Student Frequently Asked Questions

UPRISE is open to UC undergraduates (domestic and international) who are rising sophomores through rising seniors and who have a passion for both STEMM research and who have a sincere desire to make impactful contributions to underrepresented communities through advocating for inclusivity and bridging the gap in STEMM representation. In the UPRISE application, students will be asked to reflect on these and discuss how they have inspired a desire to participate in the UPRISE program.  

The student application portal will open on January 2, 2025. The application deadline for the 2025 program is February 14, 2025. Decisions are usually shared with students in mid- to late-March.

Student applications are reviewed by the UPRISE committee. The committee first identifies students that should be admitted to the program (UPRISE can typically support 20 students each summer). The UPRISE Committee will conduct a holistic application review to evaluate a student’s potential for success in the program. Factors considered include GPA, a student’s potential for research (as described in their letters of recommendation), and their personal statement. In their personal statement students will explain what life experiences and perspectives from their background inspire them to want to participate in the UPRISE program. The students will also explain how the UPRISE program can help them to achieve their academic and long-term career goals, and how they intend to use the UPRISE experience to champion inclusivity and make meaningful contributions to underserved communities. Then, using information provided on the student application, as well as mentor feedback, students are matched with projects and mentors. Because not every student can be matched with their first choice of project we ask that you list two-three projects that you would be interested in working on.

You should review the project descriptions. After identifying projects that you are interested in, you should arrange to set up a meeting with the faculty mentor. This meeting will help you assess whether the project is a good fit for you. It will also allow the mentor to determine if you are a good fit for the project—you should treat this meeting like a job interview (we use mentor feedback to match students to projects.

No, you must meet with the faculty mentor in order to list that project on your application. We will not match you to a project if you have not met with the mentor before submitting your application. Remember—faculty can be busy, so it is wise to set these meetings up early in the semester, and not right before the application deadline.

Participants commit to 40 hours of research effort per week on their designated projects during the program period (May 5 - July 25, 2025). Participants also must attend weekly UPRISE workshops (these typically take place Monday mornings, from 9-11). At the end of the program participants give a formal research presentation and submit a research report summarizing their project.

You can access your unofficial transcript via Catalyst.

These letters must comment on your research potential. As such, letters from employers are unlikely to carry much weight (unless you are working in a research position). Your professors are excellent individuals to write these letters, as they can comment on your academic skills. Even if they have not observed you in a research capacity they can usually make an assessment of your likely research potential. One or both letters can come from the faculty mentors that you interview with. However, if the first time that these mentors meet you is in your interview, they may not have a lot to say about you. Letters from high-school teachers may not serve you well, since the letters need to comment on your research potential, a key input we are seeking in a UPRISE recommendation. Letters from friends or classmates are not acceptable.

Unfortunately, no. The program requires your full-time commitment on your research project—no concurrent course work is permitted. However, if you are an engineering student, and register for COOP2011 (see FAQ #10 below), your UPRISE experience can count towards your co-op credits. 

The pay that you receive from UPRISE is classified as a stipend. All students participating in the UPRISE Program are highly encouraged to register for COOP 2011, and all students who register will have the tuition fee for this one-hour course will be waived. This will mitigate the impact to financial aid for most students. However, it is important to review your aid eligibility, and the impact of this award with staff at One Stop prior to accepting this funding and to review information on the Financial Aid website.

Because UPRISE students are highly encouraged to register for the summer COOP 2011 course, international students who do so will need to complete a CPT request with International Student Services. To avoid any impact to your Visa, international students must have completed their CPT request prior to the start of the UPRISE summer session. Your experience with UPRISE will utilize available CPT time. Please note that if you use 356 days of CPT over the course of your co-ops, you will be ineligible for OPT. Please consider this, and contact International Student Services for more information. 

If this is unavoidable, and is for no more than one week, you may be permitted to begin your research earlier than the scheduled start date so as to ensure that you contribute to the full 12 weeks of research time. All arrangements for this must be discussed and approved in advance by your research mentor.

Unfortunately, UPRISE does not have the funds to support student housing, or to provide transportation/parking vouchers. However, you may consider applying for an Undergraduate Research Fellowship to help offset these costs. 

The University of Cincinnati does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, parental status (including status as a foster parent), sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, military status (past, present, or future), or gender identity and expression in its programs and activities.