Nominating Sophomores

Faculty members: Nominate a student.

Students: Preview the application here.

Criteria

A student must:

• be a Cornell sophomore (or a 3rd year student in 5-year AR program);
• have at least one semester of research, scholarly study, or creative experience with a faculty mentor;
• have a 3.5 GPA or higher; and
• be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate at Cornell and be in Ithaca for at least 3 of their 4 remaining semesters. Students who plan to study abroad for a full academic year or graduate a year early are ineligible.
  • Note: Students in the arts, architecture, and humanities are encouraged to apply.  Please contact the RCPRS office if you have any questions about student eligibility or the applicability of his/her project.

Process

The process entails the following:

• The student must have a nomination from a faculty mentor with whom he/she is already working.  We solicit nominations from faculty early in the spring semester.
• Student applications include a statement of interest and a research proposal.  The complete application is due at the end of April.
• After all of the materials are received, the committee makes its selections based on the number of openings the program has for the upcoming academic year.  RCPRS anticipates accepting up to 25 rising juniors.
• Students receive notice of their acceptance or denial over the summer.

Selected Students

A student who is selected:

• will begin receiving program benefits and services in the fall semester of junior year;
• must be engaged in research throughout their junior and senior years; and
• will have access to up to $5,000 in a research support account.
• In addition, students receiving financial aid may receive up to $4,000 of their award from RCPRS each year.

Timing

• February:
  • Call for Nominations issued to faculty members
• Late March:
  • Faculty nominations due
• End of April:
  • Student applications due
• July:
  • Selection decisions communicated

Sophomores may begin the application here 

If you have any questions, please contact The Cornell Commitment at (607) 255-8595, email rcprs@cornell.edu, or stop by 300 Kennedy Hall.