FAQs
Scholarship Programs
Q: What percentage of applicants get accepted into the URC scholarship programs?
A: The number of students accepted into URC-HASS scholarship programs varies from program to program and year to year. Acceptance percentages depend on a number of factors, including the amount of funds available for scholarships each year and the number of applicants. All programs are competitive, and students should plan ahead to ensure that they have time to discuss their plans with a faculty mentor and complete all parts of the application. We recommend that students attend program information sessions and schedule one-on-one advising appointments in advance to discuss their applications with our Graduate Research Mentors.
Q: How do I construct a project proposal and timeline? Can I see some examples?
A: We recommend that you construct your project proposal and timeline under the guidance of your faculty mentor. We also offer Research and Creative Proposal workshops in the lead-up to program deadlines. The UCLA WI+RE group also offers a great online workshop to help you construct your research or creative arts plan. Students may also schedule an advising appointment with a Graduate Research Mentor to view samples of successful project proposals.
Q: I’m a transfer student and have only known my prospective faculty mentor for a few weeks. Can I still apply?
A: Yes. For programs where a letter of recommendation is required (MMUF, URSP, and Keck) your mentor should attest to their support for your research or creative project and their commitment to mentoring you.
Q: Can I apply if I am doing research as a part of a collaborative or group project? If so, how should I complete the application?
A: Yes, we welcome applications from students working on collaborative projects, including faculty-initiated projects (e.g., work in a lab or on a research team), and proposals for student-initiated collaborative research or creative projects. Please note that all our awards are made to the student and not the project. In drafting your application you should write the research or creative proposal in your own words and clearly specify your role and individual contribution to the project, along with a timeline of your activities or deadlines. You should also specify how the project or research or creative experience relates to your personal goals or interests.
Q: My GPA is slightly below the minimum GPA requirement for the program I wish to apply to, but I expect it to be above the threshold at the end of the quarter and before the program begins. Can I still apply?
A: Yes. GPA will be taken into consideration as a part of your application, but you will still be eligible for the program if you are accepted and meet the requirements by the time the program begins
Q: Who will review my application?
A: The review committee is made up of UCLA faculty across a range of departments.
Q: Do I need to submit a FAFSA or have financial need in order to be accepted to a program?
A: No. While financial need is not required, some of our scholarship funds are reserved for students with established financial need.
Q: Are undocumented, AB540, DACA, and permanent resident students eligible for URC-HASS scholarships?
A: Yes. Undocumented, AB540, DACA, and permanent resident students are eligible to participate in URFP, MMUF, URSP, Dean’s Research Fellowship, Summer Fellows Program, and the SRI and receive their scholarships.
Q: Are international students eligible for URC-HASS scholarships?
A: International students are eligible to participate in URFP, URSP, Dean’s Research Fellowship, Summer Fellows Program, and the SRI and receive scholarships. International students are NOT eligible for MMUF.
Q: What is FERPA? What does it mean if I do or do not waive my right to review a letter of recommendation?
A: FERPA stands for the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. FERPA guarantees you access to your own educational records, including letters of recommendation. However, if you do not wish to access letters of recommendation related to your program application, you may choose to waive your FERPA rights to access, which will be communicated to your letter writer. Your FERPA preferences are not considered in evaluating your application.
Q: How long until I can expect a decision?
A: MMUF and URFP decisions are typically announced by mid-December. URSP and Dean’s Research Fellowship decisions are typically announced by early September. Summer Fellows Program and Summer Research Incubator decisions are typically announced by mid-May.
Q: Will I have to submit a budget to show how the scholarship funds will be used, or to account for how they were used?
A: No, you will not be asked to submit a budget for any of the URC-HASS scholarships.
Q: I plan to study abroad (or in Washington, D.C.) during one of the program quarters. Can I still participate if accepted into the program?
A: Requests to study abroad during our scholarship programs are assessed on a case-by-case basis. In all cases it is expected that the student is continuing research or creative work and maintaining communication with their mentor during the period away from campus. Plans to study away from campus must be communicated in your program application. In most cases where the student maintains enrollment at UCLA (e.g., through CAPPP or UCEAP programs), scholarship disbursements should not be affected. If a student enrolls in a non-UCLA program, they will not be able to receive funding during that quarter.
If your study abroad case is approved by your program director, due to program requirements and events, URSP participants may only study abroad during the fall or winter quarters of their program. URFP students may only study abroad during the spring quarter. MMUF participants may only study abroad during the summer, only if all program requirements are met and with coordinator consent. Dean’s Research Fellowship students may not study abroad during their programs.
Q: I have a schedule conflict with the course and meeting times for the program. Can I still participate?
A: All participants must enroll in and pass the required Research Practice course(s) for URFP and MMUF. If you are offered participation in one of these programs, you must make arrangements to meet this requirement.
Similarly, participants in Keck. Summer Fellows Program, and the Summer Research Incubator must attend the workshops and small group meetings for their program.
Q: Who is able to be a faculty mentor? Can I have a lecturer or adjunct professor mentor me?
A: All Assistant, Associate, and full Professors are automatically eligible to mentor students for URFP, URSP, DRF, MMUF, and the Summer Fellows Program. Academic administrators can also serve as mentors. Non-ladder faculty such as Adjunct Professors and Lecturers may be eligible to mentor students for URFP, URSP, and Summer Fellows Program with email approval from their Chair. If your non-ladder faculty member and would like to become a faculty mentor, please ask them to fill out the Faculty Participation Form and email it to the Undergraduate Research Center.
Interdisciplinary Research
Students engaged in interdisciplinary research that blur the lines between HASS (humanities, arts, and social sciences) and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) may have difficulty deciding which Undergraduate Research Centers (URC-HASS or URC-Sciences) they should apply to. Due to the specific eligibility criteria of each center and the large number of submissions our departments receive, we cannot transfer applications across centers. In short, your application will only be reviewed by the center you have submitted to.
Consider the experts who will be reviewing your application. For example, we would not want a materials chemist reviewing research applications focused on ethnographic studies of urban populations. Likewise, we would not want a cultural anthropologist reviewing research applications focused on single-cell RNA sequencing. To ensure that your application is reviewed fairly, make sure you apply to the center that best suits your research. We recommend that you consult with your faculty mentor about which center is most appropriate for your project.
Once you have made your decision, make sure you submit to the appropriate Survey application on myUCLA.
Below is a guideline to help determine the proper home for your project. If the following does not resolve your concerns or confusion, please email the respective center(s) for clarification.
Preliminary Questions for Individuals Planning to Apply to a URC-HASS Program
- Does your research involve analyzing texts (i.e., literature, archival documents), other media (i.e., broadcast or social media), and/or art of various mediums?
- If yes, apply to URC HASS. If no, continue with the next question.
- Does your research involve non-clinical qualitative studies such as interviews or ethnographies of human communities?
- If yes, apply to URC-HASS. If no, continue with the next question.
- Does your research involve a creative project resulting in literary narratives, or visual / aural artworks (i.e., music, dance, creative writing, film)?
- If yes, apply to URC-HASS. If no, continue with the next question.
- Does your research involve the application of observational methods on humans in artificial or natural settings for the purposes of understanding human behavior?
- If yes, apply to URC-HASS. If no, continue with the next question.
- Does your research involve some data analysis but for the purposes of understanding human behavior and/or communities?
- If yes, apply to URC-HASS.
Preliminary Questions for Individuals Planning to Apply to a URC-Sciences Program
- Does your research application involve model organisms, (i.e., rodents, flies, fish, worms)?
- If Yes, submit to URC-Sciences. If No, continue with the next question.
- Does your research application involve reagents, solutions, biological samples, or biological data?
- If Yes, submit to the URC-Sciences.. If No, continue with the next question.
- Does your research application address questions about the mechanisms underlying diseases?
- If Yes, submit to the URC-Sciences.. If No, continue with the next question.
- Does your research application involve quantitative modeling using mathematical, computer, physical, chemical, or biochemical approaches or strategies?
- If Yes, submit to the URC-Sciences.. If No, continue with the next question.
- Does your research application use large or complex technology to collect and analyze data, such as fMRI, PET-Scan, microscopes, telescopes, cell sorters, material ovens, or others?
- If Yes, submit to URC-Sciences.
