Seidel Scholars Grant

Overview

Thanks to a generous donation from Larry R. and Kathleen Gilles Seidel, Career Advancement is pleased to offer the Seidel Scholars Grant. The Seidel Scholars Grant gives students the opportunity to explore a career-related individual project with the hope of inspiring students to translate their academic interests into careers outside of an academic setting.

Application

Application link coming Winter 2027!

Timeline

  • Application Opens: February 1, 2027

  • Application Deadline: March 14, 2027

  • Decisions Communicated with Applicants: March 30, 2027

Requirements

  • Cover Sheet and Project Proposal

  • Resume

  • Professional Mentor Agreement Form

  • Unofficial Transcript

  • Declaration of Intent to Major Form (for first-year students only)

  • Optional (Strongly Recommended): A brief sample of your work either written (2 page maximum), audio (under 5 minutes), or visual.

Eligibility

  • The grant cannot be used to fund unpaid internships, volunteer work, classes, or projects that are exclusively academic. Students may partake in an apprenticeship for the beginning half of the summer if additional knowledge is necessary in order to successfully complete the project (if you are considering this option please contact Nely Rentas de Romo at nrentas@uchicago.edu to ensure your vision fits within the parameters of the grant).

  • Currently enrolled 1st-3rd year undergraduate students with declared majors in the following fields are eligible to apply.

Anthropology

Art History

Cinema and Media Studies

Classical Studies

Comparative Human Development

Comparative Literature

Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies

Creative Writing

East Asian Languages and Civilizations

English Language and Literature

Fundamentals: Issues and Texts

Gender and Sexuality Studies

Germanic Studies

History

Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Jewish Studies

Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Linguistics

Medieval Studies

Music

Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Religious Studies

Philosophy/Allied Fields

Psychology

Political Science

Romance Languages and Literatures

Russian and Eastern European Studies

Sociology

South Asian Languages and Civilizations

Theater and Performance Studies

Visual Arts

  • First year students may apply for the grant upon completion of the Declaration of Intent to Major Form provided in the application and declare a major in one of the above fields immediately if chosen as a grant recipient. This form is only for the use of first year students who wish to apply for the Seidel Scholars Grant – it will not be accepted from second and third year students in lieu of an official declaration on the my UChicago portal.

  • Students who are double majoring in a major outside of the aforementioned fields are also eligible, but should take special care in the application essay to describe how the proposed project and primary interests are allied with their major from the approved list above.

  • Applicants should be aware that Seidel Scholars Grant recipients are expected to remain enrolled in this major for the duration of the grant, and their declarations will be verified by grant administrators throughout the grant period. Failure to remain declared in their major may result in the forfeiture of the award to the College.

  • A student may only receive the grant once while at the University of Chicago.