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UROP How to Apply

Step 1: Prepare a Proposal

In collaboration with your faculty mentor, prepare a four to six page (double-spaced) proposal. The student must write the proposal.

The proposal must include ONLY the following sections:

  • Statement of the problem or topic of the research or creative work
    Purpose: To clearly set out what topic or issue you will be addressing in your UROP project and to make clear that it is concrete and important.
  • Relevant background/literature review
    Purpose: To make clear that you understand where the project lies in broader context and to exhibit that you are engaged in the project enough already to be able to effectively pursue the project.
  • Specific activities to be undertaken and a timeline allotted for each activity
    Purpose: Provide both larger context and concrete achievable timeline within 120 hours. The project is part of a much larger project, but what are we funding? Show evidence that work will be done with the mentor.
  • Relationship of the proposed work to the expertise of the faculty mentor
    Purpose: You are utilizing your faculty's specific expertise and really gleaning what you can from their very specialized knowledge, you can convey that expertise, you can demonstrate that they will actually be mentoring you.
  • Relationship of the proposed work to the student's future goals
    Purpose: To show that your project facilitates your educational or career goals, that you have thought about how the project fits into your larger personal goals, and that your project will actually facilitate those goals for you.
RENEWAL APPLICANTS

If you have already completed a UROP semester, you are considered a renewal applicant even if you are working on a different project and/or with a different faculty mentor. A full proposal must be submitted for renewal applications.

  • If you are continuing with the same project and mentor, your original UROP proposal must be updated to reflect what you accomplished during your first UROP semester. Specific activities and timeline must also be updated.
  • For a different project and/or mentor, the proposal must be rewritten (following the proposal guidelines below) to reflect the changes.
GROUP PROJECT INFORMATION

Group projects are permitted but each student must write their own proposal. Plagiarism will result in the disqualification of all involved proposals and possible further action per the student code. For more information on academic conduct at the University of Utah, see the Student Conduct Code.

RESOURCES FOR WRITING A PROPOSALS

Sample Proposals

These sample proposals are not intended to be templates for proposals.  Instead, these sample proposals are provided as helpful resources when writing your own proposal.

"New" Samples:
BUSINESS
DENTISTRY
EDUCATION
ENGINEERING
HEALTH
MEDICINE
SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
SCIENCE
TRANSFORM

Step 2: Complete the Online Application

  • Complete the online application form by the deadline.
  • Application must be completed using InfoReady (recommended with CHROME or FIREFOX browsers) where a login with CIS credentials will be required. We encourage applicants to avoid the use of special characters, formulas, images, and tables in their proposals to the extent possible.  When you paste your proposal text into the application form, please proofread the pasted text carefully.  Special character keys, formulas, images, and tables may be attached in a one-page PDF document.
  • The form requires student information, faculty mentor information, and the full proposal.
  • Provide all images, tables, graphs, etc., as appendices in one PDF file and attach that file to the form.
  • Footnotes and endnotes do not translate into this system. Please use parenthetical in-text reference forms (such as APA or MLA) and provide full references in the References field.

SPRING 2025
Deadlines

Student Application Due:
Past Due
Mentor Reference Due:
Past Due

SUMMER 2025
Deadlines

Student Application Due:
March 7 at 11:59pm
Mentor Reference Due:
March 14 at 11:59pm

Step 3: Mentor Reference

Upon submission of the student's application form, the faculty mentor will AUTOMATICALLY receive an email confirmation with instructions to provide their support and mentor reference using an InfoReady login. The mentor's reference MUST be received by the deadline in order for an application to be considered for funding.

Mentors must be prepared to:

  • Log in to InfoReady account (or create new account with activation email), CHROME or FIREFOX browsers recommended.
  • Be prepared to respond to: How long and in what capacity have you known this student? What evidence suggests that the student is capable of successfully completing the proposed project. List at least three specific mentoring activities you will undertake with the student. What is your overall assessment of this student and this project proposal? 

Announced by OUR in the February 2022 newsletter - There are mentor limits pending funds. To commit to supporting a diversity of mentors, OUR is capping the number of mentees a single mentor can be awarded to work with to 4 mentees, pending funds.  

After mentor reference has been submitted and the student's application is complete, applications will be sent to college review committees. Students will be notified via email from the OUR about 5 weeks later. They will be notified if they have been "awarded" or "not awarded".

UROP Proposal Review Criteria Checklist

UROP Proposals are reviewed and evaluated by an independent committee comprised of faculty from the college of the faculty mentor. Reviewers are asked to evaluate proposals using the following criteria:

PROJECT QUALITY

Overall quality of the proposed research or creative work and effective written presentation of the project.

  • Is the proposed research or creative work timely and well-developed?
  • Does the student exhibit a strong understanding of the project?
  • Is the proposal well-written? Has it been carefully edited? Is the presentation professional?
PLAN AND TIMELINE

Specific activities to be undertaken and a concrete, realistic timeline for completion of the work.

  • Does the student present a concrete timeline detailing specific activities to be undertaken?
  • Is the timeline realistic for completion of the project?
QUALITY OF THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP

Relationship of the proposed work to the expertise of the faculty mentor, familiarity of the faculty mentor with the student and his/her/their skills and goals, and impact of the proposed mentoring activities. A UROP scholar's success depends critically on high-quality mentoring. Please consider this aspect of the application very carefully.

  • Does the student demonstrate familiarity with the faculty mentor's scholarship?
  • Is the proposed work sufficiently related to the expertise of the faculty mentor?
  • Are the faculty mentor and the student well-acquainted? Do they already have an established collaborative/mentoring relationship?
  • What is the impact of the mentor's proposed mentoring activities?
  • Is the mentor prepared to personally provide high-quality mentoring to this student?
IMPACT ON THE STUDENT'S EDUCATION

Potential of the UROP experience to substantially enhance the student's ability to meet educational and/or professional goals.

  • Do the proposal and mentor reference make the case that the UROP experience will substantially enhance the student's ability to meet educational and/or professional goals?

PRINT CRITERIA CHECKLIST

Have you already written your proposal and reviewed it with your mentor? Submit a draft of your proposal for review!

Writing Center tutors can help you develop your proposal with one-on-one writing instruction.

Make an appointment with the writing center