Research, Service, and Educational Leadership (RSEL)

A page within Graduate Education

UWL provides funding on a competitive basis to support graduate student Research, Service, and Educational Leadership (RSEL) projects. Full- and part-time graduate students who are enrolled in an on-campus graduate degree program are encouraged to apply. Examples of RSEL projects that received grant funding can be found here.

River ecology student casting a net from a boat to gather samples

Students may receive one Mini Grant and one Full Grant during an academic career. However, total RSEL funding is limited to $2500/student.

RSEL Full Grant

RSEL Full Grant proposals are solicited twice per year and provide up to $2500 in funding. 

RSEL Mini Grant

RSEL Mini Grant proposals can be submitted at any time and provide up to $500 in funding.

RSEL grant application materials

Applicants should carefully review the Procedures and Guidelines prior to application. This document provides detailed requirements for each of the 5 application sections noted below. Please review these helpful hints to avoid common application pitfalls.

Your project budget summary & justification is examined carefully during the application review. You will want to describe and itemize anticipated expenses and provide succinct justification (see example).

Letter of support (Full Grant)

The applicant should request a detailed letter of support from their Graduate Faculty Advisor. The letter should convey any pertinent, critical information and speak directly to the study. Your faculty advisor may provide you with a copy of this letter to submit with your application, or they may email the letter directly to gradstudies@uwlax.edu.

Statement of assurance (Mini Grant)

This form provides confirmation that the faculty advisor has reviewed the grant application and supports the project

Proposal narratives should be directed toward a general audience and avoid excessive use of jargon. All applicants MUST follow general narrative outline provided in the Procedures & Guidelines.

Full Grant
  • Narrative should not exceed 5 pages, single-sided, double-spaced, 10-pt font.
Mini Grant
  • Narrative should not exceed 2 pages, single-sided, double-spaced, 10-pt font.

All RSEL applicants must provide evidence of knowledge of and adherence to the RCR. A copy of your CITI completion certificate serves to complete this requirement.

RSEL application submission

Once you have completed all of the items above, you will upload each item (as a PDF) to submit your completed RSEL grant application via the corresponding online submission link below.

Full grant applications are reviewed following the submission deadline (2x/year). Notification of awards: within 6 weeks of deadline.

Mini grant applications are reviewed throughout the year. Notification of awards: within 3 weeks of submission. 


Final report (required prior to graduation for all RSEL grant recipients)

Students awarded RSEL grant funds are required to submit a Final Report prior to graduation. Final Reports may be submitted upon exhaustion of funds awarded or upon project completion.

Use the SUBMIT FINAL REPORT button below to initiate your RSEL Final report submission in DocuSign. 

As the RSEL grant recipient please enter your and your Graduate Faculty Advisor's contact information and click the "Begin Signing" button.

A new screen will open up for you to complete your RSEL Report. You will be asked to provide a summary of grant expenditures and project progress to date, provide a brief, non-academic description of your project for the general public, and provide additional attachments.

  • Here are some examples of other attachments you may want to include with your final report when applicable:
    • Title of thesis, seminar paper or other written culminating project.
    • Title/s of presentation/s at professional conferences, exhibits and/or performances.
    • Title/s of manuscript/s accepted and/or published in journals (include copy, if available).
    • Synopsis of conferences/workshops attended and impact of attendance on goals of culminating project.

After you have completed and signed your RSEL Final Report, it will be sent to your advisor to review and sign. Let them know to be watching for it in their email, as well as junk mail folder.