The Graduate College designates and administers REU Fellowship appointments for undergraduate students for research experience, but only if that research experience meets the following requirements. Other research related work performed by undergrads would be administered by departments or other units as student hourly appointments. The Graduate College follows these NSF guidelines for REU-level work:

• Primarily educational in nature
• Project should be well-defined and engaging, and provide an introduction to the graduate research experience
• Consist of more than just “scut work”: i.e., tedious, menial work, like washing glassware
• Participants should “get more than they give”; i.e., not simply hourly pay for research assistance
• Staff resources should be dedicated to ensuring a positive research experience, beyond mere supervision of the research product
• Funded research experience should include a stipend (as determined by department and/or grant award terms), housing, transportation to and from the site, and may include arrangements for food and any necessary expenses
• Any costs associated with the research should be provided by the program as determined by REU department / unit (i.e., lab materials, access to lab facilities, etc.)
• Professional development activities program should include experiences for students to learn about their field of study
• May include field trips to labs or industry, research ethics seminars, research writing and presentation workshops, faculty research presentations, field training etc.
• End-of-program product program should include a well-defined beginning and end
• Should include an end-of-summer/fall/spring presentation on the students’ progress or product
• Program should provide a clear “takeaway” product in the form of a paper, presentation, or poster, for use on CV or resume