Penn undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in the Penn Humanities Forum through the Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Research Fellowship program and occasional partnerships with other Penn programs, such as the Weigle Information Commons Mashup Multimedia Contest in 2009.

Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Research Fellowships:
As the Forum's main undergraduate initiative, the Mellon Research Fellowships cultivate the importance of humanistic thought across all disciplines. They are open to any full-time student enrolled in any Penn undergraduate school who is interested in conducting research on some aspect of the Forum's annual theme. (See sidebar for listings of fellows and their annual topic projects.) This fellowship program includes a collaboration with the university's College Houses Program, where student residents compete for special CHAS humanities fellowships offered in conjunction with the Forum's awards.

Beginning in the 2009–10 academic year, annual Mellon Undergraduate Research Fellowships are available in the following categories (click here for 2009–10 Call for Applications):

One $2000 Coordinating Research Fellowship: In this leadership role, in addition to carrying out a research project, the Coordinating Research Fellow chairs the fellowship steering committee, which is responsible for planning and organizing the group's final research conference and other events during the year.

Two $1500 Steering Committee Research Fellowships: These two Fellows, also selected for their leadership abilities, work closely with the Coordinating Research Fellow to plan and execute the group's activities, in addition to conducting their own research.

Fifteen (15) $1000 Research Fellowships: These awards offer undergraduates the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research in the humanities. At regular meetings during the year, fellows discuss their projects, arrange speakers and cultural visits, and help organize the UHF spring research conference.

Calls for application are posted each year in January. The topic for 2009–2010 will be Connections. The application deadline is March 15th for each subsequent year's fellowship. Full fellowship guidelines and application are available on the Forum's website during each Call for Applications cycle (January–March 15).