URECA Recipient FAQs

You can start counting hours toward your URECA project once you have submitted your signed acceptance letter.

Unfortunately, the answer is: it depends. If you have enough room in your financial aid package, you will receive payment as a stipend. If you do not have enough room in your financial aid package, you will be hired as a student worker and paid an hourly rate of $10 until you have reached your award total. The Program Manager will check with financial aid prior to administering payment and present the student with their options. You may then select which option best suits your needs.

Stipend Payments

If you are receiving payment in the form of a stipend, the Director will check in with your faculty mentor on a consistent basis to ensure your research is progressing. We can process your stipend in 1, 2, 3, or 4 payments, depending on the amount of your stipend and how often you would like to receive compensation.

Example: Silver Scholar = $1,000 stipend

• (4) payments of $250.
  • If you choose this option, we will check in with your mentor each month to notate your progress. Once your mentor confirms completion of 1/4 of your project, we will issue a payment of $250. The process repeats until your URECA project is finished.
• (2) payments of $500.
  • If you choose this option, we will check-in with your mentor at the halfway through the semester to ensure you are making progress. Once your mentor confirms you have completed approximately 1/2 of your project, we will issue your first $500 stipend payment. We will then check in again at the end of the semester to ensure completion of your project.
• (1) payment of $1,000.
  • If you choose this option, you will receive one lump sum at the end of your project.

Stipend Payment Options

1. Check. If you want to receive your stipend payment by check, please make sure you inform of us the address to which it should be mailed. Checks will be dispersed 1-2 weeks after receipt of the progress email from your mentor.
2. Direct Deposit. To sign up for direct deposit for your stipend or other URECA reimbursements, please submit the ACH Payment Enrollment Authorization form.
   • Please note that signing up for Payroll Direct Deposit and/or Financial Aid Direct Deposit does NOT sign you up for Accounts Payable Direct Deposit.

Current Recipients: Complete the URECA Stipend Request Form to request a stipend payment. Please contact Casey Penston at Casey.Penston@mtsu.edu with questions regarding this form.

Hourly Pay

If you are receiving payment in the form of hourly pay, you will log your hours on a monthly timesheet and be paid at the end of each month via direct deposit. Your mentor will verify your hours at the end of each pay period.

If supplies are awarded as part of an URECA grant, the ordering is done through the mentor’s departmental office. Any overspending is the responsibility of the department. There are two major options:

1. MT$ource orders – place the order(s) through MT$ource – URC is an approver and has access to all paperwork.
2. P-Card orders – place the order(s) and send copies of receipts to Casey Penston at Casey.Penston@mtsu.edu.

Purchasing questions should be addressed to Casey Penston at Casey.Penston@mtsu.edu.

Please include the following language:

“This project was supported by an Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) grant through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Middle Tennessee State University.”

If traveling to present results of a URECA grant students can submit travel requests and receive up to $300 per academic year for domestic travel and $400 for international travel. Please route the travel form to the URC at least one month before traveling domestic, and 60 days before international travel.

Yes, the URC disseminates monthly communications across campus that do just this! The URC Newsletter shares success stories of our students and faculty mentors, presents funding opportunities offered through the URECA grant program, highlights upcoming workshops and events, and elaborates on scholarly advances in the field of undergraduate research. Check it out by clicking the link below!