Honors College Announcements

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) in the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Academic Programs is pleased to announce the opening of the application for the Summer 2022 Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Award (CURA) program. The CURA program affords an opportunity to hire an undergraduate student researcher at no cost to faculty or the sponsoring department.

A faculty member applies for a CURA on behalf of a student.

To qualify for a Summer 2022 CURA, a student must have demonstrated financial need.

An inquiry form to determine if a student is CURA-eligible can be accessed at https://cura.uic.edu/information-for-faculty/.

Notes:

• Completing the inquiry form represents the first step in the application process. Using the information provided in the inquiry form, the Office of Undergraduate Research will coordinate with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to determine if the student is eligible for the CURA program. Information on the student’s eligibility will be communicated to the faculty member; if the student qualifies, a link to an online CURA application will be included in the correspondence to the faculty member.
• Campus leadership has waived the requirement that a student needs to be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours during summer session in order to be eligible for a summer CURA through the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program.

• There is not an automatic continuation for Summer 2022 for students who received an academic year CURA. Completion of the Summer 2022 CURA eligibility form is required.
• The application process, however, will be streamlined for situations in which a Summer 2022 CURA-eligible student received a CURA during the 2021-22 academic year, provided that the work in which the student will be engaged will remain the same.

• Students who graduate in May are not eligible for the Summer 2022 CURA program.

• Students can work up to 30 hours per week in a Summer 2022 CURA-funded research assistant position. 

• The work period for the Summer CURA program will be 5/15/2022 – 6/30/2022.

• The Office of Undergraduate Research anticipates being able to fund only a limited number of awards for the Summer 2022 CURA program. Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received, and funding will continue up to the point that funds have been exhausted.

• Any costs associated with student wages for CURA research positions for Summer 2022 beyond 30 hours per week and beyond 6/30/2022 will be the full responsibility of the sponsoring department.

• CURA recipients must be hired at the rate for a Scientific/Research Aide position in Group II. This typically corresponds to $13.20/hour. Students who were already hired into the position in connection with an academic year CURA appointment do not need to be rehired; their appointments are valid until 6/30/2022.

• For the UIC Student Employment job description, see:

https://studentemployment.uic.edu/departments-info/job-descriptions/

• For the UIC Student Employment wage plan information, see:

https://studentemployment.uic.edu/departments-info/student-wage-plan/

• Details on the process for hiring students in Summer 2022 CURA positions will be communicated when awards are announced.