Texas State Procedures for NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Grants


Program Summary   
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers.   

Benefits for Students   
Students renew and stoke their passion for science. REUs also often afford students the opportunity to travel to new places and meet new people. Finally, REU student participants receive opportunities to improve a variety of skills and access to new equipment, methods, and techniques.   

Benefits for Faculty   
REUs can be a great opportunity to faculty to build their own research experience, connect with faculty and researchers, and support themselves through summer. REUs are competitive, and the application period for many will happen in January and February.   

Benefits for TXST   
Generates interest in TXST. Helps with recruiting students to TXST. Counted as research expenditures. Concerted effort to incorporate UG into research.  

Expand FAQ List

  • Receiving payment from REUs

    Participants will be given non-compensatory stipends and reimbursements that have not been subjected to federal income tax withholding. Students will not receive an IRS Form 1099-MISC or IRS Form 1098-T because the non-compensatory stipends are not reportable. However, the non-compensatory stipends are taxable, and other payments may be as well. Participants should consult their tax professional for tax advice to determine if they are required to report all or a portion of the payments received as income when filing their personal income taxes.

    As a REU student participant, how do I access library resources?

    Program participants can access the Alkek Library with a PLID and user ID.

    How to apply?

    Applicants should generally prepare the following materials:   

    • Your Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV), A personal statement, Unofficial transcripts
    • Letters of recommendation (typically three)

    Applying to more than one program 

    Students can apply to as many REU programs as they’d like. A separate application for each program is required.

    Transcripts 

    Official transcripts are not necessary for REU applications. Unofficial transcripts should be submitted for each institution attended.

    Program Eligibility 

    Generally, REU applicants should be at least 18 years old, and currently pursuing undergraduate study. Each program has its own eligibility parameters. All are open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents and DACA students, some are open to international students - but applicants should confirm with their programs of interest.

    Application

    Status Requests Application status requests can be sent directly to your REU programs of interest. Please be aware that some may not be able to provide status updates.

  • Managing the REU Award Package

    REU participants’ costs related to housing and meals, travel to and from Texas State, and stipends for living expenses are paid directly or reimbursed by the university while the students are participating in the REU program at Texas State. In addition, all participants receive access to the university library and computing services while enrolled in the program. All other incidental expenses, including campus recreational facilities, are the responsibility of the participant.

    Arranging housing for my REU student participants

    During the proposal process, the Principal Investigator (PI) should indicate in writing to the Division of Research the number of dorm bed nights needed for the program. Two options exist for securing dorm rooms. The first option is for the program to pay for the use of dorm space. In this case, the PI must work directly with Housing and Residence Life for reservations, providing notification of the arrangements to the Division of Research. The second option is for the PI to apply for the limited number of unpaid dorm beds provided for sponsored programs by Housing and Residence Life. Once the application for these rooms is received, the Division of Research will request the spaces from Housing and Residence Life. Upon award, the PI must finalize the reservation with Housing and Residence Life to schedule the use of this space. Discussing pricing and availability with Housing and Residence Life during the proposal process and budgeting accordingly affords more flexibility and choice in housing assignments.

    Arranging parking for my REU student participants

    On-campus participants will be eligible to purchase a commuter/perimeter permit for the summer which allows them to park in residence hall and perimeter spaces. If the grant is paying for the permits, an e-IDT can be prepared by Parking Services. Please contact Parking Services for assistance.

    Arranging meal plans for my REU student participants

    To secure meal plans for the participants, the PI must work directly with Auxiliary Services and provide notification of the arrangements to the Division of Research. Asking about meal plan limitations, summer hours of operation, and other logistics of student usage will help make an informed decision about meal plans.

    Arranging Texas State IDs for my REU student participants who are not already TXST students 

    If the REU participant is already a Texas State student, they can use their NetID. 

    If the REU participant is not a Texas State student, Person ID Assignment (PLID) PLIDs will be assigned by Faculty and Academic Resources. Contact Gaye Korenek via email at gkorenek@txstate.edu to obtain a PLID for program participants.

    Once a PLID has been created, Guest Net IDs can be requested for temporary users and must have a sponsoring faculty or staff member. A Guest Net ID allows login access to a computer on the TXSTATE domain and to use the secure WPA wireless network. Guests are not given access to Texas State e-mail. A Guest Net ID Request form must be completed, which may be found on the Technology Resources Your NetID webpage.

    Arranging Vendor Numbers for Participants

    Participants are not employees of the university and do not have appointments created in SAP, therefore vendor ID numbers must be created.


    Administrative support personnel for the REU grant account should send each participant a PaymentWorks invite. The preferred payment method is direct deposit, the participants can set that up when they create their vendor profiles in PaymentWorks. Should the participants have questions about setting up their vendor profiles they can contact Vendor Requests. Payments to the participant will be made using the created vendor number.     

    Arranging stipend payments for my REU student participants     
    Weekly stipends can be set up using the Recurring Payment Process. A Request for Recurring Payments Form must be set up for each participant and attached to the Purchase Requisition to ensure the recurring payments will occur. Once the Request for Purchase Order has been approved with the completed Request for Recurring Payment form, payments will be processed by Accounts Payable.     

    Reporting for Financial Aid and Scholarships     
    For students enrolled at Texas State, the PI will need to provide to Financial Aid and Scholarships, as early as possible, each grant recipient’s name, PLID, and total award amounts per corresponding semester. These grant amounts will then be taken into consideration when awarding or adjusting a student’s financial aid package to ensure compliance with applicable federal and state financial aid rules and regulations.     

    Notification should be sent to each participant informing them of the potential tax liabilities of receiving payments from the grant and their obligation to report the payments received under the grant to their home school’s Financial Aid Office.     

    The offices of Payroll and Tax Compliance, Financial Aid, and General Accounting have prepared a communication that satisfies the notification requirement. Please provide the Tax and Financial Aid Considerations for REU Participants communication to all participants.     

    Travel Reimbursement     
    Prior to any travel, a travel request should be created in Concur, using the participant’s vendor number to establish authorization to travel and authorization for reimbursement. The Travel Assistant assigned to the REU program will assist with the creation of the travel request. The instructions for this process can be found at Concur Training Guides.     

    With an approved travel request, charges for airfare, bus, rail, rental vehicles, and some hotels may be paid directly (direct billing) by Texas State on-behalf of the participants. Participants may receive reimbursement by having a Concur Expense Report created by the Travel Assistant with the REU program. The procedures for this process are located at Concur Training Guides. Please refer to the Travel Office website for more information. The Travel Office may also be contacted at 5-2775 or travel@txstate.edu for assistance.     

    Contacts for Faculty     
         
    Division of Research    
    https://www.txstate.edu/research/     
    512.245.2314     
    grants@txstate.edu     

    Housing and Residence Life     
    https://www.reslife.txstate.edu/     
    512.245.4663     
    reslife@txstate.edu     

    Parking Services     
    https://www.parking.txstate.edu/     
    512-245-2887     
    parking@txstate.edu     

    Auxiliary Services     
    https://www.auxiliaryservices.txstate.edu/     
    512.245.2585     
    auxilliaryservices@txstate.edu     

    Faculty and Academic Resources     
    https://facultyresources.provost.txstate.edu/     
    512.245.2786     
    FacultyResources@txstate.edu     

    Vendor Requests     
    https://www.txstate.edu/procurement/     
    512.245.2521     
    purchasing@txstate.edu     

    Accounts Payable     
    https://www.txstate.edu/gao/ap/     
    (512) 245-2777     
    payables@txstate.edu     

    Travel Office     
    https://www.txstate.edu/gao/ap/travel/     
    512-2455-2775     
    travel@txstate.edu     

    Financial Aid and Scholarships     
    https://www.finaid.txstate.edu     
    512.245.2315     
    FinancialAid@txstate.edu