Research Apprenticeship Program Graduate Student Mentors

Program Overview

The Research Apprenticeship Program, RAP, provides early career undergraduates with an opportunity to work closely with a graduate student mentor on a research project over the fall semester. These meaningful learning experiences allow students to develop foundational research skills that they can build on as they progress through their academic career, as well as to establish mentoring relationships with graduate students.

Research apprentices commit to working on a graduate student mentor’s project over the course of the fall semester, with project weeks and hours per week to be determined in collaboration with the graduate student mentor. Research apprentices earn up to $500, paid as a stipend, and graduate student mentors receive a $500s stipend in recognition of their mentorship. Apprentices will be required to work approximately 2-3 hours a week over the fall semester. RAP participants will also have the option to continue over the spring semester for course credit as arranged by the apprentice and graduate student mentor.

This program is supported by The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) in collaboration with the Center for Access and Postsecondary Success (CAPS)/McNair Program, Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), and The Graduate School.

Eligibility and Award Terms

To be eligible to apply as a graduate student mentor applicant must:

Be a full-time graduate UConn student.
Graduate students must be available to mentor the student apprentice over the fall semester and provide a substantive learning experience that allows students to develop foundational research skills and gain a greater understanding of the research process.

Mentee Eligibility and Selection

Eligibility is limited to undergraduates in their first, second, and third year of study who are attending the University of Connecticut.
This program prioritizes early career students with little or no prior research experience, as well as students from underrepresented backgrounds and 1st generation students.
This program is intended to foster new undergraduate student-graduate student connections.

Compensation and Hours

Research apprentices earn up to $500, paid as stipend. To earn the full $500 award, apprentices will need to dedicate approximately 32 hours over the course of the semester.
Graduate student mentors and mentees work together to determine a mutually agreeable work schedule. Please bear in mind that the following activities must be considered work time:

- Time spent on training, for example: CITI Training
- Meeting times, whether research group meetings or one-on-one meetings
- Time spent completing the required program reflections (mid-point and final reflection).
In recognition of the commitment to mentoring an apprentice, graduate student mentors will receive a $500 stipend at the end of the semester.
Research Apprenticeship Program apprentices are required to present their research at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition in April. OUR will provide coaching to mentees to assist them with preparing a poster for Frontiers. We ask that mentors also provide guidance to support them with this task. Poster printing costs for Research Apprenticeship Program apprentices will be covered by the program.

Dates & Deadlines

Graduate student mentors must submit their opportunities by end of February to be considered.

Early March the team will select the graduate student opportunities that best align with the goals of RAP.

Fall 2026 apprenticeship descriptions will be posted on the RAP website and applications will open to students in early March.

The application deadline is Friday, March 27, 2026. Application reviews will begin after the application deadline.

A panel will pair mentees with mentors and will extend offers to applicants. Applicants who are not selected will be notified of their application status once the apprenticeship has been filled.

Apprentices will coordinate their fall apprenticeship start date and schedule with graduate student mentors. Project work can begin once the fall semester has begun (no earlier than day one of the fall semester). RAP apprenticeships must be completed before the end of the fall semester (no later than the start of fall semester finals).

Apprentices and Mentors will complete reflections at the mid-point of the apprenticeship and at the conclusion of the apprenticeship. RAP apprentices will also present at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition in the spring following the apprenticeship.

FAQs

I participated in RAP last fall; can I apply again this fall?
Can I work with more than one undergraduate student mentee?
How many hours will my mentee be expected to work each week?
Can I keep working on the project after the fall semester?
I'm already working with a graduate student mentor; can I apply for this to fund my fall research with my graduate student mentor?
Who should I contact with questions about the RAP Apprenticeships?

I participated in RAP last fall; can I apply again this fall?

You are eligible to submit an opportunity once a year, but priority will be given to new graduate student opportunities. Undergraduate students are only eligible to participate once in their UConn undergraduate career.

Can I work with more than one undergraduate student mentee?

How many hours will my mentee be expected to work each week?

To earn the full $500 award, apprentices will need to work approximately 2-3 hours per week but will vary based on the needs and preferences of the graduate student mentor. Before accepting an apprenticeship, students are encouraged to discuss any prior commitments with graduate student mentors to assure there are no conflicts.

Can I keep working on the project after the fall semester?

Once the RAP apprenticeship is complete, it will be at the discretion of the graduate student mentor to determine if there are opportunities for the student to continue assisting with the project. We hope that these apprenticeships grow into longer-term engagement in research, whether it be through students continuing to work with their graduate student mentor on the mentor's research or through students pursing their own research projects.

I'm already working with an undergraduate student; can I apply for this to fund my fall semester research with my undergraduate student?

No, this program cannot fund the continuation of ongoing undergraduate student-graduate student research collaborations. The goal of this program is to foster new undergraduate student-graduate student connections and to provide students with little or no prior research experience an opportunity to gain valuable exposure to the research process. As part of the award conditions, graduate student mentors are asked to select a student they are not currently working with and/or have not previously worked with in a research capacity.

Who should I contact with questions about the RAP Apprenticeships?

Questions about the RAP should be directed to Micah Heumann (micah.heumann@uconn.edu) in the Office of Undergraduate Research.