FAQ for Applicants

To apply, you must have at least three quarters of undergraduate research experience. Your research experience doesn’t have to be continuous—it can follow different paths. Here are some ways you can meet this requirement:

• Completing research in different labs for a total of three quarters
• Taking a break between undergraduate research experiences, as long as they add up to three quarters overall
• Participating in a full-time summer research program (such as an REU), which counts as two quarters, plus at least one additional quarter of research experience

Yes. You can apply for both at the same time using a single application. If you apply for the Levinson Emerging Scholars Award, you will need to include a budget proposal.

Your faculty mentor must be affiliated with the University of Washington and is typically the most senior research advisor for your project: a professor or principal investigator (PI). For example, your faculty mentor might have one of the following titles:

• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Research Professor
• Teaching Professor
• Professor of Clinical Practice

Mentors who have one of the following titles cannot be your faculty mentor for the application, but can be a secondary mentor: Lecturer, Instructor, Post-Doc, Grad Student, Fellow, PhD Student, Research Scientist, Staff Scientist, or staff member.

How do I know my mentor’s title?
If you are unsure about your mentor’s title, you can:

• Ask your mentor directly if they meet the requirement.
• Check their email signature for their title.
• Look up their title on your lab or research group’s website.
• Visit your department’s website and check the “People” or “Faculty” page.

Students from any major can apply as long as they can connect their research, educational goals, or career plans to bioscience-related research or applications.

You only need one faculty recommendation, but you can submit an additional one if it helps support your research project. A second recommendation is useful if it highlights aspects of your research skills or potential that could strengthen your application.

It depends on your financial aid package. If you receive the award, the UW Office of Student Financial Aid will review your situation to determine if you can accept the full amount.

No. If you receive WRF or Levinson funding, you cannot also receive a Mary Gates Research Scholarship at the same time. If you are awarded both Mary Gates Research and WRF or Levinson, you must decline one of these awards before the award acceptance deadline.

You can apply to receive funding during the Fall and Winter quarters. If you are graduating a quarter early, please include this information in your application materials. These awards are not available to students who have already graduated or are in a graduate program during the award period.

The Office of Undergraduate Research does not review applications for these awards. For help with your application, you can contact the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards: https://expd.uw.edu/scholarships/.