University Honors and Honors in the Major students are eligible to apply for several grants and awards to supplement their undergraduate experiences. In addition to the opportunities below, students are encouraged to apply for funding and awards in their major departments, other offices at FSU, and from national and international organizations.
The applications for all of the awards and scholarships offered by the FSU Honors Program can be found after logging in to each of Honors Awards and Scholarship Application pages linked below.
FRED MAY GADSDEN COUNTY HONORS SCHOLARSHIP
This scholarship is to be awarded to a Gadsden County, Florida honors student. The award amount is $1,000 for the academic year. Eligible students do not need to apply for this scholarship, as the Honors Program will directly notify awardees after the Drop/Add of the fall semester.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Must be from Gadsden County, Florida.
- Must be enrolled in the FSU Honors Program.
BESS H. WARD TRAVEL GRANT
*Only University Honors Students are eligible for this award.
This grant is awarded each semester to University Honors Program students. Only students who are participating in programs coordinated by FSU International Programs, Global Exchange, Global Scholars or qualifying honors-sponsored opportunities and events (such as honors field trips that require fees) are eligible to receive this grant. These scholarships are a one-time only award and are to be used to defray the expenses incurred during one semester (fall, spring, or summer) during which an honors student participates in an approved activity. Students must take at least the minimum number of credit hours required by the sponsoring program.
The application for the Bess H. Ward Fall Travel Grant is due May 3, 2024 at 4 P.M.
Eligibility Requirements
- Have a minimum FSU GPA of 3.20
- Have taken 9 credit hours of Honors classes
- Be admitted to FSU International Programs, Global Exchange, Global Scholars or qualifying Honors-sponsored travel (e.g. Honors field trips that require fees).
HONORS CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE AWARD
*University Honors and Honors in the Major students are eligible for this award.
The Honors Conference Attendance Award is for partial support to attend a professional conference. For the Spring 2024 semester, conferences eligible for funding may be virtual or in person. Each award amount will be based, in part, on the expense summary submitted with the application. Award amounts are up to $250. Attending a conference is an invaluable way to gain exposure to current research and trends in a discipline and to hear and meet leading researchers. Conferences also offer the opportunity for networking, mentoring, and professional development.
Eligibility Requirements
Each student is eligible for a single, one-time Conference Attendance Award, which may not be given in conjunction with a Conference Presenter Award.
In order to be eligible for the spring funding cycle, the conference in question must have occurred in full between Jan. 1-April 30, 2024.
Eligible Expenses for Spring 2024 include:
- Conference registration fees
- Airfare and ground transportation to/from the conference site
- Rental car expense (must be in student's name)
- Mileage, if a personal car is used for travel. Reimbursement will be at the established university reimbursement rate
- Hotel room for nights of the conference (must be in student's name)
- Applicant's share of any eligible expenses shared with other students (i.e. if two students share a $200/night room, the award will only cover $100 in hotel expenses. Submitted budgets for shared expenses must report the applicant's share only and cannot request the total amount.)
Ineligible Expenses for Spring 2024 include:
- Meals
- Fees for illegal parking
- Membership fees
- Late registration fees
The deadline to apply for the Spring 2024 award is Friday, March 22, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Applications can be submitted as early as the first day of the semester. They will be reviewed as they are received and will be considered pending availability of funds.
HONORS CONFERENCE PRESENTER AWARD
*University Honors and Honors in the Major students are eligible for this award.
The Honors Conference Presenter Award is for partial support for students who will be presenting their research at a professional conference. For the Spring 2024 semester, conference presentations eligible for funding may be virtual or in person. Each award amount will be based, in part, on the expense summary submitted with the application, along with consideration of the scope and purpose of the conference and other funding granted for the conference. Award amounts are up to $1,500.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible students include those who have been invited to present or participate at a professional regional, national, or international conference. We encourage all eligible students who have a scholarly paper, poster, or creative work that has been accepted for professional presentation to apply for an award. Each student is eligible for a single, one-time Conference Presenter Award, which may not be given in conjunction with a Conference Attendance Award.
In order to be eligible for the spring funding cycle, the conference in question must have occurred in full between Jan. 1– April 30, 2024. Students must have clear evidence of their conference presenter status in hand at the time of application.
Eligible Expenses for Spring 2024 include:
- Conference registration fees
- Airfare and ground transportation to/from the conference site
- Rental car expense (must be in student's name)
- Mileage, if a personal car is used for travel. Reimbursement will be at the established university reimbursement rate.
- Hotel room for nights of the conference (must be in student's name)
- Applicant's share of any eligible expenses shared with other students (i.e. if two students share a $200/night room, the award will only cover $100 in hotel expenses. Submitted budgets for shared expenses must report the applicant's share only and cannot request the total amount.)
Ineligible Expenses for Spring 2024 include:
- Meals
- Fees for illegal parking
- Membership fees
- Late registration fees
The deadline to apply for this Spring 2024 award is Friday, March 22, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Applications can be submitted as early as the first day of the semester. They will be reviewed as they are received and will be considered pending availability of funds.
BESS H. WARD HONORS THESIS AWARD
*Only Honors in the Major students are eligible for this award.
This undergraduate award is offered each fall and spring semester, and can provide up to $750 to support research or creativity leading to an Honors project that will be completed as part of the Honors in the Major Program.
The awards can be used to cover expenses such as travel to perform research, books, basic supplies, or participant support for surveys. Any equipment or materials purchased with the award money become property of the student, although the student may elect to donate the equipment to a department or college upon completion of the project.
Eligibility Requirements
- Have a minimum FSU GPA of 3.200
- Be actively working on an Honors in the Major project and registered for HITM credit hours
- Have not previously received the Bess H. Ward Honors Thesis Award
The deadline to apply for this award for the Spring 2024 semester is Friday, March 22, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Applications can be submitted as early as the first day of the semester. They will be reviewed after the submission deadline has passed and will be considered pending availability of funds.
HONORS THESIS MENTOR AWARD
*Only Honors in the Major students may nominate their thesis directors for this award.
This award is offered annually to recognize and honor faculty members whose direction and advisement of undergraduate Honors thesis research or creative activity has significantly contributed to the enhancement and quality of education of undergraduate students at Florida State University.
Student Nomination Procedure:
Students seeking to nominate their thesis director must submit their letter of nomination through the Honors Thesis Mentor Award nomination portal by the deadline. Previously nominated thesis directors may be nominated again. The letter of nomination should explain how the faculty member demonstrates outstanding guidance and mentoring practices and an overall commitment to the student's undergraduate education at Florida State University. The letter should be as specific as possible and provide examples. The letter should not exceed two pages.
Nominators may wish to address some or all of the following:
- Aspects of the mentor's effectiveness, innovation, and creativity in the classroom, the research lab, the studio, the performance setting, and/or in one-on-one conversations
- The ability to promote high academic standards for the Honors thesis and to communicate those standards in a meaningful, consistent, and accessible way
- The ability to guide a student through the research process while fostering the student's independence and project management skills
- The ability to facilitate a student's intellectual and professional development through the use of regular constructive feedback
- The ability to make complex ideas understandable and useful to the student while helping the student make connections between their Honors thesis and their undergraduate education
- The ability to serve as a positive role model with deep professional and personal integrity.
Nominated thesis director response to nomination procedure:
Once a faculty member has been nominated, they will be notified and information will be requested from them on behalf of the award committee. Specific information that will be requested includes: a curriculum vitae, a list of students for whom the faculty member has supervised HITM theses over the past five years, the number of previous nominations for the Honors Thesis Mentor Award, and an undergraduate mentoring philosophy statement.
The deadline to nominate your Honors Thesis Director for this award for the 2023-2024 academic year is Friday, February 23, at 4:30 pm Eastern. Students seeking to nominate their thesis director must submit their letter of nomination through the Honors Thesis Mentor Award nomination portal by this deadline.
KINGSBURY UNDERGRADUATE WRITING AWARD
*All university students are eligible for this award.
This award is offered annually to an undergraduate student who demonstrated excellence in writing. Nominated students who wish to submit their Honors thesis must submit a polished draft or finalized version to be considered for the award.
The quality of student writing is of central importance in this competition. Although form and style should be appropriate to subject matter and in accord with the norms of the writers' home discipline, some criteria will operate across disciplines. Such criteria include, but are not limited to, originality, persuasiveness, accuracy, insightfulness, clarity, reasonableness, vividness, timeliness, etc.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible students can be from any college at FSU and must:
- Currently be enrolled full-time as an undergraduate at FSU
- Be in good academic standing
- Submit one or multiple works that total at least 50 pages of double-spaced text, but do not exceed 60 pages
- Be the sole author of the work.
The deadline to apply for this award for the 2023-2024 academic year will be posted at a later date. Applications for this award are submitted through FS4U.