A tuition scholarship may help with required textbooks but not cover a dissertation’s participant payments. A summer research fellowship may provide a living stipend but require a faculty host, an on-site schedule, and a project the laboratory can afford to run. Graduate research awards can also require a departmental nomination before you submit anything to the funder.
Start by matching the opportunity to your academic stage and intended expense. Then confirm the live application cycle. This guide separates what the providers currently publish from details that still need confirmation for the next award year.
Psychology funding options at a glance
Research checked October 17, 2026. A published future deadline is not, by itself, evidence that the application portal is already open. Amounts associated with a closed cycle below are not promises for the next cycle.
| Opportunity | Who it is designed for | Published funding | Cycle information and important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| APF Sharon Stephens Brehm Undergraduate Psychology Scholarships | Declared undergraduate psychology majors with financial need and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 | Eight $5,000 scholarships in the displayed 2026 call | 2026 applications closed; displayed deadline July 10, 2026. APF announces a general November 1, 2026 opening for its 2027 program year, but individual 2027 terms must be checked. |
| APA Summer Undergraduate Psychology Experience in Research, or SUPER | Full-time undergraduates undertaking mentored psychological-science research | $4,000 to the student plus a separate $1,000 to the faculty host under the displayed program terms | Page lists March 1, 2027 and expects the next cohort’s applications in late November or early December 2026. Other instructions retain 2026 dates and require reconciliation. |
| APF/COGDOP Graduate Student Scholarships | Graduate students with department-nominated thesis or dissertation research | Nine scholarships up to $5,000 in the displayed 2026 call | 2026 closed; displayed deadline June 26, 2026. New cycle’s deadline, award count, and amounts need confirmation. |
| APF Elizabeth Munsterberg Koppitz Child Psychology Graduate Student Fellowship | Doctoral candidates conducting child-psychology research | Five fellowships of $21,800 displayed | Page lists November 26, 2026, but also says funding is for 2026–2027 and carries APF’s general 2027 opening banner. Confirm the specific call and portal before applying. |
Official program pages are linked in each section below. Do not add the student and faculty portions of SUPER together and call it a $5,000 student scholarship. Likewise, a restricted research award should not be treated as an unrestricted tuition grant.
Undergraduate psychology scholarships for educational costs
Sharon Stephens Brehm Undergraduate Psychology Scholarships
The American Psychological Foundation’s Brehm scholarship page describes scholarships for declared psychology majors at accredited colleges and universities. The displayed 2026 program offered eight awards of $5,000 for direct educational costs, such as tuition, institutional fees, and required textbooks.
Applicants under those published terms needed a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 and demonstrated financial need. The 2026 call also specified enrollment in fall 2026 with plans to enroll in spring 2027. Those are cycle-specific requirements: a student preparing for the next call should not assume the same enrollment dates still apply.
The application asks for a personal statement describing past, current, and future involvement in psychology, including academic and leadership experiences. It also requires a CV, transcript, and recommendation from a psychology faculty member.
A useful personal statement makes your involvement concrete. Explain a research-assistant responsibility, a relevant campus activity, a community role, or an academic project, then connect it to what you want to learn next. Do not imply that participation in every type of activity is required; present the experience you actually have.
Request the faculty recommendation early. APF says an applicant may submit the application before the letter arrives, but all materials, including recommendations, must arrive by the deadline. Submitting your portion is not permission for a recommender to be late.
Current-cycle caution: The displayed 2026 deadline was July 10 and that cycle is closed. APF’s site-wide announcement says applications for the 2027 program year will open November 1, 2026. Recheck the individual Brehm call for its actual deadline, enrollment dates, amount, and documentation rules before treating it as an actionable 2027 application. The reviewed page does not establish an automatic renewal entitlement.
Undergraduate research funding that is not a tuition scholarship
APA SUPER fellowships
The APA SUPER fellowship supports student-led summer research in a psychological-science laboratory. It is especially relevant if you are considering a research career but have not previously had the opportunity to lead a psychological-science project.
The displayed program provides a $4,000 stipend directly to the student and $1,000 directly to the faculty host. Student stipends are intended to help with personal expenses, including housing and travel. APA explicitly says it does not provide study expenses, indirect costs, or overhead through this award. Your mentor therefore needs sufficient resources for the proposed work; an ambitious project without a realistic laboratory budget is not solved by the student stipend.
Students must be in good academic standing and enrolled full-time at an accredited U.S. or Canadian undergraduate degree-granting institution in the United States or Canada. They must have at least one semester remaining after the summer fellowship. A psychology major is not mandatory, but psychological science must be a major focus of both the student’s studies and the host’s research program. Previous SUPER fellows are ineligible under the displayed rules.
The commitment is substantial: at least nine weeks, at least 20 hours per week, working on-site in the host laboratory. The host may be at a different institution, but the host laboratory must meet APA’s institutional requirements. Do not assume a remote project, a shorter summer commitment, or a final semester before graduation qualifies.
The listed application materials include unofficial undergraduate transcripts, a project proposal of no more than 1,200 words, a personal statement of no more than 350 words, and a faculty mentor’s support letter. The project should be student-driven and feasible with regular supervision. Discuss any IRB or IACUC requirements with the mentor rather than promising that approval can be obtained after work begins.
The page describes two $2,000 student payments linked to paperwork and completion requirements, with the faculty payment after summer requirements are approved. It also mentions participation check-ins, career-development webinars, a final reflection and presentation, faculty verification, and follow-up surveys. APA says it issues Form 1099; ask a qualified tax adviser about your own circumstances rather than assuming the stipend is tax-free.
Current-cycle caution: APA lists March 1, 2027 and says the 2027 cohort is expected to open in late November or early December 2026. However, the same page retains references to April 2026 notifications and 2026–2027 follow-up surveys. Use the new application instructions to confirm the actual schedule and payment terms instead of copying those older dates into your planning calendar.
Graduate psychology scholarships for thesis and dissertation research
APF/COGDOP Graduate Student Scholarships
The APF/COGDOP program is a research-funding route, not a general scholarship application open independently of your department. The displayed 2026 call offered nine scholarships up to $5,000 to support research costs associated with a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Applicants may be at different stages of graduate study but must remain enrolled at the time of the award. A student in a terminal master’s program must intend to pursue a PhD under the published eligibility rules.
The department must belong to the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology and nominate the student. Ask your graduate program director about eligibility and internal selection before preparing a full proposal. A funder’s public deadline may be later than the department’s internal nomination deadline. You can also consult the COGDOP member directory, but your department should confirm its current membership and nomination process.
Application materials include a thesis or dissertation proposal of no more than 10 pages excluding references, departmental endorsement, a CV, and a transcript; the provider says an unofficial transcript is acceptable. The proposal needs a clear research question, relevant literature, an appropriate design, and an explanation of why the work matters.
The program expresses a preference for funding actual research rather than tuition, travel, books, or journals. Make the budget specific to the project. Explain what each proposed expense enables, how its cost was estimated, and whether another source is already paying for it. Do not budget the same expense twice across awards.
Current-cycle caution: The 2026 call closed June 26, 2026. APF’s general November 1 opening announcement does not establish this program’s next deadline or guarantee that the next award count and amounts will match 2026. The reviewed current individual program page lists nine scholarships; do not substitute an older count from a broad awards directory.
Advanced research support in child psychology
Elizabeth Munsterberg Koppitz fellowship
The Koppitz Child Psychology Graduate Student Fellowship supports graduate research in child psychology. Its scope includes areas such as child clinical psychology, pediatric psychology, school psychology, and educational or developmental psychopathology.
The published eligibility requires completed doctoral candidacy at the time of application, with documentation, as well as demonstrated research competence and commitment to the area. This is not an entry-level award for an undergraduate considering a psychology major.
The page displays five fellowships of $21,800. It also specifies only one application per institution in a given year and tuition waiver or coverage from the home institution. Before spending time on a proposal, confirm whether your university must select one applicant and obtain written clarity on the tuition arrangement.
Listed materials include a dissertation abstract, project timeline, project proposal, detailed budget with justification, abbreviated CV, and two recommendations. One letter should come from the graduate adviser and the other from the department chair or director of graduate studies. The project must fit the program and demonstrate research quality, a meaningful contribution, and the applicant’s ability to carry out the work.
Current-cycle caution: The program page lists November 26, 2026, while its funding specifics refer to the 2026–2027 academic year and APF’s banner announces the 2027 program-year opening. Do not resolve that inconsistency by guessing. Check the GivingData application instructions or contact APF Programs before relying on the date, award year, or opening status.
How to build an application plan that matches your needs
1. Separate your funding gap into categories
List tuition and fees, books, living expenses, and research costs separately. Then identify which award can actually pay each category. A $4,000 summer stipend may be valuable without being a tuition scholarship, while a dissertation research award may not reduce a tuition balance at all.
2. Check the gatekeeping requirements first
A GPA threshold, full-time enrollment, a semester remaining after summer, doctoral candidacy, departmental nomination, or institutional tuition support can determine eligibility immediately. Check those requirements before drafting an essay.
3. Build a realistic document calendar
Give faculty members time to review your plans and write recommendations. Ask whether a department has an earlier internal deadline. Keep transcripts, enrollment documentation, CV versions, proposal drafts, and budgets in a clearly labeled folder for each application cycle.
4. Recheck the live call before submitting
Compare the overview page, detailed program instructions, and application portal. If they disagree, ask the provider which applies to the current competition. Record the answer and do not rely on an archived deadline, an estimated reopening date, or a third-party scholarship directory as proof that a program is open.
5. Coordinate with your institution
Ask your financial-aid office how an outside scholarship affects your aid package. For research funding, ask the graduate office or research administrator who receives the money, whether participant payments require approval, and what reporting is required. Keep award letters and receipts rather than assuming every award pays directly to you.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to major in psychology to receive psychology-related funding?
It depends on the program. Brehm’s published terms require a declared psychology major. APA SUPER does not require that major, but the student’s field and host’s research must have psychological science as a major focus. Research fit does not override the other enrollment and institutional requirements.
Can a master’s student apply for graduate psychology awards?
Some can. APF/COGDOP includes master’s thesis research under its stated conditions, including the PhD-intent requirement for terminal master’s students. Koppitz requires completed doctoral candidacy, so it is a different academic-stage opportunity.
Are the listed awards renewable?
Do not assume so. The reviewed pages do not establish automatic annual renewal for these opportunities. Check the individual award agreement for duration, repeat applications, unused funds, and reporting obligations.
Should I wait for applications to open before finding a mentor?
For a substantial research proposal, early discussion is useful. A mentor must be willing and able to support the work, and a department may need to nominate you. Preparing early is different from submitting to a closed competition.
