URSP Scholar in Lab
There are two Undergraduate Research Scholars Programs (URSP): (1) Life and Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Math (2) the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
When applying, please make sure you are using the correct application.
The Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) is a three-quarter scholarship program that supports students who are conducting a life science, physical science, or engineering research project with a UCLA faculty during the 2025-2026 academic year.
The URSP is open to undergraduates who will have junior or senior class standing in Fall 2025. Juniors are eligible to receive scholarships up to $4,500, and seniors are eligible to receive scholarships up to $6,000. Applications are accepted in Spring 2025.
This program does not place students into labs or research opportunities. Students must already be working in a UCLA faculty’s lab at the time of application.
Students conducting research projects in the humanities, arts, or social sciences should apply to the URSP administered by the Undergraduate Research Center – Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
Juniors qualify for academic scholarships up to $4,500. Seniors qualify for academic scholarships up to $6,000. Scholarships are disbursed through the UCLA Financial Aid Office in three equal payments, once at the beginning of each quarter. Scholarship payments are applied to BruinBill.
*Important Financial Aid Implications: If you are receiving financial aid, your package may be adjusted so you do not exceed your financial need or cost of attendance. Check with the Financial Aid Office to see if you can accept this scholarship. Applicants do not need to qualify for or be receiving financial aid to be eligible for the URSP scholarship.
Abby Warner
Program Representative
awarner@college.ucla.edu
A complete application consists of the online MyUCLA application and one letter of recommendation submitted by the applicant’s UCLA Faculty Research Mentor. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure all materials are complete and submitted on time.
Do not use special typeface formatting such as italics, boldface, underlining, superscripts, or subscripts. Do not use special paragraph formatting such numbered/bulleted/multilevel lists. The online application system does not support this special formatting and will convert everything to plain text after submission. You may use symbols such as Greek letters.
One letter of recommendation must be written and submitted by your UCLA Faculty Research Mentor to the following email address: urspletters@college.ucla.edu
*NOTE: Faculty Research Mentors will not receive an automated invitation to submit a letter of recommendation. Faculty should email their letters to the address above by the application deadline.
Q: Are headings required in the research proposal?
No, headings are not required. You can format your submission as one cohesive body of text as long as you address all research prompts.
Q: How can I list references in my research proposal?
Due to the character limit, we recommend using numerical in-text citations (e.g. “(1)”). There is a separate, optional section to list literature references.
Q: Can I include a link to additional information in my application response?
No, your application will only be evaluated based on the response within the character limits. Do not include any links to external resources.
Q: Who is evaluating my application?
Your application will be assigned to a UCLA-affiliated PhD-level reviewer whose area of research is closely related to your proposed research project. Each application is evaluated by multiple reviewers.
Q: I am working on two different research projects. Can I submit two applications to the URSP?
No, each student may only submit one application.
Q: How many letters of recommendation can be submitted to support my application?
Only one letter of recommendation may be submitted for your application. It must be written and submitted by your UCLA Faculty Research Mentor.
Q: Can I request an extension to submit my application after the deadline?
No, all materials must be submitted by the application deadline. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
Q: What is the acceptance rate?
We do not publish this information because the volume of applications and scholarship funding varies year to year.
Q: Can I edit my application after I submit it?
To make any changes to your application, you must email the URSP Program Representative before the application deadline. Submitted applications can be “returned” to the applicant for edits and revisions.
The online application automatically closes at the deadline. No changes can be made after the application deadline.
Q: How can I confirm my application materials were received?
Confirmation emails will be emailed after the application deadline. To confirm the online application or letter of recommendation have been received before the application deadline, email the URSP Program Representative.
Q: Can I submit application materials via email?
No, all application responses must be submitted through the MyUCLA Survey system. We cannot accept any emailed application responses.
Letters of recommendation must be emailed by the recommender to urspletters@college.ucla.edu. Applicants cannot submit their own letter of recommendation.
Q: What happens if I leave the program early?
If you do not complete the full three-quarter program, your full scholarship may be recalled.
Q: I am conducting research and enrolling in a research course before the program begins. Can I count this time to fulfill the program requirements?
No, all requirements must be completed during the duration of the program.
Q: Can I present at my department’s research symposium or conference, instead of presenting at Research Poster Day?
No, presenting at a different research symposium or conference cannot be substituted for presenting at the Undergraduate Research & Creativity Showcase.
Q: Will changing my major after I start the program have any impact on my standing in the program?
No, changing your major will have no impact on your standing in the program.
Q: How will my scholarship be paid to me?
Scholarship payments are disbursed through UCLA Financial Aid and Scholarships directly to students’ quarterly BruinBill.
Students engaged in interdisciplinary research that blurs the lines between HASS (humanities, arts, and social sciences) and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) may have difficulty deciding which Undergraduate Research Center (URC-HASS or URC-Sciences) they should apply to for the URFP and URSP. 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, to be delivered to your center of choice.
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.
1. 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.
2. Does your research application involve reagents, solutions, biological samples, or biological data?
If yes, submit to URC-Sciences. If no, continue with the next question.
3. Does your research application address questions about the mechanisms underlying diseases?
If yes, submit to URC-Sciences. If no, continue with the next question.
4. Does your research application involve quantitative modeling using mathematical, computational, physical, chemical, or biochemical approaches or strategies?
If yes, submit to URC-Sciences. If no, continue with the next question.
5. 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 no, please visit the URC-HASS’ website to determine if your application is better suited for their Center’s program.
