Provost's Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program (PURS)

Who Is Eligible?

Juniors and seniors from all majors who have at least a 3.0 GPA are eligible to apply. This means applicants should be planning to graduate in spring 2014, fall 2014, spring 2015, or fall 2015. Current sophomores who will be juniors in spring 2014 are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Applicants must have earned at least 60 credits by the beginning of the mentorship period, and must enroll in and maintain a minimum of 12 hours in the semester of the award unless they are students graduating that semester. Only University of Houston students are eligible to apply.

Students who have completed fewer than 12 hours in residence at UH must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA on all college-level course work taken at UH or elsewhere to be eligible to apply. Students must submit a transcript from the outside institution to verify the 3.5 gpa.

Who Is NOT Eligible?

Previous PURS participants, graduate students, and post-baccalaureate students NOT pursuing a second bachelor's degree are ineligible for PURS. Students may not enroll in a course, such as a thesis course or an independent study, and receive a PURS scholarship at the same time and for the same research project. Students not attending the University of Houston are ineligible.

How to Apply

Students must complete the online application, which requires:

1. Statement of research objectives and goals not to exceed 500 words
2. Three short answer questions about your academic and research experience
3. Name of the UH faculty mentor/sponsor who will be providing a letter of recommendation

The statement of research should:

• Be composed in consultation with the faculty sponsor
• Be written in your own words—not in your faculty sponsor's words
• Be written in first person
• Discuss the relative importance of the proposed research within its discipline
• State the specific tasks to be accomplished during the semester program
• Define the scope and goals of the proposed research
• Be checked for any spelling or syntax errors before being submitted

The UH faculty mentor letter of recommendation should:

• Describe the student's qualifications
• Identify the area of research, creative or scholarly activities in which the mentor will engage the student 
• Describe the faculty member's role as mentor to the student, including a description of how the proposed research relates to their on-going research
• Be emailed to Karen Weber in the Office of Undergraduate Research no later than November 15 

Competitive applications generally include:

• Demonstration of strong student academic record
• Research proposals that are clear, thorough, within the 500-word limit, free of errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax, and in the student's own words
• Research proposals with clear, realistic goals that help the student focus and indicate that the project will lead to a substantive research experience for the student
• Descriptive and informative faculty letter of recommendation (1-2 pages in length), especially addressing the prospects for results in the projected time frame, the value of the research project, and the ability of the student to undertake the project

Please be aware this is a competitive program with finite funding, and the Office of Undergraduate Research receives many more strong proposals than they are able to fund. The staff of the Office of Undergraduate Research is unable to share specific information about the assessment of individual applications after the decisions have been made.