To be eligible for this grant, students must meet the following requirements:  

• They must conduct senior thesis research on an international or global issue outside of the contiguous U.S. or with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, locally and globally.  
• They must be an undergraduate student enrolled at Northwestern University’s Evanston or Chicago campus. 
• They must be enrolled in an independent study or thesis seminar for at least one quarter during the academic year. 
• They must be in good academic standing.

International Travel

Please be aware that all students who receive funds for research abroad must meet additional requirements set out by Northwestern's Office of Global Safety and Security. As non-credit travelers, all student awardees must complete the International Travel Registry and enroll in travel medical insurance through GeoBlue. Northwestern undergraduates planning university-sponsored travel to countries with a U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory Level 3 or 4 are restricted and require special permission. University funds to support the trip will not be released until such permission has been granted—students must begin this process with Northwestern’sOffice of Global Safety and Security at least six weeks in advance of the pre-departure date.

Human Subjects Research

If proposed research involves collecting data from human subjects (including interviews, surveys, etc.), you will need to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval before you may begin your project.  The IRB is a multidisciplinary committee that reviews research involving human subjects to ensure the rights and welfare of human subjects are protected. For this approval, you will need to complete an IRB application (see the IRB web site for the IRB Protocols, Templates, and Forms that you may need).  If approved for funding, your award is conditional upon your forwarding to the Buffett Institute documentation from IRB showing their full approval. Funds will not be disbursed until this is received. While students will prepare the IRB application (as the Primary Contact), only faculty can serve as PI (Principal Investigator) and submit the application.   

If you intend to conduct human subjects research, you must have started your IRB application and will be asked to share the IRB application number in our grant application. While it is not necessary to have it fully approved by the application deadline, we highly recommend and submitting as soon as possible, because the review and approval period can be lengthy.  You do not need to wait until you have secured funding.  

If you are unsure whether your project requires IRB approval or not, please reach out to the IRB office for a consultation. Only the IRB office can determine if you need their review. If you believe it does not require IRB approval, you must work with your faculty mentor to submit the IRB's Human Research Determination Form (HRP-503). This determination is not required in the application for this grant, but is required for the award to be disbursed.  

All Northwestern researchers, including undergraduates, who are involved in conducting human subjects research are also required to complete CITI initial human subjects protection training and to re-certify every three years. This training is separate from the IRB approval process. If this applies to you, you must complete this training and submit the completion certificate to our grant application.

Students must apply via SOAP by October 15. The application requires an endorsement from the student’s faculty supervisor to be considered complete. In the application, students must provide their faculty member's email address. Once submitted, the faculty member will receive an email notification outlining the next steps. Thus, it is important for students to submit their application well before the deadline and to inform their faculty supervisor in advance that they intend to apply for this grant and include details such as the application deadline listed above and a link to this webpage.   

We notify students of their award decision by early November.

Additional Grant Opportunities

We highly recommend that applicants also consider applying for the Academic Year Undergraduate Research Grant offered by Northwestern’s Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR). While students can typically only receive one research grant during the same funding period, applying to both programs increases the chances of securing funding for your research project. If a single grant is insufficient to fund your project, you may request an exception to combine awards, but this must be disclosed in both the Buffett Institute and OUR applications. In that case, there should be no overlapping expenses in actual costs.

Application Preparation Resources

Northwestern’s Office of Undergraduate Research has a robust set of resources to help students understand how to prepare components of a research proposal. If you have questions about the Buffett Institute’s International Senior Thesis Research Grant specifically, email us at buffett-undergrad-programs@northwestern.edu. 

This application requires a letter of reference from the faculty member who will serve as their official PI or supervisor. In submitting this endorsement, faculty supervisors agree to oversee the project and support the student, including through the IRB process if applicable. 

Once a student submits their application via SOAP, their faculty supervisor will receive an email with directions for submitting the letter to SOAP, which is necessary in order to complete the student application. We ask that faculty supervisors submit the endorsement within 72 hours of the application deadline passing, which is October 18.  

If you have questions, please email buffett-undergrad-programs@northwestern.edu.

If you have questions, please email buffett-undergrad-programs@northwestern.edu.

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