Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards

For UTRA Recipients

Congratulations on your selection to participate in the UTRA program.

Please review the automated messages from UFunds containing instructions for completing the Release and Waiver and Award Acceptance Forms. The forms must be completed and uploaded back into UFunds no later than the deadline stated in your award letter.

Award Terms

Students accepted for a SPRINT award should review the General SPRINT Fellowship Details, as well as the specific terms of the UTRA program outlined below:

  • Agree to contact the SPRINT|UTRA team via utra@brown.edu immediately if there are any changes to this research experience or if you have problems completing the requirements.
  • Complete a Student Feedback Questionnaire and submit it by a date set by the Undergraduate Research Office.
  • Projects falling within the guidelines for human subjects review will not be funded without certification of IRB approval. If the project requires the use of human subjects, including interviews, please review the website on Human Subjects Research for the process of getting the necessary approval: https://go.brown.edu/research/IRB-review
  • To receive the full benefits of the research and learning experience, recipients are expected to meet regularly with their mentor, to remain intellectually engaged in the research project, and to discuss all expectations and requirements with their mentor.

Project Durations

Summer Fellowships must begin after Memorial Day and conclude before Labor Day. We expect both faculty and student collaborators to find a mutually agreeable period to collaborate during the fellowship duration. The duration of the full time project must span a period of a minimum of 8-10 weeks consecutive weeks.

Semester Fellowships must begin after the first day of classes and conclude before the start of the final examination period. We expect both faculty and student collaborators to find a mutually agreeable period to collaborate during the fellowship duration. For projects, the duration must span a minimum of 10 weeks, with students expected to collaborate on the project for at least nine hours per week.

Funding

Semester Funding

Unaided

Aided, w/ Parental Contribution > $17,444

Aided, w/ Parental Contribution < $17,444

$1,200 (for domestic projects)                                                                      

 

+$1,200: base 

+ $400: GAP award

  $1,600 Total funding

 

+$1,200: base 

+ $800: GAP award

  $2,000 Total funding

 

Summer Funding

Unaided

Aided, w/ Parental Contribution > $17,444

Aided, w/ Parental Contribution < $17,444

$2,500 (for domestic projects)

Location is Providence or other US location, or opportunity is remote

+$2,500: base

+$2,000: GAP award

  $4,500 Total funding

+$2,500: base

+$3,000: GAP award

  $5,500 Total funding

$3,500 (for international projects)

Located Internationally or in a US High Cost of Living location 

 

+$3,500: base

+$2,000: GAP award

$5,500 Total funding
+ eligibility for up to $1500 HCOL housing supplement

+$3,500: base

+$3,000: GAP award

$6,500 Total funding
+ eligibility for up to $1500 HCOL housing supplement

  • US High Cost of Living Cities: Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.
  • Aided students are eligible for the High Cost of Living (HCOL) housing supplement if their fellowship experience is located internationally.
  • Aided students are eligible for the High Cost of Living (HCOL) housing supplement if their fellowship experience is located in a US High Cost of Living Location, they are living within 30 miles of the city, and they are responsible for paying for their housing expenses this summer (i.e., not living with a family member or friend at no charge).

International students receiving SPRINT stipends typically would not require work authorization. However, in a situation where there is external support from a non-Brown funding source, the expectation would be for the students to consult with OISSS regarding the work authorization process at least two months before the start day of their opportunity. 

A Summer Earnings Waiver (SEW) is available to eligible students with University Scholarship funding once in their time at Brown. For 2024-25, the Summer Earnings Waiver amount was $2,900

All student fellowship awards are paid via Brown University payroll. We encourage all students to enroll in direct deposit for the processing of the awards, if applicable. The payment will follow the Brown University bi-weekly payroll schedule. See the Controller's Office for those dates.

Domestic Students

 Have you ever held an employment position at Brown before?

  1. Yes - An active I-9 should be on file with the University if your student status has not changed. Email hrservicecenter@brown.edu or call 401-863-5200 to confirm.
  2. No - You will need to I-9 and sign up for direct deposit while at the HR Service Center.
    • List of documents needed for I-9
    • There are two parts to the I-9 process: the Workday onboarding process and the presentation of original documents, in person, to the HR Service Center. Your I-9 will not be complete unless both steps are completed.
  3.  Do you have an active direct deposit?
    1. Yes - You are all set.
    2. No (and you would like to elect direct deposit) - Sign into Workday and select "Pay" then "Payment Elections." Be sure to add accounts prior to changing payment elections. Each Friday, the direct deposit requests are sent to ADP (Automatic Data Processing co.) If the request is rejected, it would be rejected by the following Wednesday.
      • In order to enroll into direct deposit, you must have a U.S Social Security Number and have visited the HR Service Center to complete the student onboarding / Form I-9 (including presenting of I-9 documents at the HR Service Center). At the time of visiting the HR Service Center, please have your bank account information with you; an HR Coordinator will assist you with enrolling in direct deposit.
      • Direct Deposit acceptance requests take between 7-10 calendar days. Please make sure you are signing up for direct deposit as soon as you know you have been awarded a fellowship so your payment can be direct deposited on the Payroll schedule for your award payment.
      • If you do not have direct deposit and prefer not to sign up for it, you will receive a check delivered to your Brown campus mailbox.
      • Students should file for Mail Forwarding at the end of the semester if you are leaving campus for the summer. All address information to request mail forwarding is exclusively in Banner. The instructions for submitting a mail forwarding request are as follows:
        1. Go to "My Personal Information" page in Banner
        2. Click on the Mail Forwarding tab
        3. Click on the term button (summer, one term leave, graduated, etc.) After choosing a term, your registered addresses should appear at the bottom of the page.
        4. Click on the address you want to use for mail forwarding
        5. Click on Submit
      • If you want to forward your mail to an address not listed, click on the My Addresses tab to create a new address. Be sure that the dates on a new or temporary address coincide with the term dates chosen. Once that is complete, go back to the Mail Forwarding tab and begin again.
International Students

All student fellowship awards are paid via Brown University payroll. We encourage all students to enroll in direct deposit for the processing of the awards, if applicable. The payment will follow the Brown University bi-weekly payroll schedule. See the Controller's Office for those dates.

Will you be located in the U.S when you receive payment? 

  1. Yes - Proceed to question #2
  2. No - You will need to register as a Supplier
    • Use this form if you do not have EFT (direct deposit) and do not want to sign up for EFT (direct deposit)
    • Use this form if you do not have EFT (direct deposit) but would like your payment to be directly deposited into your bank account
    • You will receive your payment as soon as it is submitted and processed
  3.  Have you ever held an employment position at Brown before?
    1. Yes - An active I-9 should be on file with the University if your student status has not changed. Please email hrservicecenter@brown.edu or call 401-863-5200 to confirm.
    2. No - You will need to I-9.
      • List of documents needed for I-9
      • There are two parts to the I-9 process; The Workday onboarding process and the presentation of original documents , in person, to the HR Service Center. Your I-9 will not be complete unless both steps are completed.
  4.  Do you have a Social Security Number (SSN)?
    1. Yes - Proceed to question #4
    2. No - Please register as a supplier and Brown will pay you via a supplier invoice rather than through Payroll.
      • Use this form if you do not have EFT (direct deposit) and do not want to sign up for EFT (direct deposit)
      • Use this form if you do not have EFT (direct deposit) but would like your payment to be directly deposited into your bank account (because you may not be on campus on or around Commencement, you are studying abroad, or it is just plain easier)
      • You will receive your payment as soon as it is submitted and processed
      • Proceed to question #4
  5.  Do you have an active direct deposit?
    1. Yes - Proceed to question #5
    2. No (and you would like to elect direct deposit)- Please note: You must have a U.S Social Security Number before you can sign up for direct deposit.
      • Sign into Workday and select "Pay" then "Payment Elections." Be sure to add accounts prior to changing payment elections. Each Friday, the direct deposit requests are sent to ADP (Automatic Data Processing co.) If the request is rejected, it would be rejected by the following Wednesday.
      • In order to enroll into direct deposit, you must have a U.S Social Security Number and have visited the HR Service Center to complete the student onboarding / Form I-9 (including presenting of I-9 documents at the HR Service Center). At the time of visiting the HR Service Center, please have your bank account information with you; an HR Coordinator will assist you with enrolling in direct deposit.
      • Acceptance requests take between 7-10 calendar days. Please make sure you are signing up for direct deposit as soon as you know you have been awarded a fellowship so your payment can be direct deposited on the Payroll schedule for your award payment.
      • If you do not have direct deposit and prefer not to sign up for it, you will receive a check delivered to your Brown campus mailbox.
      • Students should file for Mail Forwarding at the end of the semester if you are leaving campus for the summer. All address information to request mail forwarding is exclusively in Banner. The instructions for submitting a mail forwarding request are as follows:
        • Go to "My Personal Information" page in Banner
        • Click on the Mail Forwarding tab
        • Click on the term button (summer, one term leave, graduated, etc.) After choosing a term, your registered addresses should appear at the bottom of the page.
        • Click on the address you want to use for mail forwarding
        • Click on Submit
      • If you want to forward your mail to an address not listed, click on the My Addresses tab to create a new address. Be sure that the dates on a new or temporary address coincide with the term dates chosen. Once that is complete, go back to the Mail Forwarding tab and begin again.
  6.  Do you have a SPRINTAX Calculus (formally FNIS) account?
    International Students and Scholars are asked to complete the Spritax Calculus data entry at least once annually. Completion of Sprintax data entry allows the Controller/Payroll office to determine your tax residency status (Non-Resident Alien [or] Resident Alien) and to determine eligibility for tax treaty exemptions (if applicable), for each calendar year.
    1. Yes - Please log in to your Sprintax account and verify:
      • All of your personal information and make and necessary changes to:
        • Your Visa status if it has changed and/or
        • Your documents if they are expired and/or
        • Your income if the type of income you are receiving has changed from the last time you were in Sprintax
        • Your exit or entry dates if they have changed
      • Make sure to submit once all changes have been made
    2. No - Email foreignnationaltax@brown.edu to request login credentials and then follow the Sprintax Calculus Instruction.
      Look for an email from NoReply@Sprintax.com or foreignnationaltax@brown.edu with information regarding your individual Sprintax account if there are issues or questions.

Projection of Human Subjects

If the project requires the use of human subjects, including interviews, please review the website on Human Subjects Research, maintained by the Office of Research Administration, for approval guidelines. Some projects may already have received clearance by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Brown. Projects falling within the guidelines for human subjects review will not be funded without certification of IRB approval.