Our Mission
The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Program is the centerpiece of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Higher Learning initiatives to nurture advanced humanistic inquiry to shape more accurate depictions of the human experience and establish the groundwork for fairer and more equitable futures.
Train fellows in the work of professional scholarship by supporting a sustained research project
Introduce fellows to the professional culture of academia
Encourage fellows to apply for graduate studies in a doctoral program and assist in the application process
Why MMUF?
MMUF provides students with mentoring and financial support as they pursue transformative academic research, prepare for entry into Ph.D. programs, and begin careers as scholars and faculty members. We do this while practicing our core values:
Research
Mentoring
Cohort & support networks
Mellon Mays in the Media
Follow the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, the current fellows, and MMUF alums in the media as they make their ways in a diversifying Academy.
Learn MoreHow To Apply
University of Chicago Students:
- We invite underrepresented UChicago second-year students who are interested in pursuing a PhD in a MMUF designated fields to apply.
Prospective Visiting Fellows:
- To apply to the UChicago MMUF-SRTP, you must already be admitted to the MMUF program at your home institution.
- Read more about costs and deadlines.
Summer Research Training Program
The MMUF Summer Research Training Program (SRTP) at the University of Chicago prepares current Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows for graduate study and rigorous research.
During our nine-week residential program, students in the SRTP complete courses in academic writing and social theory, are closely mentored by advanced graduate students and faculty, and make present at the Chicago Research Symposium. At the SRTP, students deepen their analytic and creative capacities, develop their scholarly writing and presentation skills, explore methods in their areas of study, and experience a unique community of students who share a passion for research, common values, and commitments.