CAS Summer 2026 Graduate Research and Creative Activities Grant

About

The Summer Graduate Research and Creative Activities Grant offered through the College of Arts and Sciences is intended to support graduate student research and creative activities during the summer. These grants are designed to provide financial support to graduate students so that they may actively engage in mentored research and creative activities with a faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Deadlines for applications

Applications are due by 5:00 pm on March 18, 2026

Submission instructions

To apply, please complete the online form found here:  Summer 2026 Graduate Research Grant Application – Fill out form
You will need to be logged into GoWMU using your wmich email account to access the form.

Applicant eligibility

Students must be:

• Enrolled as a WMU undergraduate or graduate student in spring 2026,
• Eligible to enroll in the fall 2026 semester as a graduate student in a College of Arts and Sciences master’s or doctoral program.
• Completing research or creative activities related to their master’s or doctoral program of study with a CAS faculty mentor during summer 2026.

Preference will be given to:

• Students who did not receive a summer 2025 CAS graduate research and creative activities award;
• Students without other sources of summer funds to support their research and creative activities; and
• Continuing students, who plan to graduate in fall 2026 or later.

Guidelines for proposal preparation:

1. A maximum 1-page abstract describing the proposed or ongoing research or creative activity. Please write the abstract for a general academic audience who may not be specialists in the proposed field of study. The abstract should stress the importance and/or anticipated impact of the work and how it will be disseminated. This must be uploaded as a PDF document.
2. A description of other sources of summer financial support, including summer hourly appointments and/or summer graduate research assistantships, whether supported by internal WMU funds or and external grant, contract, fellowship or foundation funding.
3. A current unofficial WMU transcript. This must be uploaded as a PDF document.

A maximum 2-page letter of support from the faculty mentor who will supervise the proposed research or creative activities. The letter should provide evidence that the student has made and will continue to make good progress in their field of study, including the student’s qualifications to complete the proposed work. The faculty mentor must include the following statement in their letter of support: “I commit to mentor [STUDENT NAME] for their proposed summer research or creative project.” also contain an explicit statement that the faculty member commits to mentoring you during the summer. The letter should also describe any other summer financial support, including anticipated hourly appointments, research and/or teaching assistantships. 

Please note:  Incomplete applications or applications that do not provide all the requested information will not be considered.

Funding information

• Students selected for funding will receive up to $5,000, which will be paid via hourly appointment at a rate of $25 per hour during summer I and/or summer II 2026.
• Students may not receive funds as a scholarship.
• Domestic graduate students enrolled in at least 2 credits during a summer semester are limited to 25 hours per week of work (including all WMU employment) and international graduate students enrolled in at least 2 credits during a summer semester are limited to 20 hours per week.
• Students (domestic and international) enrolled in fewer than 2 credits during a summer session may work up to 39 hours per week in that sessions if they were enrolled at WMU in the spring 2026 semester and are eligible to enroll in the fall 2026 semester.
• Students must agree to complete the work described in their proposal under the supervision of their faculty mentor.
• Students must agree to abide by all applicable WMU policies including, but not limited to: Human Subjectes Research Protection and Institutional Review Board Policy; Animal Use in Research, Teaching and Testing Policy; Radiation Safety Policy; Microbiological Safety and Security Policy; Recombinant or Synthetic DNA Biosafety Policy; and Research Misconduct Policy.