Program information

Students in URAD assist faculty with their research.

• The program is intended to introduce students to research, and students are not expected to generate their own independent research projects.
• There must be a clear academic benefit to the student, and the student's role in the project must be intellectual rather than administrative. This is an academic experience, not a job.
• The program does not match students with faculty. See UGAR's tips and resources on how to find a faculty research mentor.
• The nature of the work and skills required will vary depending on the project, and students should communicate with their faculty mentors about the expectations prior to the start of the assistantship.

Students engage in the research part-time throughout the academic term.

• Students are expected to devote the equivalent time/effort to what they would for an academic class. That is estimated to be an average of 10 hours a week during a 10 week term (approximate total of 100 hours during the academic term).
• Students receive a stipend at the end of the term of research, contingent on confirmation by both the student and faculty research mentor.
• Timesheets are not required since payment is via stipend rather than hourly wages, but students should maintain a document tracking the time spent on the research and the tasks accomplished.
• More information about payments is on the UGAR stipend webpage.

This is a competitive program; priorities for funding are as follows:

• Sophomores and juniors.
• Students who have not yet been funded for 3 terms of URAD.
• Projects that are clearly aligned with the student's academic trajectory.
• If you are eligible for other programs or funding sources, it is recommended that you submit applications for those as well in order to increase your chances of being awarded funding.

Other offices that provide funding for part-time faculty-mentored research:

• Neukom Scholars
• Lovelace Research Program (Computer Science)

Students are eligible for a maximum of *4* terms of URAD funding.

• Students are eligible to apply in their second term of enrollment.
  • For most students, this would be applying in winter of first year for research in spring.
• Students are not eligible once they have completed 29 or more credits.
  • Students may only apply if their course count is less than 29 by the end of the term in which they are submitting their application. 
• Students may participate in one UGAR program (for one research project) per term.
  • Students may participate in both URAD and the Presidential Scholars program but not in the same terms.
• Sophomores and juniors have priority for URAD funding.

Students apply for URAD in the term prior to the term of research.

• Selection as a URAD Scholar is for one term (for the term following the term in which students apply).
• Students who would like to continue a project in a subsequent or later term must submit a separate application each term.
• There are no restrictions on the number of faculty mentors and/or projects per student, up to a maximum of 4 terms per student.

URAD is for students who are on campus and enrolled in classes (R term).

• Students must be on campus throughout the term of research. Remote research of any type is not eligible for funding.
• Students on off-campus programs or transfer/exchange programs are not eligible.
• Students who will be on campus but on a leave term may request an exception to the enrollment policy ONLY if there is a compelling reason to do so.
  • Exceptions are requested via the URAD application form. Do not email UGAR to request an exception.
  • Exceptions are not granted for the first term of research with a faculty mentor.
  • Exceptions will only be considered if there is compelling reason for engaging in the research during a leave term. Planning to be on campus during a leave term because of athletics, extracurriculars or visa restrictions is not on its own a compelling reason.
  • Exceptions are NOT typically granted so be sure to have alternative plans for the term.
• It is expected that the faculty mentor be on campus during the term of the project. If that is not the case, there must be an on-campus supervisor who is involved in the project (faculty collaborator, post-doctoral fellow, etc.)

Students may not receive URAD funding for research associated with academic credit.

• This includes independent study, thesis research, culmininating projects and projects for classes.
• Seniors are only eligible for URAD funding if the project is not related to any requirement of their major or minor (thesis, culminating experience, etc.). 

Students may not receive funding from more than one source for the same research.

• Students receiving wages for the research or participating in other funded undergraduate research programs (e.g. Neukom Scholars, Human Development Fellowships,  E. E. Just Fellows, Stamps Scholars) are NOT eligible for funding for the same/similar research as URAD during a URAD-funded term.

Be sure to also review the general eligibility guidelines for UGAR programs.