FAQs for Faculty

Rutgers undergraduate students have the unique opportunity to observe firsthand how scholars conduct research in a large research university. With you as a mentor, they develop research skills, define academic interests and objectives, and prepare for more advanced research in their future. Undergraduates, while new to the research process, are exposed to invaluable educational opportunities through the process of research, making their undergraduate experience more valuable and making them more capable and employable upon graduating.

Undergraduate research is also beneficial from a departmental perspective: many studies have demonstrated the strong correlation between persistence in a discipline and undergraduate research experiences.

Aresty research projects are intended to expose first-time undergraduate researchers to faculty research. When advertising a research project either for our Summer Science or Research Assistant programs, we keep in mind that students will have enthusiasm and potential, but limited field-specific expertise. Gaining this expertise is the goal of Aresty research projects.

In STEM fields, Aresty students typically become part of faculty labs. In the Social Sciences and Humanities, students help conduct primary research, work on bibliography, and assist in course and survey design. For examples of previous projects, browse our research opportunity database.

Students in the Research Assistant program receive 3 credits (P/NC) for the year. Grading is administered by the Aresty Center with input from faculty mentors. Students who wish to receive departmental credit instead can make arrangements to do so but are still required to meet Aresty program expectations. SAS students receive general credit; SEBS students receive credits that can be applied to experiential learning requirements, and Engineering students can apply Aresty RA credits to technical elective requirements.

For students in our Summer Science Program, we provide a $3,000 stipend in addition to housing for the duration of the program. We also provide research awards to advanced undergraduates through our funding program each semester on a competitive basis. Students are invited to apply for funding for a research project that they are undertaking or for presenting their work at a professional conference.

Aresty also organizes and coordinates workshops on a variety of topics, including application and interview skills, abstract and poster design, and presentation skills. The Center also coordinates a university-wide undergraduate research symposium in the spring. 

The Aresty Research Center for Undergraduates is for Rutgers-New Brunswick undergraduate students and faculty only. Our Research Assistant and Summer Science positions are intended for students with no previous research experience.

Yes, our programs are competitive. For our Summer Science Program, the acceptance rate is typically 10-15%. For our Research Assistant Program, the acceptance rate is typically around 30%.

While there is no minimum GPA required, students must be in good academic standing and demonstrate a genuine interest in becoming involved in research. No previous research experience is necessary.

Rutgers-New Brunswick faculty may submit a research opportunity for the Summer Science Program. For more information about how to submit your opportunity, click here. The program runs roughly nine weeks between the end of May and August each year.

Rutgers-New Brunswick students may apply to a maximum of three projects and must submit a completely separate application for each. If a student is chosen for more than one project, then the student may choose which project they would like to participate in.

The Aresty Center will be able to support one student per project for the Summer Science Program. When the application process begins, you will receive email notifications when students have applied for your research project. By logging into your project, you can review applications, select students to interview, and indicate your top choice. The Aresty Center will then match a student to your project.

Faculty members are provided with one full-time research assistant in their lab. Students are provided with a $3,000 stipend and housing for the ten-week program. Click here to learn more about the program.

Yes. When you create your project in the Undergraduate Research System, you may categorize it for both programs. Learn more here.

Yes. In the Undergraduate Research System, when you click "Create a Project", you will have the option to duplicate a project.

Rutgers-New Brunswick faculty may submit a research opportunity for the Research Assistant Program.  For more information about how to submit your opportunity, click here. The program runs from September to May each year.

Rutgers-New Brunswick students may apply to a maximum of three projects and must submit a completely separate application for each. If a student is chosen for more than one project, then the student may choose which project they would like to participate in. The typical project will receive 8 to 12 applicants. When the application process begins, you will receive email notifications when students have applied for your research project. By logging into your project, you can review applications, select students to interview, and indicate your top choice. The Aresty Center will then match a student to your project.

No, students may only participate in the Aresty Research Assistant Program once. Students continuing on independent research or working on senior theses can apply to the Research Funding program.

Yes, rising seniors are eligible to apply for our RA program during their junior year, but it is useful to probe potential RAs on their commitments and plans for senior year--as graduate school interviews, senior thesis work, and transition to post-Rutgers life can all slow research progress.

Yes. In the Undergraduate Research System, when you click "Create a Project", you will have the option to duplicate a project.

As part of the student's application, the faculty mentor must review and approve the student's project overview and detailed budget and provide a letter of endorsement to the Aresty Research Center. This is all done online; you will be notified once your student submits an application.

We invite students to submit proposals for funding to help alleviate the cost of research, including books, photocopying costs, supplies, travel, and presentations at conferences. Funding cannot be used for meals, living expenses, tuition, or equipment that will be used beyond the duration of the research project. In general, the ARC does not fully fund student research projects; we encourage students to seek funding from multiple sources. The average amount requested is $1000; the average amount awarded is $500. We also have funding available for students accepted to present at conferences. Learn more about our funding opportunities.

All applications are reviewed by the Aresty Faculty Review Board. Projects proposals are evaluated on their merit and adherence to the application guidelines. We invite faculty across disciplines to join our review board. Contact us to learn more.

Yes. Students who receive checks may sign them directly over to your department. Please arrange this with your business office.

All funding recipients must submit receipts for all award money spent no later than the end of the spring semester, or at the end of the project, whichever comes first. The money spent must align with the budget that was submitted with the application. Any funds not spent from the award must be returned. Additionally, all funding recipients are required to participate in a series of workshops and present their research at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

All Rutgers undergraduate students are eligible to submit an abstract for consideration for the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Participants in the Aresty Research Assistant Program and recipients of Aresty funding are required to present.

Visit our Symposium page and follow the directions to submit your abstract. Abstracts are due March 1st.

We offer workshops on various topics including selecting a research project, finding a faculty mentor, writing an abstract, how to develop an effective poster for presenting research, and many other topics related to undergraduate research. These workshops are open to all Rutgers-New Brunswick undergraduate students. Review the workshops page to learn more.

If you have more questions, or would like to discuss an idea, feel free to contact the staff at the Aresty Research Center for Undergraduates.