Student Applicant Information

Thank you for your interest in applying to the First-Year Scholars Program. The student application for the 2026-2027 academic year is open through September 13, 2026 at 11:59pm.

Please review this page for information on:

Return to the First-Year Scholars Program Main Page

Student Eligibility Information

Are you eligible to apply for the First-Year Scholars Program?
  • Students must be in their first year of college at KSU.
  • Students must be enrolled at KSU with fewer than 30 transfer credits (not including AP and dual enrollment credits).
  • Students interested in applying will complete an application on the InfoReady platform.
International Student Considerations
  • International Student payments are taxed at a higher rate, and therefore each payment received will be less than what is noted
  • International students on H-4, L-2, R-2, or E-2 dependent visas are not eligible for stipend payments, and therefore cannot be considered for the First-Year Scholars program
    • Visa status must allow for work authorization in order to receive stipend payments
    • Student "volunteers" are not allowed to participate in a program where other students are being compensated for the same work
  • The Office of Undergraduate Research recommends students falling into those categories get involved in undergraduate research through the following options:

If you have any questions regarding eligibility, please email our@kennesaw.edu

Application Submission

Details on the Student Application
  • Before starting on the application, make sure you know the name of the project(s) you'd like to apply to. View the listing of upcoming projects.

To help you prepare for the application, the questions you will be asked in the application portal are listed below:

  • Your name
  • Your KSU email address
  • Your major
  • Title of the project you are applying for (this will be a drop-down menu with each project listed).
    • As this program is competitive, students are encouraged to apply for as many projects as they are interested in and would be happy working on for the academic year.
      • A separate application is required to apply for each project.
    • Please note that in the end, you will only be permitted to work on one (1) project as part of the First-Year Scholars Program
  • Relevant Prior Experience (500 words max).
    • Prior experience is not required, but take into account skills learned from: involvement in clubs, work experience related to this project, internships, previous research experiences [even in a different discipline], coursework related to the project, coursework related to research methodology, coursework on statistics/data analysis, etc.
  • Statement of Interest (500 words max).
    • For example: Why are you interested in this specific project? How do you see this project influencing your college career? What are your career aspirations?
    • We encourage you to tailor this section to the specific project to which you are applying.
Student Selection Process

Student applications will be reviewed by the Primary Investigator (PI) [this is the lead faculty member] of the project being applied to. Student may, or may not, be contacted by PIs for in-person or virtual interviews (this is up to each individual PI).

For students with little to no experience with interviews, we recommend checking out the student resources from Career Planning and Development to help you be prepared.

 

The student application portal is now closed for the 2026-2027 academic year.

 

Accepted Student Requirements

Requirements and Guidelines for Students
  • To receive stipend payments each semester, students in the First-Year Scholars Program are expected to:
    • participate in one (1) mandatory orientation session, each semester
    • attend professional development activities hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research, Undergraduate Research Peer Ambassadors, and their campus partners.
      • Approved activities vary for each semester, and all attendance guidelines must be met for credit to be counted
    • complete progress reports, a mid-year survey, and a year-end survey
      • these must be submitted by the stated deadline date in order to be counted
    • The full details are provided on the Accepted Students page, which is constantly updated throughout the program
  • To remain in the First-Year Scholars Program in the Spring, students must be enrolled in classes and have a 2.5 GPA
    • Student participation in the Spring is at the discretion of the PI and the Office of Undergraduate Research.
  • The project must be presented at the Symposium of Student Scholars in April by all of the matched Scholars, and each Scholar must be an active part of the presentation
    • In order to present, all First-Year Scholars must be listed as a co-author on the project abstract submission
      • The Undergraduate Research Peer Ambassadors will host a workshop on How to Write an Abstract. All students are encouraged to attend.

Students who drop out of the program will not be eligible for funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research for a minimum of one (1) year.

Accepted Students Webpage

Interested Students: We recommend reviewing this webpage for a full break-down of the program requirements, to ensure your schedule allows for the time commitment required.

Accepted Scholars: This website will be your lifeline. We highly recommend bookmarking the direct link.

Additional Resources for Students
  • Students who would like more information or training about undergraduate research topics are encouraged to read the online resources or watch the online videos.
    • These activities are optional, although mentors may require their students to engage in these activities. 

FAQs for Students

  • Students must be in their first year of college at KSU with fewer than 30 transfer credits (not including AP and dual enrollment credits). 

  • Yes! We encourage students to apply for as many projects as they are interested in and would be happy working on for the full academic year. This is often a good way to increase your odds of being chosen, since this program is competitive and in the end students will only be matched to one project.

    You will need to complete a separate application form for each project.

  • Definitely! We encourage students to branch out and apply to whatever projects interest them. Do not feel constrained by your home college or department; there might be a project that is connected to a personal hobby or special interest topic that would also be a perfect fit.
  • Students work on average 5-10 hours per week, although accepted students should ask their PIs for more specifics.

  • In InfoReady, applications are assigned the following statuses:

    • "Accepted" - this means the application does not require any edits and has moved on to the review stage (applicants will receive an email noting that the application has moved on and that final decisions will occur at a later date)
    • "Awarded" - this means the application has been reviewed and selected for the specific project (applicants will receive an email noting this and providing all information on next steps)
    • "Rejected" - this means the application has been rejected, for one of the following reasons:
      • You are not eligible for the program (applicants will receive an email noting this)
      • Your application was duplicated and only the latest version was sent on for review to avoid confusion
      • You were not selected for the program (applicants will receive an email noting this)
      • One (1) application was awarded, and since students can only be selected to one project, the other applications are assigned this status

  • Some PI and student pairings can participate in the Sophomore Scholars Program, which has limited funding.

    If the student and PI are not part of that program but would like to continue to work together in the student's second year, there are options:

  • We encourage long-term participation with the same PI so that students may have the opportunity to learn different skills and roles which will lead to a more in-depth experience in their field of research.

    However, if you prefer to make that change, the following are some options you can consider:

    If you already have a PI in mind that you want to work with, talk to them about working together and the following options:

    • taking a Directed Study/Directed Methods (or the departmental equivalent) for course credit
    • applying for Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URCA) funding
    • opportunities to work as a student assistant or lab assistant
    • other opportunities within your college or the PI's college