Two routes are open on a rolling basis. The rest are competitive awards that require a named mentor and a specific project.
PI is the principal investigator. OPS is Other Personnel Services, UF’s term for an hourly job with no benefits. CLAS is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. CALS is the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Start here
- Email me. Subject line “Undergraduate research: your name.” Tell me your year, your major, roughly how many hours a week you have, and what you find interesting. One paragraph. Attach a transcript if you have one. I reply within about a week.
- Agree on a project. Every competitive award below needs a named mentor and a specific project.
- Work backwards from the deadline. University Scholars and Summer International Research need a departmental nomination, and departments set internal deadlines weeks before the college one. Ask in the fall about a February deadline. Emerging Scholars closes in late November, so start earlier.
- Ask me for a letter at least three weeks out, and send me your draft and the prompt when you ask.
Emerging Scholars requires that you have no prior university research experience. If you are eligible, apply for it before you start a paid or for-credit position.
If you have Federal Work-Study, tell me.
Deadlines at a glance
These are the windows programmes usually fall in, checked July 2026. Confirm the actual date on the linked page.
| When | Programme | Who | Rough amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling | OPS hourly position | Anyone I have funds for | Hourly |
| Rolling | Federal Work-Study | Aid package includes FWS; US citizen or PR | Hourly |
| Before drop/add | Research credit | Any undergrad | Credit, no stipend |
| Late Aug | Explorers Club Rising Explorer | Undergrads doing fieldwork | About $1,500 |
| 1 Oct and 15 Mar | Sigma Xi Grants in Aid | Any undergrad researcher | $500 to $2,000 |
| Apr, Jul, Oct | UF Honors Wentworth Fund | Honors students | Varies |
| Early Nov | CLAS Sustainability Research Award | Any major, not graduating that spring | $750 |
| Late Nov | Emerging Scholars | First and second years, no prior research | $1,000 |
| Feb | University Scholars Program | Not graduating before May of the next year | $1,750 |
| Feb | McNair Scholars | First-gen and income-eligible; US citizen or PR | Summer stipend |
| Feb | Summer International Research | 1+ year of prior UF research | Up to $5,000 |
| Feb | UF FLAS (African languages) | US citizen or PR | $5,000 plus tuition |
| Fall and spring | Beyond120 Experiential Scholarship | CLAS undergrads | Up to $1,000 |
| Spring | URAP Research Grant | Biology undergrads | $250 |
Direct lab employment
These start on a rolling basis. The competitive awards below pay six to twelve months after you apply.
OPS hourly positions
Pay: UF requires at least Florida’s minimum wage ($14.00/hour now, rising to $15.00 on 30 September 2026) and caps student wages at double it.
I hire undergraduates directly from grant or startup funds. There is no application form and these are not advertised anywhere. You ask me.
You can hold an OPS position and take research credit at the same time. Arrange it with the Biology Undergraduate Coordinator.
Hours are agreed in writing before you start, per the Laboratory Code of Conduct, which also says that hours above that are never a condition of a recommendation letter and that exam periods and illness reduce hours without penalty.
Federal Work-Study
Pay: At least Florida minimum wage; UF does not publish a work-study rate. Hours: Up to 20 per week during the semester, with a petition route to 31. Eligibility: Financial need on the FAFSA, at least half-time enrollment, and US citizen, national, or permanent resident.
Part of your wages is federally covered, which makes you cheaper for a PI to hire. File your FAFSA early; the form opens 1 October for the following year. Funding is limited and not guaranteed to everyone eligible.
Research for course credit
BSC 4910, BSC 4912, BOT 4911, ZOO 4911
Credits: BSC 4912 is 0 to 4 credits; BSC 4910, BOT 4911, and ZOO 4911 are 0 to 3. Registering for 0 credits costs nothing. Registering for 1 to 4 adds to your semester load, so check with your adviser whether it pushes you past your tuition cap before you register. Proposal: Due the week before drop/add. Final report: Due by noon on the last day of instruction. Missing it is an automatic NG, no grade. Report length: Minimum 750, 1,300, 1,600, and 1,800 words for 1, 2, 3, and 4 credits. Caps: Up to 6 credits in CLAS Biology, up to 3 in CALS.
Biology majors taking BSC 4910 or BOT 4911 for the first time also enroll in BSC 3911 Entering Research (1 credit). You do not repeat it for BSC 4912.
Other departments use their own numbers, including ALS 4911, BCH 4905, MCB 4905, AGR 4911, BMS 4905, and IDH 4917.
Every undergraduate in the lab also completes responsible conduct of research training. Ask me which course applies to you.
Competitive awards
Emerging Scholars Program
Award: $1,000, paid $500 at the start of spring and $500 at the start of fall. Deadline: Late November. Eligibility: First and second years with no prior university-level research experience. Students who have taken a CURE course are not eligible. A CURE is a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience, a class where the whole section does original research rather than a standard teaching lab. If you are unsure whether a class you took counts, email the programme.
University Scholars Program
Award: $1,750 ($750 in September, $1,000 in January). Your mentor receives $500. Deadline: February. Each college sets its own date and departments set earlier internal ones, so ask in the fall. Eligibility: Any UF undergraduate not graduating before May of the following year.
The CLAS University Scholars Award is the CLAS instance of this same programme, not a second award you can hold alongside it.
Summer Undergraduate International Research
Award: Up to $5,000 for travel and living expenses. Deadline: February. Eligibility: At least one year of prior UF research experience.
Our field programme is in Kenya, so read the Field Safety and Travel Policy before you budget: the lab covers required training, the pre-travel medical consultation, vaccination, chemoprophylaxis, and protective equipment, so those do not come out of your award.
UF FLAS Fellowships, African languages
Award: Academic year $5,000 plus tuition and fees. Summer $2,500 plus up to $5,000 tuition. Deadline: February. Eligibility: US citizen or permanent resident, enrolled at UF. Languages include Swahili and Zulu. Swahili is spoken at our Kenya field sites.
McNair Scholars Program
Award: Summer research stipend; ask the programme for the current figure. Deadline: February. Eligibility: US citizen or permanent resident, first-generation and income-eligible (both required), 3.0 GPA, 60 credits by the start of summer, intending a PhD. Not open to students planning only an MD, JD, DVM, PharmD, PsyD, or DNP.
Beyond120 Experiential Scholarships
Award: Up to $1,000 per semester. Deadline: Fall and spring cycles, through Scholarship Universe. Eligibility: CLAS undergraduates. You do not need the position secured before applying.
CLAS Sustainability Student Research Award
Award: $750, two awarded. Deadline: Early November. Eligibility: Any major, provided you are not graduating before the following spring.
Grants for your own project
Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research
Award: $500 to $2,000 for undergraduate members. Non-members are capped at $1,000. Deadlines: 15 March and 1 October.
Explorers Club Rising Explorer Grant
Award: About $1,500. Deadline: Late August. Eligibility: Undergraduates doing fieldwork. No citizenship restriction stated.
URAP Research Grant
Award: $250. One is funded per year. Deadline: Spring. The posted date is often behind; email the URAP coordinator through the Biology office to confirm the current cycle. A second award, the URAP Engagement Grant ($150, fall), is on the same page.
UF Honors Wentworth Fund
Award: Set case by case; covers research and conference travel. Deadlines: 1 April, 1 July, 1 October.
Biology travel funds
Apply at least one month before you travel.
Status unconfirmed
Science for Life was a UF early-research programme funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, built around a 1-credit course and multi-year projects starting after the first year. It still appears on Biology pages. Confirm with the Biology undergraduate office that it is currently running before you build a plan on it.
More resources
Sources last verified July 2026. Confirm every deadline against the linked page.