Eligibility

Presidential Scholars are eligible to apply for Enrichment Award funds of up to $2,500. You must apply at least three to four weeks prior to beginning your enrichment activity; retroactive reimbursement is not allowed.

Enrichment activities demand sustained engagement with a topic or interest beyond what is required for any course or degree program.  In other words, activities that are required for one’s degree program (e.g., senior design projects in the School of Engineering; senior projects in the School of Fine Arts; group projects in School of Business courses; etc.) do not meet the definition of “enrichment activities” and are thus not eligible for these funds.

Eligible Activities

The following activities are eligible to be funded through the Presidential Scholars Enrichment Program:

  • Study Abroad You may use the Enrichment Award funds for travel and room and board, but not for tuition or program fees. Experiential Global Learning (EGL) provides estimates that break down the costs of travel, room, and board, which you can use when creating your budget.
  • Professional Development You may use award funds to conduct fieldwork, travel for research purposes, or to attend pre-professional or academic conferences.  Pre-professional, professional, and academic conferences are the most common professional development activities supported by these funds.
  • Community Service You may use the award to cover costs associated with volunteer or community service activities. These are usually immersive in nature, which includes most service-orientated alternative spring break programs but does not generally cover volunteer work associated with local after school programs (unless those activities are directly related to your degree program or professional aspirations).
  • Research You may use award funds to cover some expenses associated with a research project, including:
      • Supplies consumed during the project (e.g. cells, chemicals, computer time, etc.).
      • Travel to and from the lab or project location.
      • Room and board (for projects away from home).
    • You may not use your award for the following:
      • Durable goods that will continue to exist after the project (e.g. computers or other lab equipment).
      • A project that is required by your major (e.g., senior project for BFA students, design lab for engineering students).
      • A project that is being funded by any other source (e.g., SURF, IDEA, BOLD, Holster, Beckman, etc.). Requests to use enrichment funds to cover project-related expenses that exceed the budget(s) of the other source(s) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Unpaid Internship You may use award funds to cover room and board (away from home or school) and other expenses (travel to and from your work location, for example) incurred during the internship. You may also use the enrichment award for room and board for a low paying internship, but only if the expenses exceed the total amount of the salary.

Ineligible Costs

The following costs are not eligible to be funded through the Presidential Scholars Enrichment Program:

  • UConn fee bill balances, including tuition, fees, parking tickets, pharmacy charges, etc., or other items such as course textbooks, computers/tablets, lab fees, program costs and course materials.
  • Activities that start after you have graduated, even if you incur expenses related to this activity before your degree is conferred.
  • Activities associated with classes for which you are receiving academic credit and which are requirements for your degree (e.g., costs associated with senior design projects in the School of Engineering).
  • Test Fees or other costs associated with preparation for tests are not allowed if the exams are required for graduate or professional school admission or professional licensure (e.g., MCAT, LSAT, GRE, and actuarial exams).
  • Tuition or other program fees that approximate tuition at other educational institutions or agencies. Exceptions: You may request funding to offset costs of Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certification programs if they do not carry academic credit (from UConn or another institution). Please note that these exceptions may be rescinded in the future.
  • Publishing Fees charged by some journals.
  • Compensation in the form of salary, wages, or stipends.