UROP

Students interested in the UROP program are highly encouraged to review the UMN UROP Website for details on eligibility, application processes, and frequently asked questions. 

In addition to the details on the UMN UROP Website, we have provided a few helpful SCSE-specific tips when developing your UROP proposal. 

Finding a Faculty Mentor

Finding a faculty member is an important, but sometimes overwhelming step in starting as an undergraduate researcher. We have provided several tips on how to find a faculty mentor on the SCSE Undergraduate Research website. 

Developing Your Proposal

To help guide your work, SCSE has developed a list of tips for developing a competitive proposal. You can also check out the UROP program’s tips for writing a good UROP proposal.

It is important that you work on this proposal with the support of your faculty mentor. Develop a draft of your proposal and give plenty of time for your faculty mentor to give feedback so you can revise before submitting.

SCSE Proposal Review Process

UROP proposals in SCSE are reviewed by a committee of faculty within SCSE. Each proposal is assigned three reviewers who are not faculty members in the student’s home department. Students should write their proposals to an educated and intelligent audience while keeping in mind that the reviewers will not be experts in their particular field.

Students and mentors are encouraged to review the SCSE UROP Review Rubric and they prepare a UROP proposal and application.

Special Considerations for Proposals

Special Requirements/Restrictions: Some UROP projects require special permissions before your UROP project can be approved. If your project involves Human Subjects , Animal Subjects, Harmful or Dangerous Substances, or Travel Abroad, you must work with your faculty mentor to ensure you have taken the appropriate steps to get these permissions as you prepare your UROP application. In many cases, your faculty mentor will have to submit the forms necessary for approval on your behalf. Please ask your mentor as you develop your proposal if these permissions apply to your project.

Details about specific ending requirements for a UROP project can be found on the UMN UROP website. 

UROP Extension Requests

Extensions are given on a one-time basis for up to one semester only. Students may not extend grants beyond the last day of the month prior to their graduation.

To request an extension, fill out the Extension Request form and submit to [email protected]. Please copy Rachel Ellestad ([email protected]) and Margarita Quinchia-Rios ([email protected]) on your email. 

UMD Showcase

Every fall and spring UMD provides any University of Minnesota undergraduate student who has completed a research or artistic project an opportunity to showcase their project at the UMD Undergraduate Research and Artistic Showcase. Students DO NOT have to be a UROP student to participate, and they do not have to be a student on the Duluth campus. All undergraduate students from any University of Minnesota campus are welcome to attend.

Details about each semester's showcase can be found on the UMD Presentation Opportunities website. 

National Conference on Undergraduate Research

We highly encourage students to consider attending the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) to present the results of their UROP projects. This is a great opportunity to present your work at a national conference and to network with potential future employers or future graduate programs. There is no cost to UMD students to attend if accepted to present at the conference. More details about attending NCUR through UMD can be found on the  UMD Presentation Opportunities website. 

Be sure to check in with your department or other departments of interest as they have additional information that can help you get involved in a research project.

Funding Opportunities for Poster Printing

• Student Poster Printing Funding Request use this form to request funds to print a poster for a presentation.  

Funding Opportunities for Travel to Present

• UMD Additional Funding Request - To present the results of your research when other funds are exhausted. UROP students are encouraged to make use of other possible funding sources, no matter the amount, such as possible departmental or collegiate funds, and to have that funding secured when they make a request.
• SCSE Travel Funding Request - Swenson College has funds available to support travel for students attending conferences to present research. Your request for funding my be submitted and approved prior to your travel.
  • NOTE: This award will be uploaded to your student account at UMD. "This scholarship may reduce your existing financial aid award.  For more information about how scholarships may affect financial aid, visit or contact One Stop Student Services."

Resources for Special Review of Research

• Institutional Review Board (IRB)
• Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

You can work with faculty or staff outside of SCSE for a UROP project. Your mentor must be a faculty or staff member of the University of Minnesota and must have significant research responsibilities as part of their role in order to serve as a UROP mentor. 

You should receive the first portion of your stipend around the start date of your approved UROP project. You will not receive the second portion of your stipend until all of your ending requirements have been completed. It can take a few weeks after ending requirements are completed for your stipend to be processed, so we appreciate your patience in that process. 

You will need to work with your faculty mentor on purchasing supplies for your project. The account code you should use for purchasing can be found in the award letter you received when your project was approved. 

No. You must wait to start your project until you receive your official award letter and you must not start before your project start date. 

Your project is not official approved until you receive your official award letter. There are a number of reasons why you may not have received your award letter yet. 

• Your project is on hold for IRB review
• Your project is on hold because you have not completed the final requirements for a previous project
• Your project has not been officially award

You are expected to complete 120 hours of work for your UROP project. Any time spent prior to receiving your award letter or before your official start date does not count towards that 120 hour total for project completion. 

If you receive a UROP award and another funded opportunity (BURST, SURP, LURE, etc) for the same project during the same period, you can only accept one award. If you accept an award for a program like BURST, SURP, or LURE, you must decline your UROP award. UROP awards in the summer cannot be deferred to a later semester. 

We highly encourage you to consider submitting a new UROP proposal that shows how a UROP project can build off of the work completed through another funded project like BURST, SURP or LURE.