Frequently Asked Questions

While it’s an exciting experience to design a research project of your own, you certainly don’t have to create a project from scratch to participate in undergraduate research. UF is home to hundreds of researching professors who want to help students gain research experience and have ongoing projects that you can work on. The best way to get started in undergraduate research is to connect with a faculty member who can mentor you on an existing project or help you design one of your own. For more information on how to find a faculty mentor, check out the Get Started page by clicking the button below for help.

Your research opportunities are not limited to your selected major. If you find an interesting project or mentor that is not in your department, you can certainly benefit from this research experience. If this research is for a scholarship or for college credit, you will need to make sure you keep track of the requirements from your major and from your mentor’s department, as these vary among colleges and departments. Click the Find a mentor button below for more information.

Most colleges at UF have research credit options ranging between 0-3 credits. Applying for research credit is a great way to document your research experience on your college transcripts, so we highly recommend speaking to an academic advisor in your college about getting credit for your research.

Research courses range from 0-3 credits, this allows for a varied cost and time commitment for the student. 0 credit courses do not cost the student tuition, but allows for the undergraduate research to be displayed on the transcript. Applying for research credit is a great way to document your research experience on your college transcripts, so we highly recommend speaking to an academic advisor in your college about getting credit for your research.

The amount of time you will spend doing research will depend on your expectations and the expectations of your mentor and your college. It is generally recommended that you spend between 8-10 hours per week on your project. If you are taking a class for credit additional hours may be required. Speak to your faculty mentor to establish these expectations from the start.