Undergraduate Research Awards

Students:

• Complete the UGRA Student Application Form. The form is housed in KU's UKASH system where you can apply for an UGRA. Search "Undergraduate Research Award" to locate the application, if needed. Note that any emails coming through this system will come from scholarships@ku.edu.
• Within the form, you will enter your mentor's/letter writer's name and upload a UGRA research proposal (saved as a pdf). More details regarding the research proposal are included below.
  
  
  
  ***The proposal format changed slightly in spring 2024.

Mentors:

• When a student turns in their UGRA application, it will automatically generate an email to their research mentor from scholarships@ku.edu with a link to the mentor reference form for that application. Mentors cannot fill out a reference form before the student starts their application. Mentors will need to create an account in the UKASH system in order to complete the reference form. If a mentor would like to know whether their student waived or retained their right to see their reference form, please email us at curf@ku.edu and we can let you know.
• Note: it is the student's responsibility to ensure that the mentor reference form is filled out by the deadline. We recommend that you give your mentor at least 2 weeks notice of the reference form deadline and make sure your mentor knows that the link for the reference will be sent to them once you fill out your application.

***Mentor application questions are listed in the "Guidance for mentors" section below.

Both the student application form and the mentor reference must be received in order to be considered for funding.  We do not accept late student proposals for the UGRAs.  If you experience technical difficulties in filling out your UGRA application online, email your final UGRA proposal to curf@ku.edu by the application deadline; in this case, we can work with you the following day to troubleshoot any technical problems so you can complete your application.

All applicants will be notified about the status of their application after final UGRA funding decisions are made, typically before the last day of finals each semester.

UGRAs are evaluated based on the merit of the applicant's proposal and a recommendation from a faculty member who is familiar with the applicant and will mentor the proposed project. Reviewers utilize either the Research Project Rubric (.docx) or Creative Project Rubric (.docx), depending on the project type. Applicants will be informed of award decisions by the end of the semester in which they apply.

You will receive your UGRA scholarship through the Financial Aid distribution process. If you owe KU for any charges (e.g. tuition, required campus fees, etc.), this financial aid will be applied towards the amount due.  If a credit balance is created within your account, the credit balance will be refunded to you through direct deposit or check. Students receiving need-based financial aid, such as loans, should be aware that this scholarship may alter your loan or other aid amounts. International students may have required taxes taken out of your award as part of the normal KU scholarship disbursement process.  If you have questions about how this scholarship may affect your Financial Aid, please contact your Financial Aid Counselor.

1. Undergraduate Research Contract:

Recipients of the UGRAs are expected to devote considerable time during this award period to carrying out the research proposed in their application.  Because research is different in each discipline, we rely on the student and mentor to agree on the time commitment and progress that is appropriate for an UGRA project.  To receive the award, each student and their mentor are required to work together to complete an Undergraduate Research Contract (.docx). This contract will clearly delineate the expectations that the student and mentor have of one another and will include a list of milestones and their anticipated completion date. Research Contracts are filled out at the beginning of the award period and revisited at the end of the semester.

2. UGRA Mid-Semester Check-in:

Recipients will receive an email with the link to the check-in form and information regarding the deadline.

3. Presentation of Projects:

UGRA recipients are required to present the results of their research and creative project on KU's campus within one year of receiving their award.  Presentations must be on KU's campus or in the Lawrence area, such as the Summer Poster Session, Fall Research Showcase, or the Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Research, a departmental presentation or event, or an art show at a local gallery.  Exceptions to the presentation requirement can be made, such as when presenting a project could create patent issues, conflict with larger research collaborations, etc.

4. If relevant, students should complete the following:

• Student International Travel Registry: Students traveling abroad to conduct research are required to register through Study Abroad & Global Engagement regardless of whether they are enrolled in course credit. For more information, visit Study Abroad & Global Engagement's webpage about the Travel Registry.

• Human Subjects Committee Lawrence (HSCL) approval: Students completing research with human subjects must obtain approval of their project via the Human Subjects Committee of Lawrence (HSCL) prior to beginning their work with human subjects.  For more information, visit the HSCL website, call 785-864-7429 (ext. #1), or email HSCL@ku.edu

• Environmental, Health, and Safety Canvas courses (Lab Safety 101, Art Safety 101, etc): Instructions for enrollment are available on the EHS website.

1. Read all pages of the UGRA website, and, if you can, attend the UGRA preparatory workshops.
2. If you're just getting started in research, identify a mentor to guide your project.
3. Talk with your mentor to discuss proposal ideas and review deadlines.  Make sure your mentor knows that they should expect an email from scholarships@ku.edu with a link to the reference form after you complete the online application. Show your mentor the "For Mentors" tab on this website to make sure you are both clear about their role in guiding your project.  If your mentor is not a faculty member, direct them to fill out our Research Mentor Designation form. If you're not sure if your mentor is a faculty member, just ask them.
4. Write a first draft following the proposal guidelines outlined below.
5. Use the rubric available online to evaluate and revise your proposal: Research Project Rubric (.docx) or Creative Project Rubric (.docx)
6. Ask your mentor to read the draft and suggest revisions (repeat this process). Be sure to provide a copy of the rubric.
7. If you have any questions as you revise your proposal, sign up for an individual UGRA consultation. 
8. Make final revisions.
9. Submit your application>> (coming soon!): fill out the online application form and upload all supporting documents (your proposal and any portfolio documents, if relevant).
10. Check with your research mentor to make sure they fill out the mentor reference form.  Your mentor will automatically be sent an email with a link to the reference form from scholarships@ku.edu AFTER you submit your application, so be sure to get your application in early so your mentor has plenty of time to fill out the reference.

All tenure-track KU faculty are eligible to sponsor student UGRA applications, as are many KU employees who have expertise in an area of research.  If you are a KU employee who is not a tenured or tenure-track faculty member, please fill out our Research Mentor Designation form before your student applies for an UGRA.  Graduate students are not eligible to be the primary sponsor of an UGRA.

Below are the questions you will be asked to answer as part of your mentee's application process:

1. What is your academic department?
2. Familiarity with student: How long and in what capacity have you known this student?
3. Student preparation: Briefly describe the skills and dispositions that will be required to successfully complete this project and the degree to which you think the student possesses these.
4. Mentoring plan: Keeping in mind your response to the previous question, how do you plan to mentor the student during this project? Where will the student need more support and guidance? What other resources might benefit the student?
5. Feasibility of project: How confident are you that the student has the skills and motivation to complete this research/creative project during the award period?
6. (Optional) Information for reviewer: Please provide any background or disciplinary context that a faculty reviewer from another discipline might need to know about this student project.
7. Optional) Other comments

NOTICE: The proposal format requirements changed slightly in spring 2024.

Your UGRA proposal will be evaluated using one of the following rubrics provided to faculty reviewers: Research Project Rubric (.docx) or Creative Project Rubric (.docx) We recommend that you read over the appropriate rubric and use it while revising your proposal.

Your proposal should:

• be no more than 5 total pages, including your text content (~2000 words), figures, images, image captions, references, footnotes, appendices, etc.

• be single-spaced and typed using Times New Roman 12 point font for main content. Additional text can be used as needed to support figures, images, captions, footnotes, etc.

• have 1 inch margins top, bottom, right, and left.

• have a title at the top of the first page. Please do not include your name.

• include the following sections: abstract/summary, background and introduction, methods and approach, applicant's preparation, conclusion, and references. Optional content may include figures, charts, and images. See below for information on each section.

• be saved as a PDF with file name LastnameProposal.PDF. For example, SmithProposal.PDF.

***Proposals not meeting the criteria outlined above may not be considered for review.

Guidelines for:

• Students working in groups: Students applying as part of a group need to each submit their own proposal. Proposals should not be written together and, therefore, should not share written content (such as identical sentences or paragraphs). Reviewers must be able to see that each student has a full understanding of the project since each student will receive an individual scholarship.

• Students who have previously received a UGRA:  If applying for a second award, students should submit a full proposal even when continuing on the same project. This proposal needs to include a brief update on their progress either in the Background and Introduction section or the Methods and Approach section. The Methods and Approach should then describe the next steps of the project. Much of your proposal may stay the same, but be sure to include any newly relevant background information if the project has shifted directions or new information was published.

Purpose: In one paragraph, summarize your proposal. Give the reader a general sense of the field, the problem or idea your work will address, and how you will accomplish this project.

Guiding questions:

• Why will you do this work?
• What will you do (think broadly for this section)?
• And how will you do it?

Tips:

• This is your chance to make a good first impression on your readers; it should clearly convey what your project is and why it is important enough to fund.
• Connect your project to the big picture.
• This section is a summary of your entire proposal, so write it last.
• For tips on writing research proposals, see The Professor Is In blog's "Foolproof Research Grant Template," as well as posts on how to talk about the big issue in your project and the contribution to the literature.
• Visit the KU Writing Center’s webpage.

Purpose: This section has two goals: 1) summarize the work that’s been done in your area and 2) explain how your work will contribute to this field of study. In many fields, this section is referred to as the literature review. It must include citations of previous research or creative work related to your topic.

Guiding questions:

Summary:

• What is already known or has been done in this area?
• For creative projects: Which artists have done similar work or explored similar themes? 

Contribution:

• How will this project add to what is already known or has been done?
• For creative projects: What is your creative vision for the project? What is the inspiration for your project?

Tips:

• This section is commonly referred to as a literature review.  The purpose is to position your project within the academic conversation about your topic.

• You must cite the published work that you review in this section and list it in the References section. Proposals that do not cite other works in this section and include them in the References section will not be funded.

• Focus on the key publications needed to outline the current state of the field; typical UGRA proposals include 5-10 sources.

• Be sure to synthesize your sources; this section should read more like a story than a list. Avoid direct quotes; they make it harder for you to synthesize multiple works into a story. Show how your project continues the story by explaining your contribution.

• Watch this video about the B.E.A.M. system for organizing sources for some tips.

Purpose: Describe what you will actually do for your project and why you will take this approach. You need to include a timeline that clearly details the work that you will complete during the semester of the award.

Guiding questions:

• What will you actually do? What data will you be using?  How will you collect it?  How will you analyze it? What materials or resources will you need? 

• What are the major steps to complete this project?

• How will the results of these methods allow you to address your original question?

• Is the project that you’ve outlined feasible in one semester?

• Will you work with human subjects? If so, how will you meet the requirements of the KU Human Subjects Committee (HSCL)? Consult your mentor for help with this process.

• For creative projects: How will you approach and get feedback on your work?

• Why did you select the particular methods/techniques you’ve described?

Tips:

• Be specific to show the reviewer that you have thought through the process and are prepared to begin your project.

• Relevant details you might mention (depending on project type) include: descriptions of methods and rationale for choosing them, any software or equipment you’ll use and why, a description of your creative process, and/or controls for proposed experiments.

• Explain the choices you have made in designing your project.  Why are you choosing this method over another?  Are there other studies that have used a similar approach?  Show the reviewer that you understand not just what you are doing for your project, but why you are doing it.

• Use the timeline to help you and the reviewers ensure that you are proposing a feasible project for one semester. A chart or table is an easy way to provide the timeline.

• If the project is part of a larger research program or a long-term interest, make clear what part of the larger project will be completed during the one semester term of the grant.

• Cite your method's origin paper or other work using this technique to show that your approach is standard in the field.

• Use a first person narrative here, especially when you are working as part of a research group. Reviewers will have a better idea of what you are doing versus what others will do.

• Don't forget to describe your data analysis plan, especially any statistical methods you plan to use, and how this analysis will tie back to the original question you set out to address. This is a common mistake that reviewers catch.

• If you are working on a multi-semester project, be sure to provide the most details about the award period that you are applying for.  The reviewer will want to see what work would be funded if you had the award.

Purpose: Describe your preparation and qualifications to complete this project.

Guiding questions:

• What experiences, coursework, or training have you done that will give you the needed background knowledge and skills to undertake the project?

• Did you complete coursework that is relevant? What specific skills or background information did you learn in these classes that prepared you for your project?

• Did you learn a language, technique, or laboratory skill that you’ll use?

• Or have you already been doing faculty mentored research or independent study on this topic?

Tips: 

• Do not skimp on this section; be sure to write at least one paragraph here to make the case that you can complete this project.  The reviewer needs to be able to see whether you have the skills and background knowledge needed to complete the project.

• Rather than telling the reviewer that you are qualified, show them.  Saying "I am prepared to do this research project" is not as convincing as saying "I used X technique in my BIOL 123 class, earned an A in my BIOL 456 course, and have already begun preparations to do Y procedure in my work in Prof. Z's lab this semester."

• Keep in mind that UGRA reviewers will not be viewing your transcripts as part of your UGRA application, so if you have taken relevant courses you should mention them, what grade you received in those classes, and how they will help you complete the proposed project.

• If you do not already have a skill that you will need to complete the project, be sure to address how you will get that knowledge or training.

Purpose: Show a clear connection between the different parts of your proposal.  Summarize key points of your proposal for one final reminder of what you’re doing, how you’ll do it, and why. This is your final sales pitch to the reviewer and a good time to return to how your project relates to the big picture.

Guiding questions:

• How will the results and outcomes of your proposed work tie back to your original intent?   In other words, explain how and why your proposed approach will help you achieve your goal. 

• How will you disseminate your work? 

• What criteria will you use to evaluate your success?

Tips:

• Clearly show the reviewer the connections between your initial intent, proposed work, and anticipated outcomes.

• You want to convince your reviewer that the overall goals of your project are important, and that the plan you’ve outlined will move you toward those goals.

Purpose: List the materials you are citing in your proposal. 

Guiding questions:

• Did you list every source you cited in the text?

• Did you include the most important and relevant sources for your project?

Tips:

• Use the citation style most commonly used in your discipline for both the in-text citations and the reference list.

• Your references do not count towards your 2,000 word limit.

• You should not include any references that are not cited in the text of the proposal.

Purpose: You may include any figures, charts, images, etc. that are helpful in explaining your work, either as an appendix or within the body of your work.

Guiding questions:

• Is there an idea you’re trying to communicate in words that would be easier to understand in picture form?
• Do you have portfolio pieces that will demonstrate the type of artwork or product you are proposing to create?
• Do you have a survey or interview tool you’d like to reference as an appendix?
• Do you have preliminary data showing that a new technique works?

Tips:

• Keep it simple. Only include information that is needed to understand the proposal. Don’t include a figure or image just to have one.
• Any figures, charts, images, and examples of artwork need to be referred to within the text of the proposal. Without explanation, the reader does not know why you are including them.
• Label any figures, charts, and images with a descriptive title, caption, and/or legend for easy reference.

Yes! We welcome applications from all disciplines.

Yes, many UGRA recipients work in a lab or research group. It is fine if you are working on part of a larger research project, but you should have some ownership over an aspect of the research.  When you apply, you should write your proposal about the piece of the research that you are working on. Your Background & Introduction section should address the overall questions or problems that the group is studying, but most of the explanation should be written with the goal of helping us understand the work that you are doing.

You can both apply for UGRAs. In order to do that, you each need to submit your own proposal describing 1) the overall project, 2) how each of you will contribute to the project. For example, are you both collecting field samples and analyzing them together in the lab, or will one of you do the field work while the other does the lab work?

These proposals should not include identical language and should be written separately. Each student should gain experience in writing their own proposal. Reviewers will use your proposal to evaluate whether you as an individual have a good grasp of your project and have a feasible plan in place. Therefore, the reviewers need to see a proposal that is your own work in order to decide whether to award you as an individual the UGRA.

Yes, past UGRA recipients may apply again for a UGRA. However, please keep in mind that we require that you do not just submit the same proposal. You must describe the progress you have made on the project and explain the current and proposed next steps of your work. Reviewers will compare your new proposal to your past proposal, so make sure you have updated it. If you're taking a new direction in the project, make sure you also update your literature review or background section to reflect any new information that reviewers will need to know to understand your project.

Applicants must be currently enrolled degree-seeking undergraduate students. Once you have graduated you are no longer eligible for a UGRA. For example, if you graduate in May, you cannot receive a summer award unless you are considered a degree-seeking student for another undergraduate degree. If you graduate in December, you cannot receive a spring award unless you are a degree-seeking student for another undergraduate degree.

No, applicants submitting a proposal for the March deadline must choose to apply for either a summer award or a fall award.

No, students can only submit one proposal for each UGRA competition. If you are working on more than one research project, decide which one you want to devote more time to during the award period and write your proposal about that.

The most common critiques of UGRA proposals are:

Literature review:

It's not clear that the student understands how their project fits within the bigger picture of what research has already been conducted on the topic. Make sure to attend our workshops and work with your mentor to improve this section.

Unclear project description:

After reading the methods and timeline, it's not clear what the student will actually be doing. To test whether yours is clear, have someone else read your proposal and try to tell you what you'll be doing.

Student is not prepared:

The qualifications section is not detailed enough so it's not clear that the student can do the project. The student has not made it clear that they have access to important resources. The proposal is lacking details, suggesting a lack of preparation. You don't need to be an expert to apply, just be sure to address how you'll get the necessary training and skills to complete your work.

Scope of the project is not feasible:

The project is not doable in one semester or at the skill level of the student. The student needs to work with the mentor to narrow the focus of the project and make sure the timeline is realistic.

No budget is necessary.

It's important to note that the UGRA is a scholarship. Therefore, your UGRA will be deposited in your Financial Aid account. If you have a balance due on your account, the UGRA will be credited towards that balance. If you have already paid your tuition, the funds may be refunded to you and you may use the funds in any way you like. Many students receiving a refund use these funds to pay for their time; they are able to spend time working on their research rather than taking a job to cover living expenses and tuition. Some students use the funding to contribute to travel that is necessary for their research. Others use their funds to purchase supplies.

Students planning to study abroad may apply for a UGRA to fund the research they are conducting abroad. Keep in mind that you will need to make a strong case for why this work is best done abroad. For example, are there special resources that can only be found at a specific location: a specific set of survey participants or interview subjects, a particular archive, works of art, a technical expert to consult, or historical sites? Reviewers will want to see that you are not just seeking an avenue to pay for your study abroad or a fun summer trip, but that you have a well-developed research or creative project that you are eager to pursue abroad.

No, we are very strict about our deadlines when we are giving out monetary awards. Extending the deadline by even a few hours can make a very large difference in the quality of the proposal, so we do not make exceptions to the deadline. If you experience technical difficulties in filling out your UGRA application online, email your final UGRA proposal to curf@ku.edu by the application deadline; in this case, we can work with you the following day to troubleshoot any technical problems so you can complete your application.

Yes, your entire proposal cannot exceed 5 pages.