Information Concerning Summer Research Fellowships

Please find detailed information below on the A&S summer research programs run by the A&S Undergraduate Research Committee (URC). The research programs run by the URC include mentored research, where students are paid as hourly employees and research is directly guided by faculty members on joint projects, and supervised research, where students are paid by stipend and typically pursue more independent projects under faculty guidance.

Please note deadlines and relevant dates for this year in the sidebars on the right of this page.

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  • Student Stipends

    A&S student stipends amount to $5000 for a full 10-week period of full-time research. Shorter research periods between 6-10 weeks are also possible and are be prorated accordingly.

    Summer Research Supply Budget for Students

    Mentored students receive a budget of $500 through their mentors and supervisors to offset the costs of summer research supplies or research travel.

    Items that may be funded:

    1. Special equipment, materials and supplies (items not normally provided by the department).

    2. Charges for services not normally supplied by Information Services and the University libraries (e.g., special computer costs, literature searches).

    3. Research related travel to special collections, libraries, archives, research facilities, research sites and to present at conferences. Costs that may be covered include transportation, lodging and meals.

    4. Limited photocopying (e.g. surveys to be distributed, limited copies needed for distribution for coders). Photocopying will not be considered an alternative to note taking and must be specifically justified in the proposal.

    5. Students conducting research may use funds to pay participants to take part in their research projects.

    6. Grants will not be awarded to fund tuition at other educational institutions, domestic or abroad.

  • Faculty Mentoring/Supervision Stipends 

    A&S faculty receive a stipend for mentoring or supervising mentored and supervised undergraduate summer researchers who apply through UR Summer Fellowships program. While faculty are welcome to work with as many students as they wish, they will receive a stipend of $2,000.00 per student for up to three students, then $500.00 for each additional student up to a total of six students.

    In other words, an A&S faculty member working with six or more summer student researchers would receive the maximum stipend of $7,500.00 ($6,000.00 + 1,500.00). Faculty do not earn a mentoring stipend for unaffiliated students.

    Faculty stipends will be distributed via their paycheck.

  • The Application Process 

    Each year, student applications and faculty recommendation are due in late February (check the Deadline Sidebar on the right for this year’s deadlines); students and faculty are notified of the results of the application process around Spring Break.

    Students applying to use their Richmond Guarantee funding to conduct A&S summer research complete a streamlined application that is reviewed by their mentor or supervisor. Students applying to conduct A&S summer research who have previously participated in Richmond Guarantee-funded summer research or a summer internship complete a slightly more involved application that is reviewed by their research mentor or supervisor and the URC as well.

    Students applying to conduct summer research may apply as individuals or to work in research teams, depending on the faculty mentor or supervisor and the research project. Students should closely coordinate their applications with their A&S mentors and supervisors. Application Preview. Apply here.

    A&S faculty mentors initiate student research team applications by filling out a form (check the Application Sidebars on the right for the link) that instructs the Slate system to invite a list of students (no matter whether Richmond Guarantee-funded or not) to complete summer research applications. Faculty interested in initiating team applications need to do so through the digital application platform earlier than the student deadline in order to allow students the a chance to complete their applications in time (check the Deadline Sidebar on the right for this year’s deadlines). Apply here.

  • Summer Housing

    The University supports a small, vibrant undergraduate community in campus housing each summer. Students participating in faculty-mentored research or university-supported internships, and summer student employees are eligible to live on campus.

    More information about summer housing, dates, deadlines, and meal plans can be found on the Summer Housing website.

  • Terms

    Summer research is a full-time, 40 hr/week endeavor. If a student accepts a summer fellowship, they may not have any other paid or unpaid summer jobs or internships, including resident assistant positions or other on-campus jobs during the fellowship period. Students who are participating in faculty mentored or supervised summer research also typically may not enroll in summer courses. As part of the fellowship, students are expected to devote their attention full-time to their research.

    Students engaging in a minimum of 6 weeks of full-time research (40 hr/week) who are working under the mentorship or supervision of a faculty member are eligible to earn 406 class credit for their academic transcript. 406 credit ensures that research experience is recorded on student transcripts; it is rated as 0 units and graded S/U.

    Seniors are not eligible to apply for a summer research fellowship administered by the URC, but may work on A&S summer research after graduation if they are funded by an A&S endowment or a faculty mentor’s external grant and are a U.S. citizen, working in Virginia.

  • Conditions

    If a research proposal involves the use of animals, human subjects and or biological materials final approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or the Institutional Review Board for Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) or the Institutional Biosafety Committee must be obtained before an award will be made.

    If international travel is involved, the student must coordinate with the Office of International Education (OIE). UR Summer Fellowship (URSF) awards will not be issued for activity taking place internationally if OIE approval is not complete.

    Fellowship recipients are required to present at the Arts & Sciences Student Symposium during the spring following their research experience. Exceptions must be approved by the A&S associate dean.

    Student mentees will receive bi-weekly checks for the duration of their project, while those conducting supervised and unaffiliated research receive a two-part stipend. Please visit the URSF website for more information about guidelines and policies.

    If a fellowship recipient is unable to fulfill the conditions of the award, all unexpended funds will revert back to the URC.

    A&S tenured and tenure-track faculty, continuing faculty and faculty of practice are eligible to serve as faculty mentors and supervisors. Under certain conditions, term faculty who have been hired to teach during the coming year may also serve as mentors or supervisors. Please check with the term faculty member’s department chair and/or the URC to determine eligibility.

NOTES 

[1] This program differentiates between “mentored research” and “supervised research” in order to determine how student stipends are paid. “Mentored research” denotes research in which students are required to be paid as hourly employees; these students are typically guided directly by faculty members on joint projects, often in person and often in a lab setting. “Supervised research” denotes research in which students are paid by stipend; these students typically pursue more independent projects under faculty guidance, be it in person or remote.

[2] Awards for second- and third-time undergraduate researchers are subject to A&S budget limitations.

[3] If a student has a significant extenuating circumstance that makes it necessary to simultaneously hold a fellowship and enroll in summer school, she or he should contact both her or his faculty mentor or advisor and Brendan Halligan, associate director of experiential learning in the Office of Alumni and Career Services. Please note: enrolling in summer classes while receiving a research fellowship may necessitate that the fellowship be considered to be financial aid, which may in turn have significant negative consequences for the student’s financial aid package.