OURS designed the Undergraduate Research Assistant program to provide meaningful work-study opportunities to students who may not have the opportunity to engage with non-compensated research activities. By engaging in mentored research and scholarship, students have the potential to experience the transformative nature of research, as well as develop academic and professional skills.

URAs are student research assistants who work 8-10 hours per week for a faculty member performing various research tasks.

 Positions are posted on Handshake through Student Employment. These are paid, work-study positions during the academic year.

About the Award

AWARD
The award provides research assistants with a paid wage for 8-10 hours of work for one to two semesters. The wage is determined by OURS in consultation with Financial Aid and the faculty supervisor. According to the Student Employment guidelines, URA positions generally fall within Classification 5, Steps A-D.

ELIGIBILITY
The URA award is available to all tenure and tenure-track faculty. Preference is given to faculty who have been at GVSU for at least one year and have an interest in building their research in a way that engages undergraduate students. 

Academic Year URA Eligibility: All work-study students are eligible to apply for these positions. URA selection is done primarily by the faculty with approval from OURS. Please note that the URA grant cannot be awarded to support an independent study (499), or an Honors Thesis.

Summer URA Eligibility: All current undergraduate students are eligible for these positions. URA selection is done by the faculty member with approval from OURS. Please note that the grant cannot be awarded to support work for which a student is receiving academic credit (ex: independent study (499), departmental internship, or an Honors Thesis).

Proposal Requirements

The proposal must include the following sections and will be reviewed by a faculty committee using this rubric:

• Project Description: (Limited to 2 pages, 12-point font, double spaced, 1 inch margins). This should include the following:
  • Description of the project – Describe the project the student will be supporting.
  • Significance of the work – Explain the significance of student support in this project. What are the goals for the student’s work? What is the ideal outcome of the student’s work?
  • Timeline – Include a timeline of the project detailing the responsibilities of the student during the project. What are the significant research tasks for the student?
• Quality of the Student Learning Experience: (Limited to 2 pages, 12-point font, double spaced, 1 inch margins)
  • Student focus – What are the faculty member’s student-centered goals for this project? What pedagogical techniques will the faculty member use to help the student achieve those goals? What specific techniques will be used to supervise the student’s work?
  • Independence – Describe the steps to be taken to allow the student to become a more independent researcher/scholar during the project.
  • Environment – Describe the work space the student will have, if any. Also, note any supplies and resources needed for the student.
  • Position Description - Provide a job description for the position, including required skills, preferred skills, and a brief description of tasks and responsibilities (this will be used to hire for the position). 
• Letter of Support from Department Chair:
  • Administrative support from the department is required in order to hire the student within the faculty department. As such, support from the Department Chair is required and can be sent in email form to [email protected] or be attached to the application. 

Grantee Responsibilities

The URA program provides faculty with funding for a work-study research assistant. We ask units to hold the position in their office and initiate a transfer request at the end of each semester.

Faculty will work with the office coordinator to post the position in Work Day. If you have a student in mind that you would like to hire, you do not need to post the position. The faculty will interview the applicant, but either the faculty or the office coordinator can process the hire in Work Day. Please note, the person that process the hire in Work Day will be in charge of monitoring and approving the assistant’s time entry. At the end of each semester of your grant (exam week), the department coordinator should initiate a transfer request. During the academic year, the award per semester is up to $600. This will cover the semester of work-study wages in Classification 5, Steps A-D.

AWARD REQUIREMENTS
The URA and faculty supervisor will be expected to participate in program assessment as requested. Additionally, the faculty supervisor will be asked to complete a brief report describing the completed tasks, and how the URA contributed to the research project.

Requirements

Submit Job Description

*Before posting position/hiring student

Submit Learning Contract

*after hiring undergraduate research assistant

Submit Brief Report

*at completion of the grant

Applications for the 2025-2026 Academic Year are due on Friday, May 23, 2025.

URA Proposal Form