AGA Young Guts Scholars Program 2027: $6,000 Stipend and Mentored Digestive-Disease Research for Undergraduates

AGA Young Guts Scholars Program 2027: $6,000 Stipend and Mentored Digestive-Disease Research for Undergraduates

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Young Guts Scholars Program is a 10-month mentored research opportunity for undergraduate students who are interested in digestive diseases and who identify with groups traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research. The 2027 cycle opens on October 7, 2026, and the application deadline is February 3, 2027.

AGA expects to select six scholars. Each recipient receives a $6,000 stipend paid in two installments, an AGA student membership for three years, and a travel allowance of up to $1,500 for attending Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in 2028 or 2029, payable after proof of registration. A mentor laboratory may also request up to $1,000 to help offset the cost of hosting the student. The research term runs from August 2027 through May 2028.

This is not a general tuition scholarship or an award for an already completed project. It is structured around supervised research, a committed mentor, and a student’s development toward a future career in science or medicine. Applicants should therefore judge the opportunity by the quality of the research relationship they can build, not only by the stipend.

Key details

What the scholarship supports

The Young Guts program exists to widen the pipeline of investigators in digestive-disease research. The public description frames the award as an academic-year research experience, not simply financial assistance for a student’s ordinary studies. A successful applicant works with a research mentor on a project connected to digestive diseases and uses the 10-month period to learn how research is designed, conducted, discussed, and communicated.

The subject can be relevant to gastroenterology or hepatology, but the important fit question is not whether a proposal uses a particular laboratory technique. It is whether the proposed experience gives an undergraduate a credible introduction to biomedical research in digestive disease. A project might involve laboratory work, clinical research, data analysis, population health, or another approach available through the proposed mentor. The applicant should describe the actual research setting and question rather than relying on a broad statement such as “I want to study the gut.”

The stipend is paid in two installments: $6,000 in August 2027 and January 2028. In addition, the award includes AGA student membership for three years, listed by AGA as having a $75 value. Recipients can receive up to $1,500 toward attendance at DDW 2028 or 2029, but that travel allowance is payable upon proof of conference registration. It should be treated as a conditional later benefit, not as cash available at the start of the research term.

The mentor’s laboratory is a separate part of the package. A mentor lab may request up to $1,000 to offset the cost of hosting the student. This support is not the student’s personal stipend, and applicants should not build their personal budget around receiving it. Instead, it can make it easier for a mentor to provide supervision, materials, or an appropriate research environment.

Who is eligible

Applicants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program in the United States and have at least one year of undergraduate education remaining. A student graduating during the current academic year or the following fall semester is not the intended applicant. The institution must be an accredited institution of higher education, and the student must be in good academic standing.

The program is aimed at racial, ethnic, and other groups traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research. AGA’s published examples include African Americans or Black students, Asian Americans, Native Alaskans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and students of Latinx or Hispanic origin. If your identity or circumstances fit the program’s broader underrepresented-in-biomedical-research purpose but do not map neatly onto the examples on the public page, ask AGA for confirmation before submitting.

The applicant also needs a research mentor who is a current, dues-paying AGA member at the time of application. The mentor may be on campus or at another local institution. This requirement is central: the program is selecting a student-and-project combination, not just a student with an abstract interest in medicine.

Applicants may not hold a similar award from another organization, such as the National Institutes of Health, at the time relevant to this opportunity. The award is not intended to provide salary support for people employed as laboratory technicians. Prior research experience is helpful but not mandatory; AGA says that an ideal applicant may have at least one semester, quarter, or summer of prior research experience, while also making clear that this experience is not required.

Past recipients may reapply in later years if they completed the required scientific progress report and follow-up surveys and still meet the other eligibility rules. Recipients are expected to participate in follow-up surveys and future events as alumni.

Finding the right mentor

Start this step well before the deadline. The mentor must commit to supervising the proposed experience and must already be a dues-paying AGA member. A cold email that only says “Are you accepting students?” makes it difficult for a researcher to assess the request. A better first message includes your year of study, the kind of digestive-disease question that interests you, the research skills you already have, the 10-month timing, and a short explanation of why the mentor’s work is a plausible fit.

Read the mentor’s recent laboratory or clinical research descriptions before contacting them. Identify one or two themes you can discuss accurately, but do not pretend to understand a paper you have not read. The goal is to show informed interest and a willingness to learn. A mentor does not need a fully finished project from an undergraduate applicant; they do need confidence that the student will be reliable, teachable, and able to explain why the proposed setting matters.

Confirm AGA membership before treating a possible mentor as secured. If you do not have a current mentor, the program page says AGA staff can help applicants find a willing mentor at or near their institution until December 15. That assistance is useful, but it should not replace your own search. The later that conversation begins, the less time remains for the mentor to review the proposal and complete their part of the application.

How to apply

Applications are submitted online through the AGA Grants Management System. The deadline for the 2027 cycle is February 3, 2027. AGA offers a preview of the application, but the preview is for reference; the actual submission must be completed online through the system. Create or update the account early so that a password problem, institutional email issue, or missing mentor information does not become a deadline-day emergency.

The public program page confirms the mentor commitment, the online route, the eligibility requirements, and the application deadline. It does not publish every application field, word limit, or upload requirement in the page text. Use the application preview and any current instructions in the Grants Management System as the authority for the exact form. Do not copy requirements from an older cycle without checking that they still appear in the 2027 application.

As working preparation, assemble a concise project outline, a current CV or activities list, an unofficial academic record for your own review, and a short explanation of how the experience connects to your longer-term interest in science or medicine. These items help you answer the online form clearly even if the system requests them under different labels. Ask the mentor to review the project description for scientific accuracy and feasibility, especially the scope of what an undergraduate can accomplish in 10 months.

Before submitting, verify that the mentor’s name, institution, AGA membership status, project description, and contact details are consistent across every part of the application. Save a copy of the final text and confirmation screen. A submission is not complete merely because a draft exists in the Grants Management System.

Timeline for the 2027 cycle

The application opens on October 7, 2026. The closing date is February 3, 2027. AGA’s published timeline says applications are reviewed and recipients selected in May 2027, with students and mentors notified in June 2027. The funded research experience then runs from August 2027 through May 2028.

The stipend is scheduled in two payments: August 2027 and January 2028. This timing matters for students deciding whether they can participate. The award is not described as a monthly living allowance, and the public information does not confirm how a recipient’s school handles the payment for financial-aid or tax purposes. Ask your institution’s financial-aid office and AGA if that affects your enrollment or budget.

The DDW travel benefit comes later. The published program information points to DDW 2028 or 2029 and says that payment requires proof of registration. AGA does not promise that the travel allowance will cover every conference cost. Plan for possible expenses such as transportation, lodging, meals, registration differences, and timing between the research term and the conference.

What reviewers are likely to value

AGA states that selection considers the applicant’s interest in biomedical and digestive-disease research, engagement with the research proposal and proposed mentor, demonstrated need for the program, and likelihood of benefiting from the experience. Those criteria point to four practical tests.

First, show specific interest. Connect your academic experiences, questions, or community perspective to the proposed research area. You do not need to claim that you have already chosen a lifetime specialty. You do need to explain why this opportunity is a meaningful next step.

Second, show that the proposal belongs to a real mentoring relationship. Name the research setting, the mentor’s relevant expertise, the question or activity you expect to explore, and the skills you hope to build. A generic proposal that could be sent to any laboratory will look less credible than a modest plan grounded in the mentor’s work.

Third, explain need without turning the application into a list of hardship. Describe the practical barrier that makes a paid, structured research placement important: the need to work during term, lack of access to unpaid laboratory work, limited exposure to biomedical research, or another circumstance you can state honestly. Then explain how the program changes what you can do.

Fourth, make the benefit legible. Tell the reviewer what you will be able to do by May 2028 that you cannot do now: interpret a dataset, follow a laboratory protocol safely, communicate findings, understand research ethics, present a poster, or make a more informed decision about graduate or professional study. The strongest answer treats the scholarship as training with an outcome, not as money detached from a plan.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most basic error is missing the timing. The application opens October 7, 2026, but a mentor search should start earlier. Waiting until the form opens can leave too little time for a researcher to evaluate the fit.

Another mistake is confusing the Young Guts program with the separate AGA-Aman Armaan Ahmed Family SURF for Success Program. Both are undergraduate digestive-disease research opportunities, but they have different program names and structures. Use the Young Guts application page and confirm that your planned term, mentor, and eligibility match this specific award.

Do not treat the travel allowance as an upfront stipend. It is tied to DDW attendance and proof of registration. Do not describe the mentor-lab support as money you will receive personally. Also check overlap rules if you are applying for another research award; AGA says applicants may not hold similar awards from another organization.

Avoid overstating your science. Reviewers do not need a proposal full of technical vocabulary. They need a clear question, a feasible learning plan, a suitable mentor, and evidence that you understand what the research experience involves. A small, well-defined project is stronger than a grand promise to solve a major digestive disease in one academic year.

Finally, do not assume the public webpage contains every 2027 form requirement. Review the live Grants Management System preview, preserve the exact submitted version, and contact AGA if the application instructions conflict with an older description.

Frequently asked questions

Can international students apply?

The published eligibility requires current enrollment in an undergraduate program in the United States and identification with an eligible underrepresented group. It does not state a separate citizenship rule in the public summary. International students should ask AGA to confirm whether their enrollment and identity meet the current 2027 rules before preparing a full submission.

Do I need prior research experience?

No prior research experience is stated as an absolute requirement. AGA says an ideal applicant will have at least one semester, quarter, or summer of prior research, but that experience is not required. Explain your readiness through coursework, practical projects, employment, volunteering, or other evidence of careful learning.

Can my mentor be at another university?

Yes, the published requirements allow an on-campus or off-campus mentor when the other institution is local. The mentor must be a current, dues-paying AGA member at application time.

Is the $6,000 paid all at once?

No. The published schedule lists two $3,000 installments, one in August 2027 and one in January 2028. Confirm any institutional financial-aid or tax treatment with your school and AGA.

What happens if I do not have a mentor?

AGA says staff can help applicants find a willing mentor at or near their institution until December 15. Begin your own outreach first and contact AGA early if the search is not progressing.

Does the award pay tuition?

The published benefits identify a stipend, AGA membership, DDW travel support, and possible mentor-lab support. They do not describe tuition payment. Treat the award as research support and ask AGA about any question involving tuition or enrollment costs.

Official links and next steps

The official Young Guts Scholars Program page is the primary source for the 2027 opening date, deadline, eligibility, benefits, selection criteria, and online application route. AGA’s undergraduate awards page helps distinguish this program from the other undergraduate research award listed by the association.

If you may apply, use the period before October 7 to identify two or three plausible AGA-member mentors, read their current work, and write a one-paragraph project idea. Ask about supervision and availability for August 2027 through May 2028. Once the application opens, review the live form rather than relying on summaries, confirm the February 3, 2027 deadline in your own time zone, and submit with enough margin for the mentor’s portion and a final consistency check.

Questions about the award should go to the AGA Awards Program using the contact information on the official page. AGA is the authority for interpreting the 2027 form, eligibility edge cases, the payment schedule, and any changes published after this guide was checked.