STAR (Summer Training in Advanced Research)
Student Information and Guidelines
The STAR (Summer Training in Advanced Research) program provides opportunities for USD undergraduates who have had prior research experience to participate in full-time advanced research or creative works training under the guidance of a faculty mentor for 10 weeks (June 1, 2026 - August 7, 2026) during the summer.
STAR scholars will be awarded
- $6000 stipend
- $500 for necessary research supplies
- 50% reduced USD summer housing rate (shared rooms)
- Professional development and community building activities with other summer research scholars and faculty
The application deadline for STAR is on February 20, 2026 at 11:59 pm PST. Student and faculty components of the application must be submitted by the deadline to be considered for funding. See below for details on Eligibility and How to Apply.
We recommend that you also view the STAR Faculty Mentors page to know what is expected of them.
Update 2/23/2026
The 2026 STAR application is now closed.
Eligibility
Students graduating in May 2026 are not eligible to apply for this application cycle.
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In some cases, students without prior research experience will have a project that is better suited for STAR. Discuss your prior experience and the preferred funding opportunity with your faculty mentor for guidance as to whether STAR is right for you. Completing BURST is not a requirement for STAR.
No remote projects will be considered at this time, though short excursions for research purposes are allowed.
OUR typically hosts a variety of professional development workshops and community-building events over the course of 10 weeks in the summer. BURST scholars are required to attend some of these events. Failure to participate in required programming may affect future funding.
How to Apply
Identify a faculty mentor.
You need to identify a faculty mentor well ahead of the deadline — ideally in the Fall semester — so they have enough time to craft the project description and mentoring statement required for your application.
Not sure how to find a faculty mentor? Here are some tips:
- Start by reaching out to the faculty you know. Talk with current and past professors from courses you have enjoyed. Even if the professor is not currently seeking an undergraduate researcher, they may know of colleagues that may be available to take you in.
- Consult with your academic advisor. They are a great resource to help you make connections to potential faculty mentors.
- Join the OUR-SEARCH network and email faculty whose projects sound interesting to you.
Work with your faculty mentor to determine a suitable summer project.
Meet with your faculty mentor to:
- Decide on a suitable project
- Learn about the significance of the project and the methods you will use to pursue the project
- Discuss papers or other materials that your mentor shares with you
- Review the discipline-specific project statement guidelines and rubric
- Get feedback from your mentor on drafts of your project proposal/statement
Submit the student portion of the STAR application by the deadline.
We are currently accepting application submissions until February 20, 2026 at 11:59 pm. Only complete applications (both student and faculty portions) submitted by the deadline will be considered for funding. No incomplete or late applications will be accepted.
The STAR Student Application includes:
- General information about yourself
- General information about your faculty mentor
- A brief description of your prior research or creative works training experience. This will not be used in evaluating your application.
- A project statement (two-page limit in Arial 11-point font with 1-inch margins, including figures and tables; references are not included in this page limit) that describes the summer project you plan to complete as a STAR scholar. Applications that do not meet these formatting guidelines will not be considered for funding. Specific statement instructions and guidelines vary by discipline, so make sure to carefully follow the guidelines for the specific discipline that best aligns with your project.
- Disclosure of AI Use
Remind your faculty mentor to submit their STAR application by the deadline.
Your faculty mentor is responsible for submitting the STAR Mentor Application by February 20, 2026 at 11:59 pm. Within this form, faculty mentors should upload their two-page recommendation and mentoring statement, as well as the project timeline developed in collaboration with the scholar.
Evaluation and Awards
As shown in the STAR guidelines and rubric, much of the application evaluation will focus on the components submitted by the student.The faculty mentor statement will play a secondary role in the evaluation process. STAR funding is limited; even excellent applications may not be funded in a given year.
- January 5 - February 20
- February 24 - March 18
- March 20 - March 27
- April 8
Accepting application submissions
Interdisciplinary and Group Projects
If your project involves multiple faculty mentors (interdisciplinary) or requires a group of students to be funded (Group Projects), your faculty mentor(s) will have additional required application materials. You may view these additional guidelines here, but they are directed to faculty mentors.
Program Contacts
Discipline Contacts
FAQs
If you have no prior faculty-mentored training in research or creative works as an undergraduate, BURST is mostly likely the best fit for you. However, you are eligible for both BURST and STAR. The best approach is to first identify a faculty mentor for your summer project, then discuss with them the program that is most aligned with your project. In some cases, even if you have never participated in independent research/creative works, a faculty member may advise you to apply to STAR based on completion of advanced coursework that may include research/creative works, or the nature of your project.
If you have previously participated in faculty-mentored undergraduate research or creative works, you are not eligible for BURST and you should apply to STAR. The exception to this rule is if your total research/creative works experience as an undergraduate has been less than 200 hours, your prior experience was before you were enrolled as an undergraduate (e.g., if you participated in a high school experience or PURE), or if you are starting research in a different discipline area. Consult your faculty mentor and/or OUR (ugresearch@sandiego.edu) to determine if you are still eligible for BURST.
The student stipend for STAR is $6,000, which is comparable to other summer research programs across the country. In addition, STAR scholars are eligible for a 50% discount on summer housing at USD. Because STAR is a full-time program for 10-weeks of summer, students are not able to hold an outside summer job or internship or take summer courses during their research commitment.
Yes! You do not need to have declared a major to apply for STAR and you can work with a faculty mentor from any discipline. However, certain projects require background or training in a particular discipline, so some faculty mentors outside of your major may not have projects that are suitable for you.
No, all STAR scholars are awarded with $500 in supplies funds, as needed for the project. There are no additional forms to fill out. Information on how to properly use these funds will be provided to the student/faculty team upon receiving an award.