Funding for Research as a Sophomore

The Sophomore Scholars Program is an extension of the First-Year Scholars Program. Students and Primary Investigators (PI) receive funding to continue research into the student's second year, working on a continuation of the First-Year Scholars project or a new project.

Funding for the Sophomore Scholars Program is competitive; there are only 25 slots available.

In order to be eligible, the following requirements must be met: 

  1. The student and Primary Investigator (PI) worked together in the First-Year Scholars Program.
  2. The student and PI completed required assessment surveys at the end of the First-Year Scholars Program.
  3. The student completed all required activities as part of the First-Year Scholars Program.
  4. The student is listed in the program as a presenter at the Symposium of Student Scholars.
  5. The student remains enrolled at Kennesaw State University for the full academic year
  6. The student has a 3.0 GPA or higher
  7. Both the student and PI have a strong track record of successfully completing program requirements for participation in any other Office of Undergraduate Research funding programs within the last academic year.

*Priority will be given to First-Year Scholars who presented their research at more than just the Symposium of Student Scholars

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Program Requirements

Requirements for Students

Selected students will be required to:

  1. Work 5-10 hours per week on the research over the next academic year.
  2. Attend two (2) Professional Development Activities per semester.
  3. Complete the mid-year and year-end assessment surveys.
  4. Be listed as a co-author on an abstract submission and present at the Fall and/or Spring Symposium of Student Scholars.
  5. Complete at least one (1) more additional dissemination activity.
    • For example, presenting at a disciplinary conference or an undergraduate research conference, submitting a manuscript for publication, submitting a grant application based on the research, submitting an Intellectual Property disclosure, etc.

Requirements for Primary Investigators (PIs)

As this program provides a funding resource for the accepted research projects, the Office of Undergraduate Research maintains these requirements for all Primary Investigators (PIs) accepted into the program. 

The PIs will be required to:

  1. Supervise the student(s) on research over the next academic year.
  2. Complete the mid-year and year-end assessment surveys.
  3. Guide the student(s) on an abstract submission for a presentation at the Symposium of Student Scholars (Fall and/or Spring)
  4. Commit a minimum of 1-hour to judge at the Symposium of Student Scholars, each semester
  5. Guide the student(s) on at least one (1) more additional dissemination activity.
    • For example, presenting at a disciplinary conference or an undergraduate research conference, submitting a manuscript for publication, submitting a grant application based on the research, submitting an Intellectual Property disclosure, etc.

These requirements, particularly the progress reports and surveys, are vital to collecting data on how the funding is being utilized, as we rely on the PIs to relay this information to us. Should an audit of Office of Undergraduate Research funding usage be requested, this is our current reporting method. 

Failure to fulfill these requirements will result in ineligibility for 1-year of future funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research

Please email our@kennesaw.edu if you have any questions. 

 

Accepted students will receive a $1,000 stipend in the Fall and a $1,000 stipend in the Spring 
  • PIs will receive up to $1,000 per accepted students for expenses related to the project
    • For example, supplies/materials, publication costs, participant incentives, travel expenses to present at a conference. Expenses not directly tied to the research project will not be permitted.

Application Process

Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are now closed and= notifications have already been sent out

The application process is to be initiated by the Primary Investigator (PI), by logging into InfoReady and filling out the initial application (please use your KSU credentials).

Once submitted, the student section will be auto routed to the student for completion within 5 days after the PI's application deadline.

PI's may list one student per application. If the project included more than one student in the First-Year Scholars Program last year, and the PI would like for each of them to be considered, a separate application for each student is required.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • The reviewer rubric for Sophomore Scholars applications can be found here. 

  • In InfoReady, applications are assigned the following statuses:

    • "Accepted" - this means the application does not require any edits and has moved on to the review stage (applicants will receive an email noting that the application has moved on and that final decisions will occur at a later date)
    • "Awarded" - this means the application has been reviewed and selected for the specific project (applicants will receive an email noting this and providing all the information on next steps)
    • "Rejected" - this means the application has not been selected for the specific program (applicants will receive an email noting this)
  • We encourage long-term participation with the same PI so that students may have the opportunity to learn different skills and roles which will lead to a more in-depth experience in their field of research. 

  • We certainly hope not! Talk to your PI about other options such as:

    • setting up a directed study (or the relevant equivalent) to earn course credit
    • working as a student assistant/lab assistant
    • apply for Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URCA) funding
    • other funding opportunities from your college or existing grants supporting the project

Information for Current Sophomore Scholars

Date Event/Activity
By Friday, October 10, 2025 Fall Stipends should be received
Friday, December 12, 2025 at 11:59pm Student and PI Mid-Year Surveys Due
By Friday, February 6, 2026 Spring Stipends should be received
Friday, May 8, 2026 at 11:59pm Student and PI Year-End Surveys Due

Beginning with the 2025-2026 cohort, the Office of Undergraduate Research will require Sophomore Scholars to attend two (2) professional development workshops per semester. These workshops will be tailored specifically toward topics that will benefit the growth of the students in the Sophomore Scholars Program, and will be scheduled based on group availability.

Date Time Location Topic
Fall 2025 TBD Academic Learning Center (ALC) 5500 (Kennesaw Campus) Sophomore Scholars Orientation
Fall 2025 TBD TBD (Marietta Campus) Sophomore Scholars Orientation
Fall 2025 TBD Academic Learning Center (ALC) 5500 (Kennesaw Campus) Effective Mentoring Strategies
Fall 2025 TBD TBD (Marietta Campus) Effective Mentoring Strategies
Spring 2026 TBD Academic Learning Center (ALC) 5500 (Kennesaw Campus) Career Planning: Internships, Co-ops, and Jobs 
Spring 2026 TBD TBD (Marietta Campus) Career Planning: Internships, Co-ops, and Jobs 
Spring 2026 TBD Academic Learning Center (ALC) 5500 (Kennesaw Campus) Career Planning: Interview Skills 
Spring 2026 TBD TBD (Marietta Campus) Career Planning: Interview Skills 

 

Sophomore Scholars from Previous Years

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