Award Amounts

Our Assistantship award rates are standardized as follows: $1,000 in the Academic Year and $2,000 in the Summer.

Students graduating in the Fall Term (December) may apply for Academic Year grants but should be aware that they will be awarded half the value of the standard rate ($500) due to the shorter term of the project. Award amounts are larger in the summer term to account for the additional cost of living in the Boulder area, travel expenses and other factors.

Student grant funding is paid as a stipend using the university's payroll system (job code 3205). Although students need an employee identification number (EID) and payments are made through the payroll system, UROP funding is not considered payroll wages or employee compensation. UROP funding is considered "Other Financial Aid" (OFA) according to the university's policy on paying students and all award information will be reported to the Office of Financial Aid.

Payments to recipients who are U.S. citizens are not typically subject to federal and state income tax withholding and payroll taxes (i.e., FICA and Medicare taxes). The university has no tax reporting requirement for these payments (no W-2), but is required to report payments on the federal form 1042-S. Grants, scholarships and awards received as OFA may need to be reported on tax returns if the amount exceeds qualified educational expenses as defined by IRS Publication 970. Grants and scholarships are listed on a 1098-T. Students are responsible for accurately reporting their income.

About Student Grant Payment

Assistantships

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) represents an opportunity to enable student-centered education that makes the most of CU Boulder’s global leadership in research and creative production. With well-documented benefits from persistence to postgraduate success, engagement in the research and creative life of the university can clarify career paths and prepare students for the future of work. Donations support empowering opportunities in all fields of study. Give Now.