About

• Enrolled as a classified undergraduate student at UHM for at least one Fall or Spring semester or one Summer session following the semester of application
• Mentored by a UHM mentor who meets the eligibility criteria (see “Mentor” tab)
• Plan to graduate from UHM
• Submit no more than one application per Project funding cycle
• Have no more than one active UROP project at a time (if you previously received UROP project funding, you must satisfy all UROP project completion requirements in the completion semester prior to the new project’s semester of funding disbursement)

UROP offers two Project application cycles each academic year:

The application review process takes approximately two months. UROP notifies applicants with the funding decision via email in:

• Late-November/early-December for Fall applicants
• Late-April/early-May for Spring applicants

A UROP project timeline must include at least one Fall/Spring semester or Summer after the semester of application (e.g., if a student applies in Spring 2026, they must be enrolled during Summer 2026 and/or Fall 2026). A timeline, from project start to finish, typically consists of one to two semesters, although some students have a longer timeline. UROP recommends prospective applicants to consider a timeline of at least two semesters.

UROP automatically disqualifies applications requesting funds to be spent before or during the application semester, as well as those proposing to do the majority of work during the application semester (e.g., a student cannot apply in Spring 2026 for a project that is expected to be completed in Spring 2026). 

Applicants propose their project completion semester. UROP funding recipients must complete their project prior to graduation and address all UROP Project completion requirements by the designated deadlines as follows:

•         Late-April for Spring completion
•         Mid-August for Summer completion
•         Late-November for Fall completion

• Up to $5,000 per individual project (1 applicant)
• Up to $10,000 per group project (2 to 10 applicants)

UROP encourages applicants to request funding for all allowable and well-justified, project-related expenses (e.g., materials and supplies, travel, stipend, etc.). UROP may decide to fund a project fully or partially, or reject the application. UROP automatically disqualifies applications requesting more than the maximum allowable amount.

For detailed budget guideline, see Itemized Budget with Justification.

If accepted for funding, Fall applicants will receive their funding at the beginning of the following Spring semester and Spring applicants can choose to receive funding at the beginning of the following Summer or Fall semester. Funding disbursement is contingent on an applicant meeting all pre-funding requirements (see Pre-Funding Checklist). UROP disburses funding to students via myUH as a “scholarship” that is subject to the following financial aid regulations:

• You must be enrolled in at least one credit in the semester of disbursement (including summer) to receive UROP funding
• All UROP-funded travel must take place in the semester of disbursement
• You may not request a stipend for time spent on satisfying coursework/academic credit (but you may request stipend funding for hours in excess of what is needed for coursework/academic credit. See #4 under “Eligible Items”/”Itemized Budget with Justification”)

Please refer to the Disbursement tab under the Funding Recipients section for more details on how UROP distributes funding via myUH accounts.

UROP requires Project funding applicants to have a mentor who meets at least one of the following criteria, and who is willing to submit a Project Mentor Form on your behalf prior to the application deadline:

1. UHM faculty (I/R/S/B/A/J/M tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track faculty)
2. Have submitted and been granted a Mentor Eligibility Petition

Students should check with their current/potential mentor to ensure that they meet at least one of the eligibility criteria.

While an applicant’s UROP mentor could be affiliated with any UHM department, please note that the application reviewers consider the mentor’s expertise and its relevance to the applicant’s project when making a funding decision. Therefore, UROP highly recommends applicants to work with a mentor whose expertise aligns with their research or creative work interests as expressed in their project application.

UROP encourages leveraging funding across multiple sources. In the Project Funding Application, applicants must disclose all outside sources of funding (in-hand or pending) for the UROP project that is being proposed and must show how both UROP and external funds would be used (regardless of funding status). This includes both pending and received funds for the project at the time of application. Additionally, applicants must disclose to UROP if they receive any additional funding for the UROP project after submitting a Project Funding Application to ensure that no applicants receive funding twice for the same item or task.

Note: IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) funding recipients cannot receive funding from both INBRE and UROP for the same project. If funded by both INBRE and UROP, the recipient will have to choose one source of funding. Please contact INBRE for further information.