Undergraduate Research Assistantships offer highly motivated undergraduate students the opportunity to work closely with a Faculty mentor on the Faculty member's research, scholarship, or creative activity. The Faculty member, in consultation with an interested undergraduate student at App State are encouraged to apply. We encourage Faculty members to thoroughly discuss the opportunity with an intended undergraduate student, confirming their ability to fulfill the requirements of the position and commit to the time and workload involved with the proposed project.
Faculty in all academic disciplines at Appalachian State University are encouraged to submit proposals. Faculty members, in consultation with their selected student, complete an on-line application due by the deadline dates listed. The proposals are peer-reviewed with the quality of the proposal as the primary selection criterion. Reviewers are from a variety of disciplines. Students must be enrolled full-time (minimum of 12 credit hours) in the fall or spring semesters. They must take at least one course in each summer session or be enrolled in the Summer Research Experience Course offering to be eligible for the summer URA program. Please contact us at osr@appstate.edu for specific summer enrollment requirements. It is the Faculty mentor's responsibility to make sure the student meets this requirement prior to applying. EHRA non-Faculty employees are not eligible for URA funding at this time.
Students will be paid as an hourly, temporary employee working with their awarded Faculty Mentor. All hours must be completed in the semester employed - URA hours cannot be carried forward to another semester. URA students will be paid $15.00 per hour for a total of 80 hours per semester. Students will work with their Faculty Mentor 10 hours a week for the 8 week URA period for a total stipend payment of $1,200.00 per semester.
Faculty may only apply once per semester. They may reapply with the same student or a new student (but not both) for continued URA funding, however, they must submit a new application and be selected for funding by our review committee. A second consecutive semester application is not guaranteed and is contingent upon the proposal reflecting continued need and revised outcomes.
URA funding must be used to support students who are collaborating with an Appalachian State University Faculty member's research, creative or scholarly activity. The focus for these assistantships is to assist the Faculty member in moving their research, creative or scholarly activity forward. URA funding should not focus on the student's research or creative activity.
OSR encourages students to present their work at the annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors meeting held each spring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum G.P.A. a student needs to have to be eligible for a URA?
- Students supported by a URA must have at least a 2.75 G.P.A. at the time of the application.
Must the student be enrolled full time while completing the URA?
- Yes. Students must be enrolled full-time (minimum of 12 credit hours) in the fall or spring semesters. They must take at least one course in each summer session or be enrolled in the Summer Research Experience Course offering to be eligible for the summer URA program. Please contact us at osr@appstate.edu for specific summer enrollment requirements. It is the Faculty mentor's responsibility to make sure the student meets this requirement prior to applying. EHRA non-Faculty employees are not eligible for URA funding at this time.
How many total students can a faculty mentor support through the URA program in a given academic year?
- A given faculty mentor may request support for one student a semester and/or summer. At this time, Faculty may reapply in subsequent semesters, but they will go through the same application/award process they did previously.
- Consecutive semester URA's are not guaranteed and would require evidence regarding progress on previous semester URA and updated goals.
Can a faculty mentor use URA funds to support a student as part of their large, on-going research program?
- Yes, the URA program supports a variety of projects, including those from faculty members who have large on-going research programs. It is incumbent upon the Faculty member to clearly delineate the role a student will play in the overall project as well as the skill development of the student(s).
When are URA proposals due?
- Proposals are typically due in the semester before the work will begin. For example, Summer support is submitted in early May. Fall support is submitted in August, and Spring support is submitted in November . Note: Funding for the URA program is made on a semester basis with calls for new applications dependent on funding approval.
What is the stipend amount of a URA?
- Students are paid $15.00 per hour (80 hours total) for their time employed as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. Students are paid a total of $1,200.00 during the 8 week URA period each semester.
- Students are expected to work with their faculty mentor for 10 hours per week for 8 weeks (80 hours total) during a given funding period - funding must be exhausted by the last day of classes for each respective semester. Hours can be adjusted based on the work an schedule of the Faculty Mentor and student in order to reach the 80 hours total for an awarded URA.
If you have additional questions, call OSR at 828-262-7655 or contact Dr. Becki Battista at battistara@appstate.edu.
Review Process for a URA Application
After you submit your URA application online, OSR electronically forwards your proposal to a faculty committee from the OSR Advisory Board. Each member of the committee reviews the proposal independently and assigns the proposal a score. After each member assigns the proposal a score, the committee comes together to discuss the proposals and decides which proposals to fund. The primary criteria is the quality of the proposal.
Proposal Requirements
A proposal can receive a maximum of 20 points based on the following:
1. Project goals (Max 5 points)
- Please provide the general design or creative approach of the project or creative endeavor. Include the purpose of the project and an estimated timeline of activities. Clearly explain how the project represents scholarship in your academic discipline. (Max 2000 characters)
2. Role of the faculty mentor (Max 5 points)
- Briefly explain your role in mentoring the student throughout the project, identify specific mentoring strategies you will use and explain how you will support the student's development - which can include the student's career goals. Also briefly discuss any previous experience you have in mentoring undergraduate students. (Max 2000 characters)
3. Role of the student (Max 5 points)
- Detail the student's involvement and responsibilities, list the specific tasks the student will complete and explain what the student is expected to gain from this experience. Justify why the student is well-suited for this assistantship.
If this is a second application - meaning you are applying for another semester of funding with the same student - please describe new skills, techniques or activities for this term and explain how continued participation will further benefit the student. (Max 2000 characters)
4. Demonstrated outcome. (Max 5 points)
- Expected Outcome. Describe how your research or creative program will be advanced through this URA and specify the anticipated outcomes (e.g., conference presentation, peer-reviewed publication, exhibit, or grant submission). The primary focus should be on the contributions to your research or creative agenda, while also noting the professional skills and experiences the URA student will gain through their participation.
If this is a second application - meaning you are applying for another semester of funding with the same student - summarize outcomes from the previous semester and describe new or extended outcomes anticipated this semester. (Max 2000 characters)
If a URA proposal is missing a given section, the proposal receives a score of ZERO for that section.
To Apply
Submit the Undergraduate Research Assistantship form. Only Faculty may complete this URA application. All applications must be for Faculty research - we cannot fund student research projects through the URA Program.
Fall 2025 URA Information
- Monday, August 25, 2025 - Fall URA application link opens
- Wednesday, September 3, 2025 (11:59 pm) - Fall URA deadline closes
- Monday, September 22, 2025 - Fall URA award decisions returned
Spring 2026 URA Information
- Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - Spring URA application link opens
- Friday, November 14, 2025 (11:59 pm) - Spring URA deadline closes
- Monday, December 8, 2025 - Spring URA award decisions returned
We encourage Faculty members to thoroughly discuss this opportunity with the intended undergraduate student and confirm their ability to fulfill the requirements of the position (80 hours of work for the semester.) The selected URA student must be able to commit to the time and workload involved with the proposed research project.
Award Notifications
Spring 2026 URA award decisions will be returned by the end of Fall 2025 semester.