First- and Second-year Research Placement Program
Due date: December 3, 2027
This program provides first- and second-year students the opportunity to apply for paid research positions that will start in January of Spring 2027. The program is administered through the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, which will work with students to apply to research positions at UT San Antonio and beyond. Students can apply to up to 3 research positions, with final match determination made by the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards and participating faculty.
Selected students will commit to spending 10-15 weeks in a research project at 10-20 hours per week. Students will earn $1000 for participating in the program, paid as a scholarship with installments at the beginning and end of term. Students may have the option for continuing in the research experience after the program ends, either as volunteers or through other funding sources by the academic department.
The goals of this program are to:
- introduce new students to undergraduate research.
- mentor students on how to find and apply to research opportunities both at UT San Antonio, nationally, and internationally.
- mentor students in their first semester of research on how to continue their research as an undergraduate and beyond.
Please contact onca@utsa.edu with questions.
Eligibility
- Students must be in their first or second year at UT San Antonio OR in their first year in the Honors College.
- Students cannot take more than 16 credits in spring semester. Students will also need to disclose significant time commitments outside of classes (example: marching band, other work positions).
- Students cannot have prior university research background at UT San Antonio. Exceptions can be made for brief summer research experiences or if a student is switching displines (example: from STEM to humanities).
- Students must attend a "How to get involved in Undergraduate Research" info-session and have a 15 minute consultation to review application before submitting (see "How to apply").
| Location | Date and RSVP |
|---|---|
| Honors College Experiential Learning Lab (GSR 1.204F) | Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 12 PM |
| Online event | Thursday, Nov. 12 at 10 AM |
| Online event | Monday Nov. 16 at 11 AM |
- If receiving funding, students must be eligible to work at UT San Antonio or receive a scholarship.
- Students who are in Top Scholar Program, Terry Scholar Program, or Texas Leadership Scholars Program may participate in the program on a volunteer, unpaid basis. Other students who receive scholarships for their full cost of attendance may not be able to receive additional scholarship funding.
Available Positions for Spring 2027
For Spring 2027, there are 20 positions available. Please see this document for available positions.
Timeline
November 2026: students attend info sessions and will will be mentored on how to identify research positions, create a resume, draft a cover letter, and how to contact faculty. Students will write drafts and then attend a 15 minute consultation to review resume and cover letter(s).
December 3: application due date. Students will submit resume and cover letter(s), applying to up to 3 positions. Students may be contacted by faculty for a Zoom interview or additional questions.
December 20-January 5: students will be told of placement opportunities.
January 5: students will work with Honors College to process scholarship and with research faculty to process any onboarding tasks.
January 19: first day of classes and research experiences begin.
Post-submission requirements
Students accepted to the program are required to:
- fulfill their work in the research group for the duration of the Spring semester.
- participate in a 1-hour meeting on Friday, once a month (4 total). These meetings will provide additional professional training related to research.
- present their research at the Honors College Experiential Learning Fair within 1-year of participation.
How to apply:
Students must attend a "How to get involved in Undergradaute Research Workshop", hosted throughout November in the Honors College and online. Students must also attend a 15 minute consult meeting to go over their resume/cover letter before submission.
Required documents:
- Resume Template
- Cover Letter Template
Students will submit applications to onca@utsa.edu as an attachment.
Application documents will be sent to students who attend a required info session.
Once you draft documents, please book a consultation time to meet with us before submitting. Please see our contact page to book a time with ONCA Staff or ONCA Peer Mentors.
Additional Research Opportunities
In addition to applying to this program, students should consider applying to the following additional research opportunities. As part of the Research Match program, we will mentor students to apply to these opportunities at the same time as applying to UT San Antonio positions. Students can also view the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards guide: advice on applying to REUs.
-
- NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (application due dates vary in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026)
- UT Health San Antonio Summer Research Programs(application due dates vary)
- MIT Summer Research Program (2nd year + students)(due Jan 2026)
- DAAD Rise Germany (2nd and 3rd year students) (due Nov 30)
- Amgen Scholars Program (due Feb 1 2026)
- CDC Public Health Scholars (2nd year + students) (application due dates vary, late January)
- Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early ID Program (due Feb 3 2026)
- Additional summer programs across fields (login with abc123) (due dates vary)
Opportunities within the Honors College
The Honors College offers students the opportunity to participate in a number of different programs to further expand knowledge, especially in the realms of professional development, leadership development, and public service. Special programs are fully integrated into the Honors College curriculum, making credit transfer simple and ensuring that students are working toward Honors requirements.
