University Student Academic Research Award
University Student Academic Research Award Guidelines
USARA Grants are awarded twice during each academic year. Applications are due February 20, 2025.
Spring 2025 Submissions:
The University Student Academic Research Award (USARA) Committee will be accepting applications for the fall semester until February 20, 2025 at 4:30pm.
Research grants, up to $400, are available to help support undergraduate research projects and creative endeavors related to developing and conducting projects, with a faculty supervisor, and the presentation of research/scholarly pursuits at national or regional meetings. Students should not request funding in excess of the grant awards.
In any given semester, a student should make only one application for funding. A student may be funded only twice in their academic career. If a student has requested duplicate funding for the same budget, the student must disclose that funding has been sought elsewhere. The OURCA/NCUR grant will cover SU students who are first author or solo author on an accepted NCUR project. These students should NOT apply for additional USARA funds for NCUR.
Students must have a declared major and be enrolled as a full-time student (minimum of 12 credit hours) or a part-time student (minimum of six credit hours) during the project’s duration.
Proposals involving live animals or human subjects must be approved by the University’s Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB). It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide IACUC or IRB approval documentation with their application.
Grants may be requested for the following expenses:
Equipment and supplies. Purchased items will be assigned to the University at the end of the project.
Travel to present research or academic projects at professional meetings.
*NOTE: USARA funds may not be used for the following: SU Student Research Conference (SUSRC) or conferences occurring after graduation.
Reimbursement funds will be distributed once expenses have been appropriately documented.
2nd semester seniors are not funded for equipment and supplies without a presentation of the research or project scheduled at a regional or national conference prior to graduation.
Awards are made on the merits of the proposal. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
All monies must be spent by the last week of the following semester. For fall allocations, monies must be spent by the last week of the spring semester. For spring allocations, all monies must be spent by the last week of the fall semester. Unspent money by the grant’s ending date will revert to the University.
A completed expense statement must be submitted to Graduate Studies and Research, drknopf@salisbury.edu by the end of the project period.
Proposal
Provide a formal, documented description of your project including a brief literature review, a description of your methodology and sample, and your expected outcomes. If your project is complete, also describe your results and conclusions. Ultimately, discuss your project’s potential contribution to your field of study.
*Students working on a joint project must each submit an original proposal, written entirely in their own words clearly identifying their individual distinct contributions.
*Students must provide evidence of conference presentation acceptance in their application.
Faculty Supporting Letter
Include a letter endorsing your research project and request for funds from a faculty member who has been directly supervising your work. This letter should be an overall assessment of your research and speak to the strength of the project.
Send the original packet of all application materials (application, proposal, budget request, request for travel form, presentation acceptance notification, and faculty support letter) by February 20, 2025, 4:30pm via e-mail to drknopf@salisbury.edu (Donna Knopf, Graduate Studies and Research)
CONTACT FOR APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS AND EXPENSE RELATED INQUIRIES:
Graduate Studies and Research
Donna Knopf
Holloway Hall 262
(410) 548-3549 or ext. 83549
drknopf@salisbury.edu
Application Deadline: February 20, 2025 4:30 p.m.