Submit an application
2025 submissions will open on Friday, April 18. All submissions will be due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.
Note: Only complete applications will be accepted. Submission guidelines are available on the Application Requirements page.
For questions, email Dr. Jamil Johnson, Associate Director for Research and Grants, at jj117@mailbox.sc.edu.
Comprehensive Award Package
The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant award package includes:
- An award of $10,000.
- Priority consideration for publication in the Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.
- Registration to the 32nd National Conference on Students in Transition (virtual, October 1-3, 2025), where the awardee will be introduced.
- Registration and travel (if offered in-person) to the 33rd National Conference on Students in Transition (2026), where the research grant findings will be reported.
- Announcement on the National Resource Center webpage, listservs, social media, and online publications.
- *New for 2025: For the first time, up to three finalists will also receive priority consideration for a National Conference on Students in Transition presentation session and registration waiver (within a two-year period of notification).
Eligibility
The Paul P. Fidler Research Grant competition is open to faculty, staff, and graduate students who plan to conduct research on issues of college student transitions.
The following individuals are not eligible and may not be included as part of proposed research teams: National Resource Center staff and fellows; current members of our National or International Advisory Boards; and students, staff, and faculty of the University of South Carolina system.
Grant Decisions
The staff of the National Resource Center will conduct an initial review of all completed proposals to ensure they meet the criteria guidelines and submission requirements of the Fidler grant. Proposals that meet the submission guidelines and requirements will be blind-reviewed and evaluated by an external review board of leading research scholars and practitioners in the field of higher education.
The external review board will nominate up to five finalists for the Paul P. Fidler Research Grant. The finalists' proposals will then be blind-reviewed and evaluated by a panel of scholar-judges selected from our current National Advisory Board.
Decisions are expected to be emailed to the primary investigator by October 1, 2025. Reviewer comments will be made available to the primary investigator by December 2025.