Undergraduate Support Grants

Research: This is defined by the Council for Undergraduate Research as an "original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline." Research-based activities may result in a variety of intellectual outputs such as research papers, original artwork, science innovations and research-based solutions.

Grant: This is a form of financial sponsorship for the proposed research activity. A grant is not a gift; it is “money in trust.” It is a contribution from the grant-giver that entails certain requirements from the grant recipient, including submitting a report with evidence of expenditure and research outcomes, publicly sharing research findings and returning unused funds. For undergraduates, only co-curricular research activities (i.e. those that go beyond the requirements of a course), such as travel to present at a conference, or enrollment in a research internship abroad, may be funded.

Grant Cycle: This is the period that covers the application for a grant, the review of the applications at different levels, decisions on awarded applications, notification of the recipients, implementation of the research activity, reporting, report review and closure of the grant. Each grant cycle has a deadline for applications. After each deadline, the online system is closed, and the applications for the particular grant cycle are reviewed and processed. No applications are accepted for the grant cycle after the deadline. 

Grant Application/Proposal: This is a request for support for the research activity. The grant application is completed by the applicant. It consists of a section on personal details, a complete research abstract, a description of the research activity (e.g. conference, competition, internship) and a detailed budget with justification. The purpose of the grant application is to persuade the grant-giver to become a sponsoring partner for your research activity. You, therefore, have to present a good argument that establishes credibility for yourself and your research.

Grant Recipient: This is the individual who receives financial support and becomes responsible and legally accountable for its financial management, reporting and research-sharing.

Grant Acceptance Agreement: This is the signed legal contract under which the grant recipient agrees to perform the scope of work/activity, according to specific terms and conditions, for a specific budgeted financial compensation. Non-compliance to the terms of the contract results in sanctions.

Grant Report: This is a required document submitted by the grant recipient after the research activity is completed. It offers details and evidence of both financial expenditure and research performance. The grant report is an essential condition for the completion of the grant process, as stipulated in the grant acceptance agreement. The details of grant reporting are covered in the relevant section below. Not submitting a report, or submitting a report that does not fulfill the financial and research outcomes reporting criteria, will result in sanctions, including returning the funds.

Eligibility

A student can apply for a grant if he/she has:

• Full-time enrollment status in an undergraduate degree program at AUC*
• Completed a minimum of 60 credit hours at the time of application
• A minimum GPA of:
  • 2.9 for all grants except the Research Internship Grant
  • 3.2 for Research Internship Grant
• Submitted reports for previous grants received (if applicable)

*Alumni who are still in their first year after the date of graduation may apply for a travel grant to present their undergraduate research or creative work at a conference/event. In case of approved funding, alumni grant recipients must travel within the period of this one year. Alumni cannot receive funding for a Research Internship.

1. An applicant has priority if he/she has not received prior funding from the undergraduate research program within the same academic year
2. A student is allowed only one Travel or Competition Grant per year, with a maximum of two Travel and/or Competition Grants per study period, inclusive of the period of one calendar year after graduation.
3. A student is also allowed up to one Research Internship Grant per study period. Students may receive a research internship grant only if they continue academic study at AUC after the summer, for which they will be grant-funded. In other words, students cannot apply for a research internship grant for the summer after graduation, even if they have been accepted by the host university or research center abroad.  
4. A student cannot hold both a travel or competition grant and a research Internship grant in the same grant cycle. The Community-Based Research and Innovation grant, may be held in parallel with a Travel or Competition grant.
5. Only research that produces an "original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline" is eligible for funding. Student activities (such as MUN, MAL) are NOT considered research and will not be funded through the undergraduate research program.
6. Grants to more than one student delivering the same presentation abroad or participating in the same competition team are shared. How the funds are shared needs to be agreed upon by the team members. The grant is disbursed in the name of the main applicant, who becomes responsible for managing the grant and submitting the grant report. The names of research co-authors, even if not traveling, are also filled out on the application form for acknowledgment/documentation purposes.
7. All students applying for a grant must have a faculty research advisor/mentor who must provide a recommendation letter to be submitted as a supporting document in the application. The faculty advisor/mentor recommendation letter should provide specific evidence to testify that the grant-seeking student has demonstrated both a high level of research/creativity competence and the necessary maturity and reliability to manage the technical and financial aspects of a grant. 
8. Reimbursement of expenses (i.e. retroactive support) for completed activity is not possible.

Every academic year, undergraduate student grant applications must be received by one of the following deadlines:

Grant Cycle 1: September 15, 2024
Grant Cycle 2: November 05, 2024
Grant Cycle 3: February 04, 2025
Grant Cycle 4: March 28, 2025

The online system will remain open, but applications will be reviewed at the deadline of the cycle within which they have been submitted.

Table of Application and Review Deadlines

Application policies:

• No applications submitted by email will be accepted
• If the deadline falls on a holiday, then it will shift to the following working day
• If you have not yet received one required supporting document (such as a letter of acceptance for a conference presentation or a supporting letter from a faculty research advisor), you can still apply. The proposal will be reviewed, pending receipt of the missing document, for up to a month after the grant application deadline. After a month, if the missing supporting document has not been submitted, the application status becomes rejected
• An application with more than one missing document is automatically rejected
• No applications submitted after midnight of the grant cycle deadline will be reviewed for that cycle
• For research internships and conferences/academic competitions that take place in the summer, a student should apply for funding before the February 10 or April 10 grant cycle deadlines, depending on when the activity starts
• Applications submitted during the summer (i.e., after April 10) will be reviewed after the first grant cycle deadline of the next fiscal year

All research and creative work must abide by AUC's research and academic integrity policies. Students working in teams must obtain consent from all team members as well as the faculty advisor/mentor before submitting work for presentation or publication.

Research involving human participants must abide by the ethics of research with human participants. If you are publishing research involving human participants, you need approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to collecting data. Undergraduates can submit the IRB application in consultation with their faculty instructor or advisor.

The following types of research/creativity activities may be currently funded by the Undergraduate Research Program.

*Read the application restrictions in the section above.

1. Travel Grant

Travel grants offer partial payment of expenses incurred by travel to national, regional and international conferences, academic competitions, exhibitions, or other reputable events. These may be recognized as professional or undergraduate events. Only students presenting research or creative work can apply. Participating only as an attendee is not funded.

The Undergraduate Research Program may cover partial costs for one or more of the following:

• Refundable travel tickets
• Event registration fees
• Visa fees
• Accommodations
• Health insurance

Amounts awarded to:

• Individual grant applicants may be up to $1800
• Teams with members from the same discipline may be up to $3600
• Teams with members from different disciplines may be up to $4000 

(or the equivalent in EGP at the time of disbursement) for students giving a presentation, exhibiting or participating in a competition.

Owing to factors such as the cost of attendance, availability of funds and the number of applications received, the amounts awarded will vary. You may or may not be awarded the full amount you request.

Amounts awarded to student teams are shared. How the funds are shared needs to be agreed upon by all team members. The grant is disbursed in the name of the main applicant, who becomes responsible for managing the grant and submitting the grant report. The names of research co-authors, even if not traveling, are also filled out on the application form for acknowledgment/documentation purposes.

Note: All the team members and the faculty advisor/mentor need to consent that the work may be presented/published before applying to a conference.

2. Undergraduate Research Internship Grant

A student who receives an invitation from an institute, research center, university research program, or professor abroad to participate in a research internship during the summer can apply for an undergraduate research internship grant. To apply for this grant, the student is required to have prior experience in conducting research, provide a recommendation letter from an AUC faculty research supervisor and secure an acceptance letter from the hosting institute, university or professor.

The amount that may be awarded to an applicant is up to $4000 (or the equivalent in EGP at the time of disbursement) per internship, based on the availability of funds.  

The Undergraduate Research Program may cover partial costs for one or more of the following:

• Refundable travel tickets
• Event registration fees
• Visa fees
• Accommodations
• Health insurance

3. Competition Grant 

Competition Grants fund teams traveling to participate in prestigious academic competitions, such as case competitions, entrepreneurial competitions, science, arts, media or writing competitions. Student activities such as MUN and MAL are not eligible for funding.

Student teams participating in a competition abroad may receive up to $4000 (or the equivalent in EGP at the time of disbursement) for the whole team, to partially cover costs such as: 

• Refundable travel tickets
• Competition registration fees
• Visa fees
• Accommodations
• Health insurance

4. Community-Based Research and Innovation Grant (CBRI) 

The Community-Based Research and Innovation Grant funds research projects that work with an identified local community to address a need or problem. The researchers must incorporate a community component through all of the following strategies:

• Participating with a local community partner (e.g. an NGO, local school, a local business) to define the problem and to assess different methods of intervention to address the problem
• Employing local, available and sustainable materials and resources to address the problem
• Offering research/innovation output as a service to the community

Applications for the CBRI Grant have to answer the following questions in the Abstract:

• What is the community problem or need that you are addressing through your research/innovation?
• What community partner or civil society organization are you working with, and how are you working with them to develop the research question/process/evaluation?
• How will the outcomes of your research or innovative product be communicated/delivered to the community organization? 
• What positive change will your research/innovation create in the community?

The maximum amount that may be awarded for a Community-Based Research and Innovation Grant is EGP 35,000 for the project.

This grant covers community-based research and innovation expenses such as:

1. Materials, supplies, services and/or data to be collected or purchased. 
2. Subscriptions to online or archival literature or services; software for which AUC does not have a license.
3. Minor equipment or IT hardware but only with the approval of the department chair. Such equipment or hardware becomes the property of the department at the end of the grant period.

5. Off-cycle Summer Internship Grant

The Undergraduate Research Program can offer students the opportunity to apply for summer internship grants off-cycle if they meet the following requirements or criteria:

• A student can apply for a grant if he or she has:
  • Full-time enrollment status in an undergraduate degree program at AUC.
  • Completed a minimum of 60 credit hours at the time of application.
  • A minimum GPA of 3.2
  • Submitted reports for previous grants received (if applicable).
• Any student applying for this grant should also receive an invitation from an institute, research center, university research program, or professor abroad to participate in a research internship during the summer.
• To apply for this grant, the student is also required to have prior experience in conducting research, provide a recommendation letter from an AUC faculty research supervisor and secure an acceptance letter from the hosting institute, university or professor.
• Students may receive a research internship grant only if they continue academic study at AUC after the summer, for which they will be grant-funded. In other words, students cannot apply for a research internship grant for the summer after graduation, even if they have been accepted by the host university or research center abroad.
• All students applying for a grant must have a faculty research advisor or mentor, who must provide a recommendation letter to be submitted as a supporting document in the application. The faculty advisor or mentor recommendation letter should provide specific evidence to testify that the grant-seeking student has demonstrated both a high level of research and creativity competence and the necessary maturity and reliability to manage the technical and financial aspects of a grant.
• Off-cycle internship grant applications will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Research Program as well as the DRCs and the application review process can take up to 3 weeks.
• The amount that an off-cycle grant applicant may be awarded may not exceed $2500 (the equivalent in EGP at the time of disbursement) per internship, pending  availability of funds. Earlier applications are more likely to be funded.
• The Undergraduate Research Program may cover partial costs for one or more of the following: refundable travel tickets, event registration fees, visa fees, accommodations, and health insurance.
• Reimbursement of expenses (i.e. retroactive support) for completed activity is not possible.

Submit an Application

Students are requested to use the online system for the application. To log into the system, you will need to add auc\ before your username.

To submit the application forms, click here.

For general guidelines about writing the title, abstract and biography, click here.

Supporting Documents

The following supporting documents, as appropriate, must be attached to the application form:  

• Snapshot of an email received with a letter of acceptance, and forward the email to [email protected]
• Snapshot of an email received with invitation Letter from host university or research center abroad for research internship, and forward an email
• Recommendation letter from AUC faculty research advisor
• Copy of the IRB approval letter to the faculty advisor if the student is conducting research involving human participants
• Copy of scholarship agreement, if the student is on a full scholarship
• Copy of final grant report for previously-awarded applicants, if applicable
• Other relevant documents and information

The following additional supporting documents must be provided upon receiving a grant acceptance agreement:

• Copy of valid passport
• Copy of valid national ID
• Copy of AUC ID
• Copy of military permission to travel (for male Egyptian students who have completed all credit hours)

Grant Review Process

At each grant cycle deadline, all applications submitted go through several stages of review. The first stage is with the academic integrity and conduct committees, then the Undergraduate Research program, followed by the department of major, then the dean of undergraduate studies, and finally back to the Undergraduate Research Program. Final decisions are communicated within seven to eight weeks of each submission cycle. 

Grant Assessment Criteria  

Grant applications are evaluated and ranked based on a set of assessment criteria. The highest-ranking applications are recommended at each stage for funding.

Applications are ranked on a 5 point scale (5= outstanding; 4 = exceeds expectations; 3= meets expectations; 2= contains shortcomings; 1= not deserving of funding). 

The criteria are:

• Complete and accurate application form with all necessary supporting documents
• Primary research or original creative work 
• High-quality abstract with a clear purpose, method connected to research question/issue, positioning within the literature, a theoretical framework, well-argued findings and conclusions that make an original contribution to the discipline (see guidelines for how to write an abstract in the relevant section above)
• Budget justification breaks down costs and demonstrates significant effort at cost-reduction (days of travel, reasonable accommodation)
• Learning potential and professional development (e.g. scope of host program; connection to specialization)
• Strong recommendation by the faculty research advisor

Reasons for Pending

Applications are considered pending for any one of the following reasons:  

• Inadequate abstract (e.g. method, theoretical framework) but good research
• Inadequately justified budget, but good research
• Missing invitation letter from the host university or conference acceptance letter
• A missing supporting letter of recommendation from the faculty mentor

A pending application is given a grace period of up to one week for improvement of an inadequate abstract or budget justification or up to one month after the grant cycle deadline to provide one missing document. Applications for which more than one of the above reasons apply are automatically rejected.

Reasons for Rejection

An application is rejected if:

• It is not a research, creative work, or academic conference (i.e. it is a non-eligible leadership conference, MUN/MAL)
• It scores poorly on the 5-point assessment scale
• The applicant does not fulfill the eligibility criteria
• The applicant has applied for a travel grant but is not presenting
• The application violates one of the restrictions outlined above
• The applicant has been previously funded in the same grant cycle

Grant Acceptance/Rejection Notification

When all stages of the application review have been completed, the applicant is notified via email of acceptance or rejection. Based on the availability of funds, the highest-ranking applications will be selected for funding.

Applicants should expect a final decision and notification about seven to eight weeks after a grant cycle deadline. Refer to the table above for the deadlines for each review stage.

Upon receiving notification of acceptance, an applicant is expected to visit the Undergraduate Research Program administrative assistant (see contact information below) in order to thoroughly read and sign the acceptance agreement.  

The grant acceptance agreement is a legal contract. By signing the contract, you acknowledge that you understand, agree to abide by, and fully comply with the terms of the contract. Any violations of the contract entail serious sanctions, as detailed in the relevant section below.

Submitting Identification (and Military Clearance) Documents

Before a grant acceptance agreement can be processed, the grant awardee must submit a copy of his/her AUC ID, the national ID, passport, and, for male Egyptians who are traveling to a conference/competition after graduation, a copy of the military service status giving clearance for travel (check with the AUC military and student visa unit, Office of the Registrar)

Receiving the Grant

After the signing of the grant acceptance agreement, allow 12 working days for funding to be available. You will receive the funds through a bank transfer and should have a bank account in your name to receive the funds.

Implementing the Grant Acceptance Agreement

Upon receiving the funds, the student is expected to implement the proposed research/creativity/competition activity for which funding has been approved. The grant offers opportunities that enhance students' learning and scholarly development. Enjoy and make the best use of the learning opportunity.

All evidence of travel, accommodation and presentation/internship/competition should be kept/documented thoroughly so that the post-award report can be adequately developed.

Under no conditions can the awarded funds be used for a different purpose. An awarded grant is specific to the awardee, the activity proposed, and the time proposed. Reassigning grants is not possible. Any change in the awardee, the activity, or the assigned time nulls the awarded grant.

In case the awarded grant will not be used and the cheque has not been cashed, the awardee must immediately inform the Undergraduate Research Program by email at [email protected] to take the necessary action. If the cheque has been cashed, the awardee must reimburse the awarded support.

Submitting the Grant Report

Upon successful completion of the awarded project, the applicant must submit a report to the undergraduate research program through the Grant Application online system no later than four weeks after the end date for the funded activity. The link to Submit an Undergraduate Student Grant Report is on the left-hand side of the Grant Application page.

As a grace measure, four weeks after the end date of the funded conference or research internship, an automatic reminder for report submission is sent to the awardee. A second reminder is sent in the fifth week. At the completion of the sixth week, if no grant report has been submitted, the student receives a financial hold on their account. Tardiness in submitting the report (i.e. submitting the report after four weeks) jeopardizes the chance of an applicant receiving a second grant.

The report is a required part of the grant acceptance agreement and is necessary for auditing and program development purposes. Failure to submit the report will result in serious sanctions, as detailed in the relevant section below.

The written report should include the following:

• Details of the presenter(s): Name, department, email, cell phone
• Details of the grant: Grant number, date, grant type
• Details of the research/creativity/competition project: type of project, title, description, the name of the advisor
• Details of funding: amount received, other internal or external funds received for this project
• Description of your expenses: financial breakdown with an explanation
• Details of research/creativity outcomes: most significant learning, challenges, publication or continuation of the project, if applicable
• Evidence of publicly sharing research/creativity outcomes at AUC (see the relevant section below)

Report supporting documents:

The following documents must be attached to the written report:

• A copy of the grant acceptance agreement
• A copy of the refundable travel ticket with the price
• The boarding pass stubs for all parts of the trip and a copy of the entrance and exit stamps on the passport
• A copy of the accommodation booking and payment receipts (booking only will not be accepted)
• A copy of the visa or visa receipt
• Event registration receipt (for travel grants)
• Evaluation letter by host faculty (for research internship)
• A copy of health insurance

Approval of the Grant Report

The grant report must be submitted through the online system. It goes through the same stages of review as the grant application. Approval is granted if all requirements and documents listed under the “Submitting the Grant Report” section above are fulfilled. The results of the grant report evaluation are communicated within four to five weeks after the submission of the report.

Remaining and Unused Funds

Should any grant funds remain unspent, those funds should be returned to the Undergraduate Research Program at the end of the grant period so that they may benefit other projects.

Failure to comply with any of these procedures would result in disqualifying a student from applying for future grants, as well as being charged for violation of academic integrity.

Sharing Research Outcomes at AUC

Integral to the agreement is the public sharing of research outcomes with the AUC community. This entails that students receiving undergraduate grants must:

• Present their work at the annual conference for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, Entrepreneurship and Creative Achievement (EURECA) and/or at other presentation forums at AUC
• If not already published elsewhere, submit their work for publication in the Undergraduate Research Journal (URJe)
• Profile their work in the Undergraduate Research Program publications (Newsletter for Undergraduate Research, Facebook page)

Publicity

The awardee must include mention of sponsorship of the project by the AUC in all news releases, both internal and external, and other media contacts. All publications by or about the project, including brochures, announcements, flyers, manuals, and reports, must mention AUC as the sponsor.

The undergraduate research program also has the right to report on awarded projects and publish student names, departments, faculty advisor names, grant amounts, and summaries of research/creativity projects on the program website, social media pages, annual reports, news channels and any other relevant publications.

Violation of the Grant Agreement

A grant awardee who does not fulfill the conditions of the contract violates the signed grant agreement. The following behaviors are considered violations and entail negative consequences:

• Using the grant funds for purposes or by individuals other than those specified in the approved grant proposal and grant agreement
• Not repaying any remaining portion of the grant
• Not reimbursing the payment if the grant has been unused
• Receiving funding from other AUC or external sources without communicating this information to the Undergraduate Research Program
• Submitting false information or false documents at any stage of the application and post-application process
• Not submitting a complete and accurate final report no later than four weeks after the end date, as specified in the application form, for the funded activity (there is a grace period of two weeks, but tardiness jeopardizes the student’s chances for future funding)
• Submitting a report with inadequate proof of expenditure
• Not sharing the outcomes of the funded research/creativity with the AUC community through presentation and publication
• Not acknowledging AUC, in media correspondences, as a sponsor
• Any other behavior that violates AUC's Code of Academic Ethics

Sanctions and Penalties

Depending on the severity of the violation, as assessed by AUC’s academic integrity committee, any of the following sanctions may apply:

• Loss of eligibility for future grants
• Financial hold until the report is submitted or unused funds returned
• Repaying the funds
• Loss of scholarship or financial aid
• Documentation of academic integrity violation in student records
• Suspension or permanent expulsion for fraud
• Other possible sanctions or penalties, as deemed appropriate by the academic integrity committee

Closure

The final stage of the grant cycle is grant closure. A grant attains "closed status" when:

• All grant agreement commitments have been fulfilled by both parties or officially canceled
• All cash has been accounted for or returned
• The final grant report has been reviewed, and all requirements have been met and approved

Verification of the Co-curricular Transcript

Undergraduate student grants can be documented on the awardee’s co-curricular transcript. Once the grant cycle closes, the grant report is approved, and all financial obligations are fulfilled, the student may enter the grant award on the co-curricular transcript.  

The entry will only be verified if the grant has come to successful closure.

Please read the guidelines carefully first before you check the FAQs.

What is an undergraduate support grant?
AUC offers the opportunity for undergraduate students to apply for support grants to help fund their research/creative/entrepreneurial work that goes beyond the regular requirements of academic coursework or thesis work. Receiving a support grant has specific responsibilities. Check the Definition of Key Terms section in the Guidelines for more information.
 

What are the types of support offered?
There are four types of grants that can partially fund your research/creative/entrepreneurship work:
● Travel
● Competition
● Research internship (previous research experience is required)
● Community-based research innovation (local community partner needs to be identified)
Please refer to the Types of Grants section in the Guidelines for more detailed information.
 

How many support grants can I be awarded?
During the study period at AUC, a student could be awarded:
● Up to 2 travel/competition grants
● 1 research internship grant
● 1 community-based research innovation grant per cycle
 

Can I hold different types of grants simultaneously?
● Only 1 travel or competition can be awarded per academic year
● Only 2 per study period (either travel or competition) including within 1 year after the graduation date
● A community-based research innovation grant can be in the same grant cycle as a travel grant or competition grant
● A travel or competition grant and a research internship grant cannot be awarded in the same grant cycle
 

When and how can I apply for an Undergraduate Support Grant?
There are four cycles per academic year for interested undergraduate students to submit applications. Check the Grant Cycles Deadlines section in the Guidelines.
 

Which cycle should I apply for?
You should consider applying for a support grant ahead of time as the review process takes up to 8 weeks. For instance, if you are planning to attend a conference in April, you should apply in the November cycle.

How do I access the online system to submit an application?
Students are requested to use the online system for the application. To log into the system, you will need to add auc\ before your username.
To submit the application forms, click here.
For general guidelines about writing the title, abstract and biography, click here.
For the required documents that must be submitted, check the Application Stage section in the Guidelines.

When should I submit an IRB application/get IRB approval?
You should get an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval before collecting your data if your research involves human participants.

What is required from me after I make use of a support grant awarded to me?
Upon successful completion of the awarded project, the applicant must submit a report to the undergraduate research program through the Grant Application online system no later than four weeks after the end date for the funded activity. For more information about the requirements of this report, check the Post-Award Stage section in the Guidelines.
 

Awarded funds remain unused after the completion of my activity. What do I do with them?
Any funds remaining or unspent after completing the activity you participated in should be returned to the program.

I want to attend a conference in which I will not be presenting a paper. Is it possible to apply for and obtain support for this?
No, attending a conference is not eligible for funding.
 

Is it possible to apply for and obtain support for presenting a paper at the conference together with fellow students co-authoring the paper, or together with my supervisor co-authoring the paper?
Yes, if accepted, the grant is shared among the group members. The main applicant is the one who is responsible for managing and distributing the money you are granted as agreed upon by the group. He or she should also be the one who receives the acceptance letter from the conference or competition you will participate in. Consent must also be given by all group members and your faculty advisor to present and publish your research.
 

I have applied for a support grant to attend a conference. However, I received an acceptance in a better conference. Can I use the awarded support of the first conference to attend the second one?
No, another grant application needs to be completed and submitted to attend the second conference.

If I conducted research or completed a community-based research project, had a research internship, attended a conference, or participated in a competition, can I apply for a support grant later?
No, a grant application needs to be completed and submitted well in advance of the activity you are planning to participate in.

I have been awarded a grant, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to use the money I was awarded for the activity specified in my application. Am I able to use it for another activity?
No, awarded funds need to be used for the activity specified in the application, and the amount awarded should be returned to the program.
 

I have applied for a support grant, and the award letter specified that the awarded support is less than what I asked for. Is there a mistake?
Owing to factors such as the cost of attendance, availability of funds and the number of applications received, the amounts awarded will vary. You may or may not be awarded the full amount you request.
 

I have been accepted for a study abroad program, so can I receive a grant to participate in this program?
Study abroad programs are generally not eligible for an undergraduate support grant. Check the Study Abroad page to see if there are other funding opportunities.