Your Responsibilities
As an applicant, you are charged with conducting yourself ethically throughout the application process and adhering to URAF’s expectations of applicants. To help guide your decision making, here are some pointers for good applicant conduct. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have about policies and applicant responsibilities.
Eligibility
Support for grant or fellowship competitions is available to current NTC students, recent NTC alumni, and current graduate students who meet eligibility criteria for those awards to which you will apply. Carefully read the eligibility criteria for each opportunity before starting your application to ensure that you meet them If you have questions about your eligibility status, we are happy to help you determine whether you meet stated criteria.
Good Standing
Applicants must be in good academic and disciplinary standing with NTC at all points during the application process and carrying forward throughout the length of the grant or fellowship itself. You are required to notify the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF) of any changes in academic or disciplinary standing.
Ethical Conduct in the Application Process
Before proceeding with work on an application, carefully review of the NTC Code of Academic Conduct, then use the principles below to guide your work:
- All content in your application must be your own work unless properly cited. Carefully ensure you distinguish between what is original to outside sources of information and what is original to you. If you choose to include information generated by someone else, you must include it correctly and honestly when you compose your application. Different applications have varying expectations for citation of outside sources. URAF is happy to assist in determining the appropriate citation style for your particular application.
- Be honest with the reader about yourself and your experiences. As you decide what to include in your application, ensure complete accuracy when drafting each component. Celebrate your accomplishments, highlight relevant roles, and be truthful about your experiences, but take care not to overstate or misrepresent yourself. URAF staff can assist if you have questions.
- Submit the most up-to-date application materials possible. Please provide the most recent documents and materials in your application, e.g., transcripts. In most instances, national fellowships will not allow you to submit updated information after the deadline. Should you have any uncertainty about which materials to submit, ask us.
- URAF information and processes are for your use only. As you prepare your application, you are provided with URAF tools and resources to help make you more competitive as an applicant. These materials and our feedback should not be reproduced or shared. We are open to all questions. Don’t hesitate should you be in doubt.
Late Applications
URAF application deadlines are strictly enforced, particularly regarding internal campus deadlines, which are often much earlier than national deadlines for nationally competitive awards. These deadlines are published on our website calendar, and on application and/or emailed instructions. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships will not accept late applications. Exceptions must be appealed in advance of the deadline and with a written explanation from your academic advisor.
Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation are not transferable from one application to another and must be submitted by the recommender (not the applicant) via the means of submission appropriate for each award. Letters of recommendation MUST be composed by the recommender. The applicant may provide talking points, resumes/CVs, and supporting documents that can assist your referee, but the supporting letter must be composed in its entirety by the recommender. Recommendation letters written by the applicant are strictly prohibited. Should your recommender request that you compose the letter, please consult at once with URAF. URAF will not release copies of recommendations to third parties without the written consent of the recommender. In compliance with FERPA, URAF permits students to decide to waive their rights of access to letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf.
Applying from Abroad
URAF encourages all NTC undergraduates and alumni to study/conduct research abroad. Should you apply for grant or fellowship opportunities while you are away, it is your responsibility to ensure that all required application materials are submitted to URAF by the stated deadline. Please keep deadline time zones in mind as late applications will not be accepted. Internal competitions for fellowship endorsements sometimes require interviews. When necessary, we will try to accommodate a remote interview.
Class Status and Off-Cycle Applications
Students who have advanced standing or who are otherwise off-cycle should contact URAF before applying to ensure eligibility. In some cases, an email from the NTC Academic Advisor will be required to confirm class status and graduation date.
Archives
Digital copies of all application materials submitted to URAF will be kept for three calendar years after the submission date. File materials for unsuccessful applicants will be deleted after three years. Digital copies of materials for award recipients will be held in perpetuity through the Tulane University archives.
Multiple Offers
Should you receive multiple grant or fellowship offers for the same time frame, you are obligated to inform URAF as well as the other funding administrators. Holding multiple awards for the same project, or accepting multiple offers during the same time frame, is not permitted. We are happy to discuss how to manage this situation should it arise for you.
Access to Records
Grant and fellowship applications are submitted in confidence. URAF will not release applicant names to any source outside our office. Names of award recipients, however, are considered public knowledge and may be published within the Tulane community.
Graduate School Applications
Some grants and fellowships require separate applications of admission to graduate school programs. In these circumstances, you must obtain the admission applications directly from and apply directly to the intended institution. University applications are not collected nor kept on file by URAF.
Unsolicited Material
URAF will only accept the exact materials requested as part of any fellowship application. All other materials will be discarded.
