OUR aims to become a central resource at CSUN, promoting and supporting student involvement in research activities and creative scholarship. OUR serves as a bridge between students and faculty and fosters an environment where students can enhance their educational experience through research, critical thinking, and hands-on learning.


Visit us at the Garden Level in University Library 27!

Students can take workshops (in-person or via Zoom) to increase their knowledge and skills in five areas: Entry-to-Research, Research Conferences, Professional Development, Responsible Conduct of Research, or Graduate School Preparation. Students can attend individual workshops or complete a series and earn a certificate. The February Workshop Calendar is live!

The Office of Undergraduate Research Graduate Peer Mentors (GPMs) increase undergraduates’ awareness, interest, and participation in research. Master’s-level GPMs have firsthand research experience and support students during drop-in hours by answering research questions, helping find mentors, reviewing abstracts, CVs, and essays, and advising on school. Stop by their drop-in hours!

New to research? Want to learn entry-level skills in two weeks during the summer and get paid? SJS is the right place to start learning!

This two-week half-day intensive program provided students with learning opportunities to  foundational research skills, including biological skills, coding, computational biochemistry, qualitative methods, and quantitative methods. 

SJS prepares undergrads for a mentored research experience! 

Summer research funding opportunity!!!

OUR has launched its newest initiative - Summer UNdergraduate Research Initiative for Scholarly Excellence for Summer 2026! An eight-week paid mentored summer research experience at CSUN!  Non-graduating seniors are encouraged to apply with their mentors! Faculty apply via CSUN InfoReady. 

Application period: Now - Mar 27, 2026.                                      ** Students apply through their research mentor!

OUR Research Supplies Grant supports undergraduate students in research, performance, and scholarship. It is designed to encourage collaborative scholarly research and creative work between undergraduate students and faculty. An undergraduate student in a mentored research, scholarly, or creative project may request up to $500 for supplies and equipment towards completion of their project. Students are eligible for funding only once per academic year.

Application closes on March 2, 2026.

Presenting research at a conference or symposium? 

An undergraduate student presenting as the first or second author on a poster or oral presentation may request up to $300 for a travel scholarship. Students are eligible for funding only once per academic year. Priority will be given to students engaged in OUR activities (e.g., attending workshops, certificates, events). There are financial aid implications for this scholarship; more information is available on the application.

Application closes on March 2, 2026.

All CSUN students are eligible for the Council on Undergraduate (CUR) awards!

CUR is the premier community of higher education professionals advancing excellence in undergraduate research, providing support and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, administrators, and students. Current Awards: 

1) the Social Science Undergraduate Conference Award provides $400 to travel and present their research at conferences.

2) Biology Division offers students $250 travel grants attending biology-related conferences this year. 

3) The Education Division will award an honorarium of $1,000 to an outstanding undergraduate education student for their efforts in undergraduate research in education.

4) The Geoscience Division (GeoCUR) awards to full-time undergraduate students engaging in research emphasizing the geosciences, such as geology, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, etc.

5) The Health Sciences Division offers $500 to help cover the cost of registration and travel for undergraduate students presenting original research at NCUR 2026, April 13-15, 2026.

6) The Physics and Astronomy Division offers a research award to help undergraduates (1) conduct faculty-mentored research, (2) present their research at national conferences, or (3) publish their research in peer-reviewed journals.

Deadlines: February 13, 2026

Are you conducting research with an undergraduate this academic year and want to get ahead during the summer?

OUR is launching our newest initiative - Summer UNdergraduate Research Initiative for Scholarly Excellence for Summer 2026! SUNRISE is an eight-week paid mentored summer research experience at CSUN! Faculty and Program Directors can apply for SUNRISE and nominate a non-graduating senior. Students graduating in Spring 2026 are not eligible. 

Deadline: March 27, 2026, at 5 pm via InfoReady

For faculty seeking mentor training opportunities, unfortunately, the National Research Mentor Network (NRMN) site is shut down. We find the University of Minnesota's Optimizing the Practice of Mentoring 102: For Research Mentors of Undergraduate Students as a suitable training program. This online training will take about 2 hours to complete, roughly the same length as the NRMN training. 

Visit the University of Minnesota's Training Hub and create a Guest Account to access the training. 

Once you create the guest account, you can add Optimizing the Practice of Mentoring 102: For Research Mentors of Undergraduate Students (course 14941)

Studies have found that students who attend external summer research programs are more likely to pursue gradaute studies! OUR supports students' efforts to search for and secure summer research opportunities external to CSUN. Most summer programs have deadlines by February 1st. However, we found some programs with mid-February and March deadlines. We categorized the programs by general disciplines. Click below to find a program for you!

We also encourage you to attend the Summer Research Opportunity Program workshop to strengthen your application. 

The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) offers the PathwaystoScience.Org - a search engine for research programs. You can search for programs by student level (e.g., undergraduate), discipline (e.g., biology, general programs) or geographic location.  While many summer program deadlines have passed, there are few still accepting applications. Don't miss out on this transformative experience!

The California State University Systemwide Student Research Competition is an annual event that brings together scholars from the 23 campuses of our California State University system. The competition showcases undergraduate and graduate research, scholarship, and creative works by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments. Undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines are judged by experts on their oral presentations and written narratives. 

The 40th Annual Student Research Competition will be hosted by San Jose State University on April 24-25, 2026.

Apply to be part of the CSUN team! Travel expenses are covered. Submit your application and a 3-minute video of you presenting your research by February 20, 2026.

Apply to present your original research or research derived from another's original work (e.g., faculty or graduate researcher) at the 2026 UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC)! PURC 2026 will be held on Friday, May 8, 2026, in Pritzker Hall.

Application Deadline: March 2, 2026