Dornsife is committed to supporting undergraduate research with USC faculty.

The SOAR program provides funding to Dornsife undergraduates for participation as a research assistant in a faculty member’s project during the fall and spring semesters of the academic year. The purpose of SOAR is to connect students with faculty members and their research. It allows all students to be mentored one-on-one by USC faculty, introduces students early in their academic careers to the process of serious scholarly inquiry, and fosters valuable relationships between students and faculty. Please note that we do not fund independent research projects, including those related to 490 courses or honors theses. Students interested in pursuing independent research should apply for PURF, the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fund.

For students interested in summer undergraduate research funding, please visit the SURF/SHURE page.

To explore current faculty research projects, please visit the USC Handshake job and internship feed.

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For Students

Click on the tabs below to learn more about SOAR.

    • The amount of funding is up to $1,000 per academic year towards non-course related (Maymesters excluded), faculty-directed research activities. Specific schedules may vary based on the research project, however students should expect to conduct research 8-10 hours per week for at least 10 weeks per semester. No independent projects will be funded.
    • The primary purpose of this funding is to supplement the student researcher for the expenses they incur on their SOAR research project. The student may use the funding toward the purchase of necessary equipment and/or materials, but SOAR cannot directly fund the purchase of equipment or compensate third parties.
    • The funding is credited to the student’s university account. This may affect student financial aid packages.  It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Financial Aid Office (askUSC) to discuss the potential effects of the SOAR award.
    • If you haven’t already done so, it is highly recommended that domestic students sign up for direct deposit.
    • 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obligations with a professor’s project and a final approval is denied by the student’s faculty mentor, the funds may be withdrawn and charged to the student’s university account.

     All funds will be disbursed in accordance with customary policies and procedures of the university. 

  • Spring 2025 Maymester Courses

    • Dornsife FLP: Advanced techniques in field mammalogy (BISC 499L)
    • Dornsife FLP: Sustainable Development in the Philippines (ENST 432)
    • Dornsife FLP: International Geodesign (SSCI 350)
    • Dornsife FLP: Human Rights in the Caucasus: Georgia and Armenia (IR 422)
    • Dornsife FLP: Environmental Change on the Front Lines of a Warming World: The Alaskan Arctic (GEOL 465L)
    • Dornsife FLP: Decision Making for Sustainability (PSYC 499)
    • Dornsife FLP: Global East Asia Japan – Tokyo: Japanese Society and Design Thinking (EASC 360)
    • Dornsife FLP: Coastal Zone Sustainability (ENST 483L)
    • Dornsife FLP: Quantitative and Qualitative Social Science Research Methods for Environmental Analysis (ENST 486)
    • Dornsife FLP: Waves of Change: Unearthing Coastal Environmental Histories (ENST 499)
    • Dornsife FLP: Aquatic Microbiology (BISC 431L)
    • Dornsife FLP: Methods in Marine Biology and Biographical Oceanography (BISC 457L)
    • Dornsife FLP: Encountering Zen in Japan (REL 332)
    • Dornsife FLP: Writing Sustainable Futures in Spain & Sicily (WRIT 380)
    • Dornsife FLP: Spanish Three Immersion Experience in Santander, Spain (SPAN 220)

    Visit Faculty Led Programs for additional program information.

    • Declared major in USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
    • Full-time enrollment at USC for the entire academic year (i.e., registered for 12 units each semester). Seniors with Fall 2024 / Spring 2025 enrollment are eligible to apply. Seniors with only Fall 2024 enrollment are not eligible for fall.
    • Graduate students or students with 144 units or more are not eligible to apply.
    • Must not have already received the maximum SOAR funding during the academic year for which you are applying. Up to $1,000 can be awarded per student, per academic year.
    • A recipient of the ExL award, Provost Fellowship (PURF), or other USC research fund will not be contemporaneously considered for SOAR.
    • 3.0 cumulative USC GPA or better
    • Each student must have a Dornsife faculty mentor who meets 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

  • Fall 2024 – Thurs. August 1 to Thurs. September 12, 2024

    Spring 2025 – Thurs. December 5, 2024 to Thurs. January 16, 2025

    • Access the SOAR application here during the application period.
    • In addition to general and SOAR related questions, you will be asked to upload a one-page research proposal – it should detail what your faculty mentor’s project is researching, in a general sense, as well as describe what you will be contributing to the project.  Please include whether or not you have applied for other grants or fellowships.
    • SOAR Faculty Letter of Recommendation: The application will generate an email to your faculty mentor so they can upload your recommendation letter directly into your application. LORs are not required for Maymesters; a copy of the class syllabus will be accepted in lieu of the LOR.

  • SOAR recipients are required to submit a one-page research report with faculty mentor’s signature. The research report is a one page summary of your research findings and overall experience. Failure to do so renders the student ineligible for SOAR or SURF/SHURE funding for the following year and the funding will be rescinded. Students must also be willing to share research findings with Dornsife Advancement and/or Communications. 

    The report, signed by the faculty mentor of the research project, should be submitted via the instructions indicated on the award agreement.

    Click here to access the SOAR report guidelines.

    SOAR Report Deadlines:

    • January 17, 2025 – Report deadline for students receiving awards for Fall 2024 only
    • April 25, 2025 – Report deadline for students receiving awards for both Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 -or- Spring 2025 only
    • August 29, 2025 – Report deadline for students receiving awards for summer or Maymesters

For Faculty

Due to the large pool of applicants, we limit the number of SOAR recipients to up to two students per faculty member, per academic year. The expectation is that students will pursue other funding sources and faculty will support their research students.

SOAR supports faculty-led projects. Please do not recommend independent student projects or research that is not affiliated with USC.

If your project has been approved to involve human subjects, you will be asked to provide us with a copy of your IRB approval or extension.

It is not required to participate in the SOAR and SURF programs, however, Dornsife faculty interested in posting their research should sign up as employers on USC Handshake. Please add the following sentence in the position description:

If you are a Dornsife undergraduate student, you may able to apply for SOAR, SURF, or SHURE funding from USC Dornsife if you work with an eligible Dornsife faculty mentor on their research project.  Visit https://dornsife.usc.edu/exl/soar/ or https://dornsife.usc.edu/exl/surf-shure/ for more information.

FAQ

  • Hours are based on an agreement between the faculty mentor and the student. Most students spend at least 10 hours per week for at least 10 weeks for fall and spring and 20 hours per week for at least 8 weeks during the summer to actually get a meaningful experience. SOAR and SURF are flat rate awards. We do not translate the funding into an hourly wage.

  • Please visit Direct Deposit Stipend Instructions for guidance. This is highly recommended to avoid lost checks.

    Be advised that your first installment may arrive as a check mailed to your local home address. Students should always keep all addresses (both current address and permanent address) updated in OASIS.

  • No. For a research project to be eligible for SOAR and SURF, you must have support from a Dornsife Faculty Mentor who meets one of the following criteria:

    • Tenured or Tenure-Track
    • Non-Tenure Track with a research profile
    • Professional School faculty member with a joint appointment in Dornsife

  • No. SOAR does not fund independent research projects, including those related to 490 courses or honors theses.

  • You will be required to list the project and faculty mentor on your application. A letter of recommendation from that mentor is also required.

  • If you are unable to acquire a signature on your report, please attach an email approval to your report and upload through the link that was provided in your agreement.

  • The one page report doesn’t require explicit details. No figures, data or references are required. We want to get a general idea about the research project and what you got out of the experience.  Click here to access guidelines for the SOAR report.

  • SOAR reports should be uploaded through the link provided in your agreement.

  • Please try to limit the report to no more than three pages. You are only required to briefly describe the research. These reports often go to donors who are more interested in your contribution and your overall personal experience.

  • No. Recipients of SOAR/SURF cannot be contemporaneously considered for an ExL award.

  • No. SOAR and SURF do not support independent student research.

  • There are no specific format requirements for the research proposal.

  • No. It is your responsibility to make sure the mentor follows through with your request.

  • SOAR and SURF are only offered to Dornsife majors. If you are a Dornsife major, try clearing out your cookies or try a different browser.

  • No. All projects require IRB approved first.

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Contact

USC Dornsife Admission and Student Success

3607 Trousdale Parkway, MHP 106, Los Angeles, CA 90089

(213) 740-3274