General Information
Q: When will the fellowship program take place?
A: The fellowship program will take place throughout the entirety of the Summer Quarter. In 2025 the start and end dates will be Monday, June 23, 2025 and Friday, August 29, 2025.
Q: Is the program paid?
A: Yes. In Summer 2025, EI Fellows will receive an $8,000 stipend for full-time participation during the summer. Please note that stipend eligibility, processing time, and disbursement timeline are determined by the University’s Financial Aid Office.
Q: Where will the program take place?
A: The program will take place on campus at Stanford (exact location to be confirmed in Spring 2025). Fellows should expect to report for in person work five days a week for the duration of the boot camp (first couple of weeks of Summer Quarter), and report for in person work a minimum of three days a week for the remaining duration of Summer Quarter or as determined in agreement with your faculty mentor during the project period.
Q: Why did this fellowship program get started at Stanford University?
A: The Summer Research Fellowship for Educational Impact, situated within the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and the SCALE Initiative, is designed to meaningfully engage undergraduate students in rigorous quantitative research that examines critical issues in education. It will align Fellows with one of a wide array of faculty-led projects that resonate with their interests and academic backgrounds, taking a deeply interdisciplinary approach to addressing issues in education, particularly around equity. The fellowship will establish a pipeline of talent in academic research, as students connect with faculty members through the program and develop the skills needed to contribute to research. Ideally, students will find opportunities to collaborate on studies beyond the summer period. The idea of this fellowship was initially conceived and approved in spring 2024 with a target launch date of summer 2025. We will soon begin recruiting our first cohort Educational Impact (EI) Fellows to kick off our inaugural year.
The fellowship seeks to bridge the gap that exists between conceptual understanding of research and direct contribution to research alongside a collaborative team. Many undergraduates lack pathways to participate in rigorous, hands-on research early in their academic careers, especially without prior experience. Present opportunities to engage in educational research (like the minor or honors program) require immense student-initiated time and effort, and most students are unable to take them up until halfway through their junior year. Individual faculty can take on students, but are expected to fill the knowledge or skill gap themselves when they take on students; the alternative is to select students based on prior experience, which essentially excludes students interested in research but do not have the means to gain the knowledge or skills needed to get their foot in the door. By engaging students early on in their undergraduate careers, the fellowship aims to reduce these entry barriers to research for both students and faculty.
Last but not least, the fellowship will emphasize a peer-to-peer and collaborative learning approach to provide students with hands-on research experience and exposure to an academic environment. The goal is to provide a cohesive approach to training students across disciplines to contribute to meaningful, interesting, and impactful research, while building connections across the University at large.
Application Support
Q: Where can I apply for a spot in the fellowship program?
A: Applications are now available here!
Q: How long do I have to apply?
Applications will close February 28, 2025.
Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so don’t wait until the last minute!
Q: Why do I need to submit so many materials?
A: Each part of your application helps us understand your unique background, interests, and potential for success in this program. We ask for a range of materials to get a full picture of who you are, including your academic background, your interest in education and equity, and your potential contributions to the program. This allows us to develop a cohort of Fellows who can contribute to each other’s learning, while maximizing our ability to match Fellows with faculty projects where they can make the most impact.
Q: What do you look for in fellowship applications?
A: Our goal is to create a diverse, multidisciplinary cohort where everyone can learn and contribute meaningfully. Because of this reason we evaluate applications holistically, considering both academic and personal experiences.
While we do not require prior research experience, we look for evidence of academic curiosity, a commitment to addressing educational equity, and interest in gaining hands-on research experience. We do consider any prior coursework in college-level statistics and/or experience with statistical software programs (like Stata or R) to be a plus, so be sure to mention those. We also encourage you to read through our faculty mentors’ bios and past projects on our website, and to describe how and why any of these projects resonate with you in particular.
One intended outcome for the fellowship program is to serve as a starting point for undergraduates interested in equity in education and/or in research, so that students can engage in long-term research relationships with faculty at the GSE. Therefore, we prioritize rising second and third years for admission to the program over rising seniors.
Admission & Commitment to the Program
Q: How many students will receive admission to the Fellowship program?
A: We will aim to have eight EI Fellows each summer, but understand that the final number may vary year to year.
Q: When will I hear back from the program?
A: We try to get back to applicants within four weeks of application or by mid-March 2025, whichever is sooner. For more details on the full timeline, visit the Timeline tab.
Q: How long do I have to commit to the program?
A: We ask that applicants send us a signed student contract to commit to the program within two weeks of hearing back about their acceptance or by mid-April 2025, whichever is sooner.
Q: What should I keep in mind for committing to the program?
A: Committing to the fellowship means fully engaging in a 10-week in-person program. This includes participating in a two-week research skills boot camp, working closely with faculty and/or their research staff on a project, and attending workshops, seminars, and cohort activities. You'll be expected to contribute actively to your project and attend regular meetings with your faculty mentor and peers. This program requires full-time commitment, so make sure it aligns with your summer plans and academic or personal responsibilities before accepting an offer. We want you to have the best experience possible and be fully able to benefit from the program’s learning opportunities
Program Experience
Q: What is the program experience like?
A: Here’s an overview of the program timeline and what you can expect to learn:
During the first 2-2.5 weeks of the program, EI Fellows will participate in a ‘boot camp’ focused on foundational research skills and research interpretation. This will get Fellows up to speed on data cleaning, data analysis, statistical methods, and the use of software tools like Stata or R, in addition to learning to synthesize data in words (i.e., memos and reports) and via data visualizations.
After boot camp, Fellows will transition to working on a research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. During this time, you’ll apply what you’ve learned in boot camp as you dive into research with your faculty member and research team. You’ll continue to meet with your cohort of Fellows regularly for weekly seminars, workshops, and networking events.
Q: What should I expect to get out of the program?
You’ll gain hands-on research experience, develop critical analytical skills, and learn to communicate research findings effectively. The program emphasizes collaborative learning, so you’ll also build teamwork and peer learning skills. By the end of the summer, you should feel confident in your ability to contribute to educational research in your area of interest, work as part of a multidisciplinary team, and begin to get an understanding of how research informs policy and practice. Click here to learn more about the intended goals and outcomes of this program.
Q: Can I participate virtually?
A: The fellowship is designed as an in-person experience to allow for hands-on learning, close mentorship, and peer collaboration, which are essential to our program goals. Most activities, including workshops, seminars, and research projects, are structured to take advantage of in-person resources and interactions. While we aim to accommodate individual needs when possible, virtual participation is limited for necessary cases like health or other significant reasons. Please reach out to us at scaleinitiative@stanford.edu if you would like to discuss this.
Q: Who will I meet as an EI Fellow?
A: Ideally, tons of people! You’ll meet other EI Fellows in your cohort, who will be coming from multiple disciplinary areas across the entire University with very different perspectives and approaches to improving equity in education. You’ll also interact closely with participating faculty members and/or their research teams, with whom you will work full-time after boot camp ends. Through workshops, seminars, and other ongoing events, you will also be introduced to current and former graduate students at the Graduate School of Education, full-time researchers and post-PhD staff, and many others, all of whom will contribute to your learning during the Summer Quarter.
Feedback
Q: How can I provide feedback about my experience with the EI Fellowship Program?
You’ll have opportunities to complete midpoint and end-of-program surveys about the program - we look forward to receiving feedback from you! If there is anything else you’d like to share about your experience at any point, don’t hesitate to contact the Program Director, Monica Lee, to schedule a meeting.
Q: I participated in the program and would like to request a recommendation letter from the faculty member I worked with.
For recommendation letters, we encourage you to directly email the faculty member you worked with. If you need support with this process, please contact the Program Director, Monica Lee, to schedule a meeting.
