UNCF/Merck Undergraduate Research Scholarship Awards

DEADLINE: December 3, 2012

The UNCF/Merck Science Initiative is dedicated to supporting the training of world-class African American Biological and Chemical scientists and engineers to achieve the complimentary goals of national economic competitiveness and social diversity.  The initiative provides scholarships, internships, and fellowships to at least 15 outstanding undergraduate African American students per year. In addition, the UNCF/Merck Science Initiative may provide grants to the science departments of the recipients' home institutions.

Applications should be submitted online at http://umsi.uncf.org. 

Awards up to $30,000. At least 15 scholarship awards will be granted in 2013. Each award provides up to $30,000, which includes up to $25,000 towards tuition, room and board, and billable fees. This award is not transferable.

Each UNCF●Merck Undergraduate Fellow will be paired with a mentor/s and will be eligible for an Internship at a Merck Facility (applied for separately).

The recipient’s department may apply for a Department Grant of up to $10,000. The actual amount of this grant is continent upon funds remaining in the scholarship portion of the award after all tuition, room and board, and billable fees are paid.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for a UNCF●Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Award, you must be:

• African American (Black)
• Enrolled full-time in any four-year college or university in the United States
• A junior who will be a B.S. or B.A. degree candidate in the 2013-2014 academic year
• A life sciences, physical sciences, or engineering major. (Applicants majoring in the physical sciences must have completed two semesters of organic chemistry by the end of the 2012-13 academic year).
• A student with a minimum GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale
• Committed to and eligible for the summer internship at a Merck facility
• A citizen or permanent resident of the United States.

Award recipients will be selected based on their GPA, their demonstrated interest in their own scientific education and a career in scientific research or engineering, and their ability to perform in a laboratory or engineering environment.