First-Year Scholars Program 

The Office of Undergraduate Research launched the First-Year Scholars Program in Fall 2019.

Now entering its seventh year, the First-Year Scholars Program pairs first-year students who are interested in research, with faculty, staff, or postdoctoral research mentors to engage in an academic year-long research project. This program is managed by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR), who provides this highly competitive opportunity at the start of each fall semester.

First-Year students who are interested in applying are encouraged to read through all program information thoroughly. We also highly recommend visiting the Accepted Students Page for a full break-down of the program requirements, to ensure your schedule allows for the time commitment required.

Questions? Please email our@kennesaw.edu

WATCH A SHORT VIDEO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FIRST YEAR SCHOLARS PROGRAM!

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

DATE ACTIVITY/EVENT
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 by 11:59pm Deadline for project proposals from Primary Investigators (PIs); application portal closes
Friday, August 22, 2025 by 5:00pm Accepted PI projects posted on the website; Student application portal opens
Week of September 1, 2025 Mandatory PI/Co-PI orientation sessions
Thursday, August 28, 2025,  3:30pm-5:30pm Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) Open House event
Wednesday September 10, 2025 by 11:59pm Student applications due; application portal closes
Wednesday September 17, 2025 by 11:59pm PI reviews of student applications due to the OUR
By Friday, September 26, 2025 at 12:00pm The OUR will notify all students about final decisions (Accepted students will only be matched to one project)
Week of September 29, 2025 Mandatory orientation sessions for all accepted First-Year Scholars

Welcome FLIGHT29 Applicants!

Incoming students for Fall 2025 are part of FLIGHT29, a KSU initiative to help connect first-year students to KSU. The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) welcomes FLIGHT29 students to the First-Year Scholars Program!

The goal of this program is to introduce first-year students to the undergraduate research experience. We encourage students to apply for projects that are researching topics they find interesting, regardless of whether the projects are in their majors.

First-Year Scholars serve as apprentices and are integrated into the research projects of their Primary Investigator (PI), learning from both the PI and other team members, when applicable. This program helps students gain early research experience, which sets them on a path for future success. Research shows that early engagement in research is associated with positive outcomes, such as improved retention, progression, and graduation rates (Nagda et al., 1998; Schneider et al., 2015) and enrollment in graduate school (Hathaway et al., 2002).

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is pleased to support early involvement in undergraduate research.

Funding Details

  • First-Year Scholars may earn up to $1,000 in the Fall and up to $1,000 in the Spring*. They are expected to work on the research project for 5-10 hours per week, attend professional development activities held by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) and/or their campus partners, complete periodic progress reports, and complete mid-year and year-end program surveys.

  • Primary Investigators (PIs) can receive up to $1,000 per matched student, for up to 5 students (the number of First-Year Scholars is not guaranteed). These funds must be used to support the First-Year Scholar Program project.
    • PIs will create a budget for their project in the application. A preliminary budget table template with relevant fiscal year spending deadlines, is made available on the application front page.
      • Please contact us at our@kennesaw.edu with questions regarding allowable expenses.
    • Funding that cannot be used for the purposes described in the application will be forfeited.

*Please note: International Student payments are taxed at a higher rate, and therefore final payment will be less than what is noted.

Information For Primary Investigators (PIs)

  • Thank you for your interest in serving as a mentor to a first-year student!

    • Full-time KSU faculty members and postdoctoral researchers who are committed to mentoring a first-year student are eligible to apply. 
    • Mentors may only submit one project as the Primary Investigator (PI).
    • Selection is competitive; you will be notified if you have been selected within two weeks of the deadline. 
    • PI funding will become available after the students have been selected and matched to the project (typically the beginning of October).
  • The following criteria are used to evaluate proposals for inclusion in the First-Year Scholars Program: 

    1. The PI has a strong track record of mentoring undergraduate researchers (or strong interest if new to KSU or new to undergraduate research mentoring)
    2. The PI has a productive research program (e.g., strong publication record, external funding, strong conference participation)
    3. The proposed project meets the definition of undergraduate research as defined by the Council on Undergraduate Research
    4. The PI has a strong track record of completing all the requirements of the Office of Undergraduate Research funding programs they have participated in, within the last academic year
    5. Consideration will be given to feedback from end-of-year reports received by the Office of Undergraduate Research
    6. Consideration will be given to use of prior awarded funds and their deliverables from the Office of Undergraduate Research
  • 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. 

    First-Year Scholar Primary Investigators (PIs) are required to:

    • attend one (1) mandatory program orientation session, each semester
    • complete progress reports for each matched student throughout the duration of the program
    • complete mid-year and year-end evaluation surveys for each matched student
    • commit a minimum of 1-hour to judging at the Symposium of Student Scholars each semester

    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. 

  • As a mentor to a First-Year Scholar, you will be responsible for ensuring that each student matched to your project:

    • works on the project for an average of 5-10 hrs/week
      • working hours are kept to weekdays, when classes are in session, and when the university is open, unless an agreement is made in advance between the student(s) and the PI 
    • presents the research project at the Symposium of Student Scholars in April
    • stays informed on the requirements to receive their stipend payments as laid out by the Office of Undergraduate Research

    Below are a few guidelines regarding mentoring First-Year Scholars:

    • Remember that they are in their first year – be nice!
    • Keep expectations reasonable
      • the students likely have no background in research, and are not required to in order to be eligible for this program
    • Integrate them into existing work and with other team members if applicable (e.g., other faculty mentors on the project, postdocs, grad students, other undergrad researchers)
    • Aim for other presentations and/or publications as appropriate
    • PIs are not obligated to work with their first-year scholars past May, but we encourage you to continue working with them if the experience has been positive

    We appreciate your dedication to student engagement. We hope that you and your student(s) have an amazing year and that the research partnership continues after this first year.

    • The OUR will coordinate with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to track Retention, Progression, and Graduation (RPG) rates for participating students.
    • Primary Investigators (PIs) and first-year scholars will be surveyed regarding impact on research productivity.
    • Hathaway, R. S., Nagda, B. A., & Gregerman, S. R. (2002). The relationship of undergraduate research participation to graduate and professional education pursuit: An empirical study. Journal of College Student Development, 43, 614-631.
    • Nagda, B. A., Gregerman, S. R., Jonides, J., von Hippel, W., & Lerner, J. S. (1998). Undergraduate student-faculty research partnerships affect student retention. The Review of Higher Education, 22, 55-72.
    • Schneider, K. R., Bickel, A., & Morrison-Shetlar, A. (2015). Planning and implementing a comprehensive student-centered research program for first-year STEM undergraduates. Journal of College Science Teaching, 44(3), 37-43.

 

Information For Students

    • Students must be in their first year of college at KSU.
    • Students must be enrolled at KSU with fewer than 30 transfer credits (not including AP and dual enrollment credits).
    • Students interested in applying will complete an application on the InfoReady platform.
    • International Student payments are taxed at a higher rate, and therefore each payment received will be less than what is noted
    • International students on H4, L2, or E2 dependent visas are not eligible for stipend payments, and therefore cannot be considered for the First-Year Scholars program
    • The Office of Undergraduate Research recommends students falling into those categories get involved in undergraduate research through the following options:
    • Before starting on the application, make sure you know the name of the project(s) you'd like to apply to. View the listing of upcoming projects.

    To help you prepare for the application, the questions you will be asked in the application portal are listed below:

    1. Your name
    2. Your KSU email address
    3. Your major
    4. Title of the project you are applying for (this will be a drop-down menu with each project listed).
      • As this program is competitive, students are encouraged to apply for as many projects as they are interested in and would be happy working on for the academic year.
        • A separate application is required to apply for each project.
      • Please note that in the end, you will only be permitted to work on one (1) project as part of the First-Year Scholars Program
    5. Relevant Prior Experience (500 words max).
      • Prior experience is not required, but take into account skills learned from: involvement in clubs, work experience related to this project, internships, previous research experiences [even in a different discipline], coursework related to the project, coursework related to research methodology, coursework on statistics/data analysis, etc.
    6. Statement of Interest (500 words max).
      • For example: Why are you interested in this specific project? How do you see this project influencing your college career? What are your career aspirations?
      • We encourage you to tailor this section to the specific project to which you are applying.
    • To receive stipend payments each semester, students in the First-Year Scholars Program are expected to:
      • participate in one (1) mandatory orientation session, each semester
      • attend professional development activities hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research, Undergraduate Research Peer Ambassadors, and their campus partners.
        • Approved activities vary for each semester, and all attendance guidelines must be met for credit to be counted
      • complete progress reports, a mid-year survey, and a year-end survey
        • these must be submitted by the stated deadline date in order to be counted
      • The full details are provided on the Accepted Students page, which is constantly updated throughout the program
    • To remain in the First-Year Scholars Program in the Spring, students must be enrolled in classes and in good academic standing.
      • Student participation in the Spring is at the discretion of the PI and the Office of Undergraduate Research.
    • The project must be presented at the Symposium of Student Scholars in April by all of the matched Scholars, and each Scholar must be an active part of the presentation
      • In order to present, all First-Year Scholars must be listed as a co-author on the project abstract submission
        • The Undergraduate Research Peer Ambassadors will host a workshop on How to Write an Abstract. All students are encouraged to attend.

    Students who drop out of the program will not be eligible for funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research for a minimum of one (1) year.

    Please email our@kennesaw.edu for more information.

    • Students who would like more information or training about undergraduate research topics are encouraged to read the online resources or watch the online videos.
      • These activities are optional, although mentors may require their students to engage in these activities. 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Yes! We encourage Primary Investigators (PIs) to continue participating in the program each academic year.
  • Unfortunately, PIs cannot participate in the program if their project does not receive any student applications.

    We encourage you to be proactive in recruiting students. Consider visiting introductory classes in your department to talk to them about the program and your project specifically. Work with your college or department's Communication Manager to post on social media platforms or send email blasts.

  • Students must be in their first year of college at KSU with fewer than 30 transfer credits (not including AP and dual enrollment credits).
  • Yes! We encourage students to apply for as many projects as they are interested in and would be happy working on for the full academic year. This is often a good way to increase your odds of being chosen, since this program is competitive and in the end students will only be matched to one project.

    You will need to complete a separate application form for each project.

  • Definitely! We encourage students to branch out and apply to whatever projects interest them. Do not feel constrained by your home college or department; there might be a project that is connected to a personal hobby or special interest topic that would also be a perfect fit.
  • Students work on average 5-10 hours per week, although accepted students should ask their PIs for more specifics.
  • 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 information on next steps)
    • "Rejected" - this means the application has been rejected, for one of the following reasons:
      • You are not eligible for the program (applicants will receive an email noting this)
      • Your application was duplicated and only the latest version was sent on for review to avoid confusion
      • You were not selected for the program (applicants will receive an email noting this)
      • One (1) application was awarded, and since students can only be selected to one project, the other applications are assigned this status
  • Some PI and student pairings can participate in the Sophomore Scholars Program, which has limited funding.

    If the student and PI are not part of that program but would like to continue to work together in the student's second year, there are options:

  • 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.

    However, if you prefer to make that change, the following are some options you can consider:

    If you already have a PI in mind that you want to work with, talk to them about working together and the following options:

    • taking a Directed Study/Directed Methods (or the departmental equivalent) for course credit
    • applying for Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URCA) funding
    • opportunities to work as a student assistant or lab assistant
    • other opportunities within your college or the PI's college