentor Letter - one page

Application Information: 

The entire narrative description should be a minimum of 750 words and no more than 1000 words. All application sections should be written by the you (the student) from your perspective of the project, and it is perfectly appropriate to use "I" statements.

Applicants shall include the following sections in their narrative.

1. Explanation of the work
2. Your (the student's) contribution to project design and execution
3. Broader impact of the work
4. Expected benefits of the award to you (the student)
5. Itemized and detailed budget including any direct student award. Direct Student Awards - available only for Summer - may impact financial aid award. See Tips page for additional Travel Request restrictions and requirements.
   

Scoring and Tips:

Applications will be evaluated using a rubric. (PDF) To receive the highest score in each area, it is suggested that students review our tips for an excellent proposal(opens in new window). Important budget request information should be reviewed from the tips page. Proposals must be clear and written for a general audience.  Applicants may request their rubric scores at the completion of the application review process.  

Faculty Mentor Letter Information:

Faculty mentors should focus on the importance of the project and its impact on the student. The statement of endorsement should also indicate the role to be played by the mentor, the prospect for a professional presentation of the project results, and how or why the student is qualified to complete the work with specific examples to support the glowing comments. Endorsement should be as informative as possible within the scope of a single typed page on department letterhead. This letter serves as the only faculty-written portion of the application submission.

Cycle Deadlines:

• Summer Award: Application deadline at the end of the sixth week of instruction in the Spring Semester. Summer Awards are for up to $2500 for undergraduates and $5000 for graduates. Summer Internship Pay is available for summer awards.
• Fall Award: Application deadline at the end of the fourteenth week of instruction in the Spring Semester. Fall Awards are for up to $850 for undergraduates and $1700 for graduates. No direct student stipends/scholarship awarded in fall.
• Spring Award: Application deadline at the end of the sixth week of instruction in the Fall Semester. Spring Awards are for up to $850 for undergraduates and $1700 for graduates. No direct student stipends/scholarship awarded in spring.

It is the applicant's responsibility to remain in contact with their faculty mentor and to ensure an on-time submission of the faculty mentor letter. 

Outcomes Report:

Faculty sponsors are requested to follow up with an outcomes report (PDF) after the student research has been completed.