Presidential Research Fellowship

The York College Presidential Research Fellowship (PRF) Program is designed for exceptional students who want to engage in a four-year detailed study of a specific question using a variety of research methods. Research Fellows receive a full-tuition scholarship that enables them to develop and conduct a multiyear project that contributes new knowledge or new expression to a field of study. 

During the first year, Research Fellows discover their interests by attending scholarly lectures, meeting internationally renowned experts, practicing information literacy and research skills, planning the York College Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, and discussing shared readings with the PRF faculty advisors. The second and third years are focused on defining and investigating their research question under the guidance of a faculty mentor in their discipline. One of the most rewarding processes for our faculty is witnessing the evolution of learning when they mentor our students individually. During the Research Fellows’ senior year, they make their findings public by giving lectures, presenting at professional meetings or research symposiums, and publishing articles in student research journals. 

Undergraduate researchers have the broad perspective, enthusiasm, and energy that leads to improved skills in critical thinking and communication. This high-impact practice promotes students to emerge as leaders in multiple professions after graduation. Currently 16 students are in various stages of research on a variety of topics such as perspectives of the American Dream, detecting compounds from CBD oil in human hair, long-term health outcomes of living in poverty, how nonprofits consider input from the people they serve, the relationship between media bias and political bias, and information security during the Middle Ages.