Application Tips

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparing your responses requires planning, thought, and time. We recommend drafting your responses for each section in a separate document. Then, after careful editing, copy/paste your answers into the appropriate boxes in the online application. The following documents can be used to prepare your application responses. Please note: the applications for summer and academic year funding vary slightly. Be sure to use the correct sample based on the semester you wish to apply for.

Blank Summer Application Sample

Blank Academic Year Application Sample

IMPORTANT: This is not the official UROP application, and a submission of this copy will not be accepted. A link to the official online UROP application can be found at the bottom of the page.

Application guidelines and deadlines

It is only necessary to submit an application if you are applying for funding from UROP. To apply to work with a specific mentor, please contact that mentor directly. If you are interested in conducting research for credit, contact your major department.

Two separate online components are required to apply for UROP funding:

  1. Student application
  2. Recommendation letter from the research mentor

Your application will be evaluated by several faculty members, and not all of them will be experts in your field. It’s important that you write your application in general terms and explain technical details. You should discuss your proposal extensively with your research mentor. It’s also a good idea to ask a friend who is unfamiliar with your proposed research to review the application and highlight areas of confusion.

The UROP staff is available to provide feedback and suggestions; contact our office to request an application review. (No reviews will be conducted the day before or the day of the deadline.) Remember, your research mentor should be your primary source of advice.

These sections must be completed on all applications:

  • Applicant information
  • Project title
  • Project description and goals
  • Project significance
  • Methodology
  • Timeline
  • Background experience
  • Bibliography
  • Funds requested
  • Safety training

Complete the following sections only if they apply to your project:

  • Appendix (i.e., graphs, charts, data sheets)—Do not use this section to continue text from any other section. There’s no guarantee that the appendix will be read by the reviewers. The appendix is limited to two pages.
  • Request for continued funding—Complete this section if you have previously received UROP funding, even if you are changing projects with the same mentor or changing to a new mentor.
  • Any application for research involving human or animal subjects must include a copy of the IRB or IACUC approval letter (the complete protocol is not necessary). Only submit relevant pages; this section is limited to two pages.

Note: The first page of the UROP application includes optional, anonymous questions regarding GPA and ethnic background. This information is used only for statistical purposes within the UROP office and is not seen by the review committee. Thus, this information does not impact the rating of your application. We use these data to evaluate trends in UROP participation. We are also asked to report some of these data to granting agencies when we seek additional funds to support UROP programs.

Note: If more than one student in a given faculty member’s research group is applying for UROP funds to work on a closely related project, each student must complete their own application addressing both the project as a whole and their individual contribution to that work. If both students will be working on the same project, each application must make this clear and describe the individual applicant’s role in the project. You may not submit identical or near-identical applications.

Note: Though funding is not guaranteed, successful applications typically:
(i) present a clear research plan that addresses the hypothesis being tested or research question being studied
(ii) very clearly define the applicant’s role in the project. If more than one student is applying with the same research group, applicants should describe what makes their role unique from others within the research group.
(iii) include research methods that go beyond a simple collection of data
(iv) have a realistic timeline and methodology
(v) provide evidence of an established relationship between student and mentor
(vi) describe the significance of the project in layperson’s terms

Note: Letters of recommendation are considered confidential and will not be shared with students.

Additional Tips

There is a character limit for each answer field. These are not character requirements. It is best to be succinct and concise in your application, rather than try to fill the available space. A character is a single letter, punctuation mark, or space. Most word processing applications provide a character count tool, which is not the same as word count. You will not be able to submit your application if you exceed the character count for the answer fields.

Student applications must be submitted by noon on the due date. Mentor recommendations are due by midnight on the application due date. Our application system does not notify your mentor that you have applied nor does it direct them to a page to fill out the recommendation. Direct your mentor to faculty recommendation forms for the online mentor recommendation (this page is Kerberos protected).