Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center

Applicant Eligibility & Evaluation Criteria

  • Applicants must be currently enrolled CSUMB students.
    • 6 units minimum to be eligible for student employment (i.e. Researcher = Student Assistant).
  • Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above.
    • Exceptions to this rule may be considered but must be discussed with UROC staff before submitting the UROC Researcher Application.
  • UROC Researchers must maintain a GPA of 2.75 or above each semester they are supported by UROC.
  • CSUMB students may be supported as UROC Researchers for a total of 3 academic terms, including one summer term.
    • Exceptions to this policy are possible but are determined on a case-by-case basis. Contact uroc@csumb.edu well in advance of the application deadline for instruction on how to request that an exception be made for you.

Evaluation Criteria

The UROC Researcher program supports CSUMB students from diverse social, economic, and educational backgrounds pursuing the intellectual, academic, and professional benefits related to engagement in undergraduate research. Students at all stages of the undergraduate research process are welcome to apply.

There is no limit on the number of UROC Researchers per mentor. However, UROC is eager to support students across a diversity of majors and disciplines and will take this into consideration when evaluating applications.

Additional notes on evaluation criteria:

  • Applications are especially encouraged from students representing diverse social, economic, and educational backgrounds.
  • Applications that contain a more fully developed research Project Description, a clear research question or objective, and a well-defined role will be evaluated higher than applications that lack these characteristics.
  • Applications from CSUMB faculty-mentored students and externally-mentored students will be evaluated equally, but preference may be give to submissions supporting research opportunities at CSUMB, especially those involving new faculty starting their research programs.
  • As described on our UROC Research Certificate page, capstone research projects do not typically qualify for recognition through this program. However, if the capstone research project is both truly exceptional and adheres to the standards outlined in the UROC definition of undergraduate research, an exception may be considered if a thorough justification of why this project qualifies for consideration is included in the Project Description.