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Craig Scholars Program

The Craig Scholars Program enables medical students who are interested in research and scholarship to conduct defined summer research and scholarship projects under the mentorship and guidance of faculty at the University of Illinois College of Medicine between their first and second years.

Scholar positions are awarded to students who have identified a research mentor and project that aligns with their interests. Scholars are expected to work full-time on their research project during the summer months. In addition to financial support, scholars receive mentorship from their research mentors and participate in weekly research seminars.

Eligibility

  • Only first year (M1) students are eligible to participate in the University of Illinois College of Medicine Craig scholars program.
  • MD/PhD program students are not eligible as they are already expected to participate in research by virtue of their combined degree program.
  • Students must be academically eligible to receive the Craig scholars. Those students who are required to complete summer remediation exams are ineligible.
  • The program is open to foreign national students, however, no stipend will be provided.

Application Process

  1. The 2026 Craig Scholar Program cycle will open on 12/19/25 at 12:00am and close on 3/9/26 at 12:00am.  The application link will only be available during that time.
  2. Research proposal 3-4 pages in length, followed by a bibliography. The research proposal should include the following elements:
    1. Specific Aims: principal aim(s) of the research project; a summary of the questions the student will ask and the methods that will be used
    2. Background and significance: information to help the reviewer understand the context of the questions the student is asking and why they are important, as well as the clinical and/or basic science significance of anticipated outcome(s)
    3. Experimental methods, anticipated outcomes, and alternative approaches: for each Specific Aim, provide details about the methods the student will use, specific experimental protocols, how they will answer student’s questions, what information student expects to obtain, and interpretation of anticipated results; state explicitly the portion of planned research to be completed by the student applicant over the summer research months. Provide also a brief explanation on what the student will do if the outcome of the results is not the anticipated one.
    4. Timeline: provide a tentative plan stating when the different steps and goals of the proposal will be completed. The goals of the proposal should be met within the time of the scholar
    5. Program mentorship (to be completed by research mentor): please describe the skills that the student will acquire with his/her work during the proposed Craig scholar. Additionally, please specify who will actually be supervising the student, e.g. the faculty research mentor, other faculty member, post-doctoral research associate, graduate student, etc., as well as the frequency of meetings and whether meetings will be in person or via phone, e-mail, combination, etc.
  3. Student applicant resume/curriculum vitae
  4. 1-2 paragraph statement of interest explaining nature of interest in undertaking a research project for personal and professional development.
  5. Sample proposals can be reviewed here: Sample 1 Sample 2

Identify a Mentor

Prior to developing and submitting a Craig Scholars application, interested students should identify a research mentor and project.  Students must select a University of Illinois College of Medicine faculty mentor. Your chosen mentor must agree to:

  • Supervise you on a project during the summer months
  • Provide research mentorship and guidance during the Craig scholars program
  • Help the student prepare for a poster presentation at the College of Medicine Research Forum
  • Ensure that the student fulfills all requirements of the scholars, including a final written report.

You may select mentors from any of the University of Illinois College of Medicine campuses, and are not restricted to mentorship at the campus where you are enrolled. In the scenario of cross-campus mentorship, Craig scholars applications are submitted to the campus of the faculty mentor, rather than that of the student participant.

2026 Craig Scholar Program Application

Program Timeline

What to expect from the program, month by month.

  • November preceding summer scholars
    Craig scholars informational session for M1 medical students
  • December preceding summer scholars
    Craig scholars application opens
  • March preceding summer scholars
    Craig scholars application due date
  • April-May preceding summer scholars
    Craig scholars positions offered
  • June-August
    Craig scholars program undertaken
  • September following Craig Scholars
    Final reports of research projects will be due and collected for review by program leadership
  • Winter/Spring following Craig scholars
    Students present project results at the College of Medicine Research Day at the University of Illinois College of Medicine campus where the research was performed

Expectations for Participating Students

  • All Craig Scholars are required to submit a final research report after completion of the program, this will be due approximately in the third week of September.  A template for the final report will be provided to students for this purpose.
  • Craig Scholars are required to submit an abstract and present a poster at their campus College of Medicine Research Forum.
  • Stipend payments are directed to student’s university account