Scholarship Grant for Visiting Chapman University Spring 2026
Chapman University is pleased to announce applications are open for the 2025/2026 Scholar Exchange Program based on the agreement between Chapman University and France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).
This one-for-one exchange of scholars from each institution allows faculty from the CNRS to visit Chapman University during the spring of 2026 (February 1 – May 30, 2026) as a visiting scholar for at least two weeks. For the spring 2026 competition, Chapman will select two (2) scholars from the pool of applicants based on the requirements below.
Chapman University, located in the heart of Orange County, California, offers traditional undergraduate programs and select pre-professional and graduate programs. Ranked in the top tier of western universities by U.S. News and World Report, Chapman has gained national recognition with its commitment to excellence through research and innovative teaching. More information can be found at https://www.chapman.edu/
Eligibility and Requirements.
Applicants are welcome to apply if their research program or scholarly work aligns with a Chapman faculty’s research or scholarly program.
Application materials :
- Updated curriculum vitae.
- Name and contact information of Chapman faculty (sponsor) whose research/scholarly program aligns with applicant’s research/scholarly program.
- Letter of Interest (LOI; 2 pages max.) specifying proposed project/activity, its significance/importance with applicant’s current research area and its alignment with the Chapman sponsor’s research area.
- Outline of the predetermined deliverable (e.g., conference presentation, joint publication – manuscript submitted for publication, grant proposal submitted to external funding agency), and including :
o Description of the planned support of graduate students through content expertise and/or research methodology workshops.
o Abstract of a presentation of the scholar’s research to the Chapman community in a public lecture – date and topic to be determined upon arrival on campus.
- Letter from Chapman sponsor agreeing to work with CNRS faculty (see template below).
Send documents as pdf to officeofresearch@chapman.edu using “Chapman Scholarship Grant” as the email subject line.
The deadline for applications is Friday, April 4, 2025, at 12 PM Pacific Time
The amount of the grant, to be charged to Chapman University, is up to 15.000 USD (subject to USA tax regulations, as outlined in the tax treaty between USA and France : https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-trty/france.pdf).
This scholarship is not a salary; funds can only be used to defray the scholar’s expenses such as costs for travel and lodging.
Chapman University will not provide housing. We encourage visiting scholar to work with their faculty sponsor on finding an appropriate residence in Orange County. Chapman University will provide the appropriate documentation (DS-2019 and letter of invitation) to obtain a J1 visa. Note: In average it will take up to three weeks to get an appointment at the Paris embassy/consulate to apply for a J1 visa and getting the visa back in the mail another seven days.
Review Process.
A panel comprised of faculty active in research and scholarly/creative activities in areas that are aligned with applicants’ research expertise and chaired by the Vice President of Research & Graduate Education (VPR) will review the applications. The applications will be evaluated across the following criteria :
- Applicant’s background (based on C.V.), alignment of research area with proposed project/activities and significance/importance of proposed project/activity.
- Alignment of proposed project/activity with research/scholarly area of applicant with Chapman faculty (sponsor).
- Feasibility of proposed activity and deliverable within the timeframe of the visiting scholar’s stay at Chapman.
- Potential for future collaboration.
- Support for graduate students’ work.