Each year hundreds of faculty members from across the University act as mentors for undergraduates engaged in original research. Funding for undergraduate research stipends is available from a number of different sources at the school and university levels.
I am writing to invite you to submit a proposal to the Undergraduate Research Associates Program (URAP), administered by the Office of the Provost. Last year, almost 120 faculty proposals received URAP funding to support undergraduates working in a broad range of disciplines. The current call for proposals covers funding for the period of Summer 2026 (effective July 1st) through Spring 2027.
Please note that the URAP Guidelines have changed and that all proposals must now include responses to the new eligibility criteria.
Standard student stipends are $3000 for the summer, and $1000 or $1500 for an academic semester. An individual proposal may list an amount of up to $6,000, plus an allowance of up to 10% for materials and supplies. Program details and proposal requirements are available online at https://academicprograms.usc.edu/services/undergraduate-research-and-experiential-learning/usc-undergraduate-research-associates-program/.
The deadline for receipt of proposals at the Office of Undergraduate Education is Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
In addition, undergraduate students also receive stipends through USC Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (PURF) that requires student-authored applications and brief faculty recommendations. PURF provides summer and academic-semester funding for undergraduates working in all disciplines.
For more information on this program, please visit https://academicprograms.usc.edu/services/undergraduate-research-and-experiential-learning/.
Please contact either David Glasgow (dglasgow@usc.edu) or me if we can answer additional questions you may have related to research with undergraduates.
Andrew McConnell Stott
Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School
Professor of English
STU 301, 0896 UPC
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-1695