Scholarships and Awards
Founded in 1945, the Department of Psychological Sciences is one of the largest and most active scholarly communities in the UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Department of Psychological Sciences is pleased to offer scholarships and awards to our undergraduate and graduate students.
Awards are typically granted once per year based on faculty recommendations or student applications. See the list below for a full list of scholarship opportunities, descriptions, and how to apply (where applicable). For questions, please contact the Department.
Undergraduate Scholarships
Kenneth Ring Scholarship
To provide scholarship support for undergraduate majors, especially those with financial need and an interest in consciousness studies.
Not currently open for applications.
About Kenneth Ring
This scholarship honors Professor Kenneth Ring and his many years of dedicated service to UConn and contributions to the field of near-death studies.
Kenneth Ring (born 1935) is Professor Emeritus of psychology at the University of Connecticut, and a highly-regarded researcher within the field of near-death studies. Dr. Ring is the co-founder and past president of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and is the founding editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies. In 1977, Kenneth Ring, a talented young professor of psychology at UConn, read Raymond Moody's book, Life After Life, and was inspired by it. However, he felt that more scientifically structured research would strengthen Moody's findings. He sought out 102 near-death survivors for his studies.
His research also involved the ground-breaking work of investigating near-death experiences among blind persons in his book Mindsight. He has published several near-death experience related books, including Life at Death, Heading Toward Omega (1984), The Omega Project: Near-Death Experiences, UFO Encounters, and Mind at Large (1992), and his most well-known and celebrated near-death experience book, Lessons from the Light (2000). He is also a co-author of Letters from Palestine: Palestinians Speak Out about Their Lives, Their Country, and the Power of Nonviolence (2011). Ring's latest book is Waiting to Die: A Near-Death Researcher's Reflections on His Own Endgame (2019).
Application Criteria
The fund shall be used exclusively to support students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Eligible candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Be an incoming or continuing undergraduate student enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Be majoring in psychological sciences
- Demonstrate financial need
From those candidates that meet the criteria above, priority consideration will be given to individuals who meet the following additional criteria:
- Students who enroll in courses that demonstrate an interest in consciousness studies, which may include concepts related to such topics as near-death experiences.
Salvatore N. Cianci, Ph.D. Scholarship
For a continuing undergraduate major or graduate student enrolled in the College, with priority for those with financial need.
The Cianci Scholarship is awarded by faculty recommendation.
Not currently open for applications.
About Salvatore N. Cianci
Dr. Salvatore N. Cianci received his master’s degree from the Department of Psychology at UConn in the early 1950s. He enlisted in the army infantry, where he helped redesign the target range to better simulate combat conditions by replacing stationary targets with moving targets. He used GI Benefits to enroll at the University of Michigan, where he received his Ph.D. in 1962. Dr. Cianci then went on to do postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University and eventually went into federal civil service as a psychologist.
He worked for years at the Department of Health and Human Services, where some of his research was on mental health and substance abuse. Dr. Cianci retired in 1994, but continued to be active in local groups dedicated to mental health and heart disease until his passing in 2016. His family wished to endow a scholarship at UConn in honor of dedication to psychology and his love of UConn.
Undergraduate Research Funding
Competitive Mini-Grant
This in-house grant augments the undergraduate student research fund administered through the Department of Psychological Sciences. Students typically apply in the fall and the grant is awarded to a faculty member sponsoring the research project of an undergraduate student.
Graduate Awards
These scholarships and fellowships are awarded to students on an annual basis or as funds are available, based on faculty recommendations.
Bond-Mosher Graduate Fellowship in Clinical Psychology
Fellowship for graduate students enrolled in the psychological sciences department with demonstrated academic achievement, financial need, and an interest in clinical psychology.
Carolina A. Herfkens and J. Conrad Schwarz
Provides fellowship support for students enrolled in the UConn Department of Psychological Sciences.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology Graduate Fund
Provides fellowship support to an outstanding industrial/organizational graduate student.
Dr. George Allen Memorial Scholarship for Clinical Psychology
Provides scholarship support to graduate students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences pursuing a degree in clinical psychology.
David Zeaman Memorial Scholarship
Provide scholarship support to a master’s or doctoral degree candidate in psychological sciences.
Isabelle Liberman Prize Fund
Provides an annual award to a graduate student for outstanding work in the psychology of language.
Julian B. Rotter Scholarship Fund
Provides scholarship support to a graduate student studying personality or psychopathology.
Maurice L. Farber Endowment
For graduate or undergraduate students in psychology with priority to those with financial need.
Skip Lowe Graduate Scholarship in Psychology
Provides financial support for a graduate scholarship in psychology.
Additional Scholarship Resources
Students can also utilize the scholarship resources available on the Office of Student Financial Aid Services website.