Recruit & Hire Undergraduate Students
Request a Federal Work-Study Position
Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides part-time jobs to undergraduate students with financial need. The program encourages community service work and work related to the student's course of study — including engaging in and supporting research.
Students must be eligible for Federal Work-Study to accept a FWS position. FWS students can work six hours per week for on-campus positions; hourly rates change annually.
You can request a Federal Work-Study (FWS) position for a semester or an academic year by contacting your department. Be sure to include the number of FWS positions you’re seeking, a description of duties and information about any requirements in your email.
If you’re unsure who to contact in your department, please email UAlbany’s Work-Study Director, Dina Holmes, at [email protected].
Write a Job Posting
We recommend including the following in job postings for undergraduate students:
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Provide a position title that describes the anticipated role — such as Student Assistant, Research Assistant, Office Support, etc.
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Provide a job description that outlines the anticipated role and its related responsibilities and tasks — such as material preparations, literature review, journal article searches, cataloging materials/artifacts, etc.
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List all eligibility requirements — such as GPA, coursework, interests, previous experience, etc.
Check the status of your job posting regularly and interview any student applicants.
Mentor Undergraduate Student Researchers
Tips for Mentoring Undergraduates
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Set clear expectations and communicate those expectations regularly.
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Establish deadlines when you assign tasks and provide instructions or guidance to help students successfully complete their assignments. For students new to research, start small with tasks that support your team’s larger functions.
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Use free, online project management tools, such as Asana, to assign and track tasks.
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Provide training, so students can become more engaged in the research process and prepare for a more robust role on your team.
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Invite students to attend and engage in your regular lab or project meetings.
Resources for Mentoring Undergraduates
Mentor Resources (Council on Undergraduate Research)
Online, self-paced Mentor Training (University of Minnesota)
Salient Practices for mentoring undergraduate researchers (Elon University)
Mentoring Undergraduate Research Handbook 2nd Edition (Georgia College)
Nominate Students for the Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research
The Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research recognizes high-quality research, scholarship and creative activities conducted by undergraduate students at UAlbany.
Eligible students are nominated by their faculty mentor/advisor and winners are selected by the students’ respective schools and colleges. Nomination forms are sent directly to the deans to disseminate to faculty at the beginning of the spring semester.
Students who receive the award may be asked to present their research paper or project at UAlbany Showcase. Additionally, by accepting the award, students give the University permission to publish their final report or an abstract of the report.
Applications for the Presidential Award are made available each spring semester.
Note: UAlbany offers other awards and scholarships that provide financial support for undergraduate research projects and recognize academic excellence. Visit the Awards & Scholarships page to learn more.
Student Eligibility for the Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research
To be eligible, the student must:
- Be a matriculated (degree-seeking), full-time (at least 12 credits) UAlbany undergraduate student
- Have junior or senior class status (have completed at least 56 academic credits)
- Note: Students who graduate in December of their senior year are eligible for nomination.
- Have demonstrated outstanding scholastic ability
- Have made considerable progress on a research paper or project in their major
The student’s research paper or project must:
- Be related to their major(s)
- Have originated in an upper-level course, independent study or honors program under the direction of a UAlbany faculty member during the current academic year
- Be completed, or represent a work in progress suitable for presentation, by the end of this academic year
Drafts or final versions of papers or projects will be considered.
Nominate a Student for the Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research
At the beginning of each spring semester, faculty and researchers are invited to nominate eligible students for the Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research. Nominations are typically accepted until February.
Once nominations are submitted, the deans oversee the selection process for each school and college. Winners are typically notified via email in early April.