Eligibility and Expectations

Participant Eligibility Criteria

Summer Seminars and Institutes for Higher Education Faculty

Summer seminars and institutes are designed primarily for full-or part-time faculty who teach undergraduate students. Project directors may admit a limited number of others whose works lies outside undergraduate teaching but who demonstrate that their participation will advance project goals and enhance their own professional work.

At least three seminar spaces and at least five institute spaces are reserved for non-tenured/non- tenure-track faculty members. Two seminar spaces and three institute spaces may be reserved for advanced graduate students.

Participants must be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. U.S. citizens teaching abroad at U.S. chartered institutions are also eligible to participate. Foreign nationals teaching abroad are not eligible to participate.

An applicant need not have an advanced degree in order to qualify as a Summer Scholar. Individuals may not apply to participate in a Summer Seminar or Institute whose director is a family member, who is affiliated with the same institution, who has served as an academic advisor to the applicant, or who has led a previous NEH summer program attended by the applicant.

Participants may not be delinquent in the repayment of federal debt (e.g. taxes, student loans, child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other employees). Individuals may not apply to participate in a Summer Seminar or Institute if they have been debarred or suspended by any federal department or agency.

To be considered for selection, applicants must submit a complete application as indicated on the individual seminar or institute’s website

Participant Expectations

• Participants are required to submit a project evaluation at the end of the program.
• Project applicants who accept an offer to participate are expected to remain during the entire two weeks of the Institute and to participate in its work on a full-time basis. If a participant is obliged through special circumstances to leave before the end of the program, they will receive only a pro rata share of the stipend.
• NEH policy insists that “once an applicant has accepted an offer to attend any NEH Summer Program (Seminar, Institute, or Landmark), they may not accept an additional offer or withdraw in order to accept a different offer.”

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