Office of Undergraduate Research
Legare 126
Phone: 803-777-1141
Email: our@sc.edu

1. What kind of things can I have a student help me with?
2. How do I get started?
3. What is my role as a mentor?
4. What is work study, and how can I hire a work-study student?
5. I have grant money, and I want to hire a student to help me with my research. What do I need to do?
6. What is an appropriate “rate of pay” for student assistants?
7. How can I advertise the opportunities that I have for students?
8. I don’t have grant money, but I want to get students involved. What can I do?
9. How can students get academic credit?
10. What external programs are available to pay for student support?
11. How are students selected for these programs?
12. How are students paid in these programs?
13. I am looking for an opportunity for my student to present her/his research. What opportunities are available?
14. I would like to take my student to a professional conference in our academic discipline. What sources of funding are available?
15. My student has published a paper or is making a presentation at a professional meeting. I want to make sure he/she gets recognition on campus. What can I do?
16. I have an NSF grant. How can I get an undergraduate supplement?
17. I have an NIH grant. How can I get an undergraduate supplement?
18. What is CUR?
19. What is NCUR?

What kind of things can I have a student help me with?
There is no hard and fast rule on what students can or can not do. However, the purpose of this program is to engage students in the research process. We encourage students to actively apply the knowledge gained in the classroom and become meaningful participants and contributors to scholarly work. While these students can certainly assist with support tasks such as washing dishware, making solutions, caring for animals, finding and copying articles, filing, entering data, etc. as these are part of the research process, their primary activity should be engaging in scholarly work.

How do I get started?
If you have an opportunity for an undergraduate in your research, please contact us. We will help you post the opportunity on our website and assist in finding a student who will fit your needs and requirements. Other options for finding a student include: posting flyers in the hallways of buildings where students you would like to hire frequent, ask colleagues to make an announcement in appropriate courses, contact former students directly.

The Office of Undergraduate Research would like to know about all students engaged in undergraduate research so that we can recognize our hard-working faculty mentors and their students and to ensure that opportunities for presentations and awards are made available to all that are interested. If you have a student involved in your research, please let us know about it.

Tell us about your research

What is my role as a mentor?

• Be sure the research assignment is realistic when considering the past course work and experience of the student. The student may become frustrated and quit for the wrong reason.
• Familiarize the student with specific protocols of your work such as (1) specific rules such as library usage guidelines, proper use and maintenance of equipment, care and use of animals or human subjects, etc. (2) your laboratory safety plan, (3) your methods for data entry and what to do if a methodological error has occurred, (4) who to turn to if you are not around, (5) what general authority your graduate students have in co-mentoring the student’s research, etc.
• We recommend defining a contractual agreement that includes time requirements, expectations of performance in a timely way, expected fate of the work (to be published alone or with the mentor; senior thesis; poster presentation and a paper), etc. For more information see Learning contracts.
• If you accept a first year student into your research program remember that the student is only 2-3 months out of high school; be careful with expectations of the time commitment and background knowledge. Some mentors prefer new students because they want the student to be involved for four years; other mentors seek out only juniors or seniors.
• Instill research ethics by example…early.
• Show your student what you do (from grant writing to editing of journal proofs) and introduce them to your career. If possible include your student in the various activities within the discipline, such as weekly departmental seminars, socials, even regional or national meetings. Introduce the student to colleagues and help them obtain a concept of “career” that goes beyond the office/lab/library/studio. Treat them like new graduate students/career employees.
• By all means tell them why you love your work! This is how undergraduates fall in love with both the research discipline and a career.
• Be a role model for the next generation of scholars/artisans.
• Graduate students make excellent mentors and the experience they get while doing so prepares them for mentorship roles following their graduation. We ask that faculty retain the key responsibility in establishing the role the graduate student will have with the student and that sufficient oversight is made to assure a beneficial partnership between the undergraduate and the graduate student.
• Build respect through praise of good work and constructive suggestions for improvement.
• Meet on a neutral playing field from time to time, i.e., not always in your office/lab/studio.
• Have weekly or bi-weekly progress meetings; this eliminates surprises and stress. The meetings can be as short as 10 minutes or longer as needed. Be a good listener and share your own discoveries, frequently. Establish realistic deadlines for units of work.
• Help prepare students for their future oral or poster presentations, such as Discovery Day by including them in your own preparation of materials (software used, layout design, special guidelines). Recommend our website’s links for how to prepare a poster presentation.
• Be sure to volunteer to the student that you wish to write letters of recommendation for employment, scholarships, national fellowship competitions, and admission to advanced degree programs.
• Keep in touch when it’s all over. If you’ve done your job well, keeping in touch will be a pleasure.

What is work study, and how can I hire a work-study student?
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program provides funds for part-time jobs which allow students to earn money needed to pay for educational expenses. Work-Study awards are a form of federal financial aid. Before your student can begin a work-study job on campus, you must contact the Financial Aid Office.

The amount of money a student may earn through work-study is fixed. Once a student has earned this amount, he/she must stop working unless you can supplement this or extend the money through your own funds. It is important to plan the student’s work schedule at the beginning of each term to figure out how long it will take to earn the total award. The formula is: Work-Study Award Amount / Hourly Pay Rate / # Weeks in term = Hours per week.

I have grant money, and I want to hire a student to help me with my research. What do I need to do?
Part-time students are hired directly by the faculty member. The student's payroll will be processed by the faculty member's department fiscal/payroll office. Once you have identified the student you wish to hire, you need to contact your fiscal staff member in your unit (the person that handles payroll and/or grant funds in your department) and let him/her know the name of the student, his/her Social Security number, rate of pay, if paid hourly or by stipend, number of hours per week, and the account number. Your fiscal staff member will then need to get a variety of payroll papers filled out by the student (i.e., W-4, I-9 documentation, direct deposit forms, etc.), or request that these papers be transferred from the student’s previous campus employer. Your fiscal staff member will also inform the student how and when to complete ITAMS. Don’t forget to notify your fiscal staff member when you have “terminated” the student’s employment with you (at the end of the semester, upon graduation, at the end of the project, etc.)

What is an appropriate “rate of pay” for student assistants?
The hourly wage is set by the faculty member in conjunction with campus guidelines available from your department fiscal/payroll office. You are encouraged to contact your fiscal staff member to find out what an average rate of pay is for your department. He/she also will have recommended job levels and rates of pay, based on the level of work performed, needed expertise and independence of the employee.

How can I advertise the opportunities that I have for students?

• Contact the Office of Undergraduate Research directly (by phone or e-mail) and we would be happy to advertise this opportunity to interested students through the research database and student research listserv.
• Post flyers in the hallways of buildings where students you would like to hire frequent.
• Ask colleagues to make an announcement in appropriate courses.
• Contact former students directly

I don’t have grant money, but I want to get students involved. What can I do?
Many students are looking for the EXPERIENCE, and pay is not their topmost priority.

There are a number of funding programs to support undergraduate research. A short description with links for our on-campus programs can be found HERE under Funding Programs. A few off-campus sources may fund research performed on-campus but most support students to do research elsewhere. A listing of outside funding resources can be found HERE. We also strongly recommend that students contact the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs to learn about the many national resources available. Some of these programs fund research opportunities here and abroad, such as the Goldwater Scholarship for sophomore and junior students pursuing a bachelor's degree in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering and intending to earn a graduate degree in these fields and pursue a career in research and/or college level teaching.

If your student is eligible for financial aid, the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program provides funds for part-time jobs which allow students to earn money needed to pay for educational expenses, please contact the Financial Aid office for more information.

Another option is for the students to participate in your research as an independent study course where the student receives credit for their work. The student should check with their major department for requirements and to determine which course number and for how many hours they should register.

If you don’t have a particular student in mind, OUR can help you advertise. Email OUR


How can students get academic credit?
Students may register for academic credit with approval from the appropriate department. Students should check with their major department for requirements and to determine which course number and for how many hours they should register. Students typically will register for three hours of research credit during the semester if they are spending 12-15 hours/week on their own project. Students enrolled in the Honors College may wish to check into special course numbers through the Honors College. Students also should be encouraged to talk with their academic advisor to determine if their undergraduate research credit will fulfill particular degree requirements. Typically, the faculty member supervising the student provides the grade to the department for the course the student is enrolled in at the end of the semester.

What external programs are available to pay for student support?
A list of funded programs can be found here.

How are students selected for these programs?
Most of these programs require students to identify a faculty mentor and a project PRIOR to the application deadline. The student and faculty mentor should discuss potential projects and work to refine the project proposal several months in advance of the application deadline. Selection also is usually based on the student’s academic record, personal statement, letters of recommendation and career interests. It is important to note that applications are STUDENT applications, not faculty applications.

How are students paid in these programs?
Most programs administer stipend payments on a regular basis (i.e. $2,000 paid in four installments during the academic year).

I am looking for an opportunity for my student to present her/his research. What opportunities are available?
Discovery Day is USC’s opportunity for undergraduates to present their research. To find out more about Discovery Day, click here. In addition, there are a number of discipline specific “research days” on campus. The Office of Undergraduate Research will periodically need undergraduates to present or discuss their research to visiting VIPs, at open houses, or to prospective students. If your student is looking for additional opportunities to share their work and would be a good ambassador for USC, contact the Office of Undergraduate Research to put his/her name on a list of potential student ambassadors.

The South Carolina Academy of Science invites research papers for its Annual Meeting from all scientific and mathematical disciplines. The Academy also invites papers regarding education and teaching in science and mathematics. The papers may be 15 minute oral presentations, including question and answer time, or may be in poster format. Oral presentations are eligible for various awards. Their annual meeting is held in the Spring, usually in March or April and abstracts must be submitted before the end of January. For more information, visit http://www.scacadscience.org/.

Two national organizations also exist for student presentations. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) holds an annual "Undergraduate Research Posters on the Hill" event in late March or April for students in scientific and mathematical disciplines. Sixty competitively selected student posters are displayed on the U.S. Capitol during a late afternoon reception. In the morning of the same day, there is an orientation session, followed by visits from students and their faculty mentors to their Representatives and Senators' offices. To learn more visit www.cur.org or contact us. The National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) hosts a three-day annual conference. This gathering welcomes presenters from all institutions of higher learning, from all corners of the academic curriculum, and draws more than 2,500 undergraduates, faculty, and administrators to hear and discuss undergraduate creative and scholarly work by means of the following:

• Topical sessions of 15-minute oral presentations
• Interdisciplinary poster sessions
• Artistic performances and visual art exhibits

I would like to take my student to a professional conference in our academic discipline. What sources of funding are available?
Many professional societies and meetings provide reduced registration rates for students or student travel awards. Check with your professional organization or meeting coordinators first. Undergraduate research fellowship recipients can use a portion of their award for conference travel stipend – contact OUR for more information. The Honors College also has some funds available for their students. Faculty may also wish to check with their dean’s office to inquire about additional funding opportunities.

My student has published a paper or is making a presentation at a professional meeting. I want to make sure he gets recognition on campus. What can I do?
Please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research. We will make sure that the student completes a form so that we can use this information within the university and also send this to their local newspaper. Other USC offices and staff members who can use this information will be notified, as well. Link to Tell us about your research

I have an NSF grant. How can I get an undergraduate supplement?
Check out the NSF web site for details on the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. You also are encouraged to contact your program director. Undergraduate supplement requests are reviewed as they are received. There is no specific deadline.

I have an NIH grant. How can I get an undergraduate supplement?
NIH provides supplements for minority undergraduates and undergraduates with disabilities. The NIH web site (www.nih.gov) provides details on NIH undergraduate supplements. You are also encouraged to contact your program director. It takes 8-10 weeks for undergraduate supplements to be reviewed. There is no specific deadline.

What is CUR?
CUR stands for the Council on Undergraduate Research and is a professional organization/network that aims to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. CUR provides publications, sponsors conferences and workshops, and provides leadership related to involving undergraduates and faculty in shared research experiences. For more information, visit the web site at www.cur.org. CUR actively seeks individual memberships from faculty and administrators interested in the benefits of undergraduate research.

What is NCUR?
The mission of the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) is to promote undergraduate research scholarship and creative activity done in partnership with faculty or other mentors as a vital component of higher education. This is accomplished through the sponsorship of a 3-day annual conference open to all undergraduates from all disciplines; publication of the proceedings of its conferences; establishment of a national network of faculty, students, administrators and others who are interested in developing and strengthening programs devoted to such activities; assisting in the planning and evaluation of undergraduate research programs; and special projects on issues relating to the goals of the association. For more information, visit the web site at www.ncur.org.

Much of this information was gathered with permission from the University of Missouri-Columbia and North Carolina State University Office of Undergraduate Research.