Dornsife's commitment to supporting undergraduate research with USC faculty

The SOAR program provides funding to undergraduates for participation as a research assistant in a faculty member’s project, or who wish to pursue a scholarly research project of their own choosing (sponsored and supervised by a faculty member). SOAR allows all students to be mentored one-on-one by USC faculty, and introduces students early in their academic careers to the process of serious scholarly inquiry. SOAR is for research during the fall and spring semesters of the academic year. Funding applications are accepted for the first third, or first five weeks, of fall and spring semester.

For students interest in summer undergraduate research funding, please visit the SURF page.

To find out about research projects or post your own, view the SOAR Board.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Declared major in Dornsife College 

• Full-time enrollment at USC for the entire academic year 

• One SOAR grant per academic year (either for one semester or spanning both)

• A recipient of the Provost Fellowship will not be contemporaneously considered for a SOAR grant and vice versa

• 3.0 cumulative USC GPA or better

• Each student must have a Dornsife Faculty mentor who meet one of the following criteria:

1. Tenured or Tenure-Track
2. Non-Tenure Track with a research profile
3. Professional School faculty member with a joint appointment in Dornsife College

Funding Guidelines:

• The amount of the stipend is up to $1000 per academic year towards non-course related research activity.

• The primary purpose of the stipend is to compensate the student researcher for the time they spend on their SOAR research project, although the stipend may also be used to fund research-related travel. The student may then use their grant earnings toward purchase of necessary equipment and/or materials. SOAR grants cannot directly fund the purchase of equipment or compensate third parties.

• A detailed budget accounting for all SOAR funding must be submitted with the application.

• The stipend is a single payment credited to the student’s university account. This may initially affect the student’s financial aid award, but if this happens, alternate arrangements can be made. More information will be provided to the recipient.

• If the student fails to complete the project successfully or fails to meet research obligations with a professor's project, and a final approval is denied by the student’s faculty mentor, the funds will be withdrawn and $1000 will be applied to the student’s university account.

SOAR recipients are required to submit a one-page research report signed by their faculty mentor before the last day of classes of their grant semester. Failure to do so renders the student ineligible for SURF or SOAR funding for the following year.

SOAR APPLICATION 

Applications submitted past five (5) weeks into the semester of the proposed research will not be considered.

For questions, please call the Dornsife Dean's Office at (213) 740-2531.