Are you looking to gain hands-on research experience, but cannot afford to spend that time unpaid?

Does a faculty or staff member have a research opportunity for you but does not have the funding to pay you?

UC Davis understands the value of hands-on research experience for undergraduate students, but many researchers may not have the funding to pay student assistants. In alliance with the Office of the President’s Debt-Free Plan and UC Davis’ Aggie Launch initiatives, LAEP aims to remove this common obstacle. LAEP provides your faculty or staff research sponsor funding to compensate you for your research work that provides you experience and builds your resume.

For spring 2024 opportunities, you can inquire about your eligibility for LAEP by completing this LAEP Screening Form.

Students who are interested in setting up a paid opportunity for 2024-25 academic year must wait until 2024-25 financial aid offers are finalized. More information about 2024-25 funding will be available soon.

Preliminary eligibility is determined by meeting all the following criteria:

• California resident
• Demonstrated financial need as determined by Financial Aid and Scholarships
• At least half-time enrollment (6+ units) in an undergraduate program
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in a program leading to a degree (exceptions may apply to students who are experiencing homelessness)
   

Please note: if you meet the above preliminary requirements, you may be offered LAEP financial aid, but in order for aid to be paid out to you via a paycheck, you must also have eligibility to work in the United States and be established as a student employee. 

If you believe there is an error in your eligibility determination or if you have circumstances which you believe may change your eligibility, you may reach out to LAEP-FAS@ucdavis.edu. 

LAEP financial aid offers are need-based. You may initially be offered $1,000 - $4,000, with the opportunity to appeal for more aid once your original offered amount is fully paid out. LAEP funds offset your Student Self-Help contribution and is applied toward your Net Cost of Attendance. Please note that we cannot offer you aid that exceeds your budgeted Cost of Attendance, however, many appeal options are available.

If you have questions concerning your LAEP financial aid offer or would like more information about appeals, email LAEP-FAS@ucdavis.edu.  

LAEP funding is a form of state-funded financial aid provided by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) and managed by UC Davis Financial Aid and Scholarships. LAEP aid is a type of work-study designed to subsidize student employment wages to provide staff and faculty the means to hire undergraduate students with financial need for research jobs. 

Aid Offer

Once preliminary eligibility is established: 

• Your faculty or staff research sponsor (i.e., your employer) establishes a LAEP Employer Request Form (found on our LAEP employer page). 

• You will then be emailed to request your consent of the LAEP Employer Request. 

• Once you consent to this form, and if you remain eligible at this time, you will be offered LAEP aid for the purposes of funding your research employment.

• LAEP aid is offered to you via your MyAwards.

Aid Disbursement

LAEP aid is only disbursed (or paid out) to you through payroll when you are employed in permitted research opportunities:

• You must be established as a student employee and hired by a faculty or staff sponsor (employer). 

• You must be formally onboarded and issued a start date.

• On or after your issued start date, you must complete bi-weekly timesheets (refer to your department’s administrative support staff about how to complete timesheets).

• LAEP aid is disbursed to you via your paycheck. 

LAEP aid can continue to fund your research employment until June 30, 2024, or until your LAEP aid is exhausted for the 2023-24 aid year (whichever comes first). 

Note: You can only be paid for work completed once established as an employee under your research sponsor. LAEP aid cannot be used toward funding prior research work.

LAEP is currently funding spring 2024 employment opportunities in research. Research is not limited to STEM opportunities and can take place outside of an academic discipline. Research employment must be supervised by a research sponsor who can be UC Davis faculty or staff.

To coordinate funding for your unpaid or volunteer research, or to get connected to paid research opportunities with a UC Davis research sponsor for spring 2024, submit a LAEP Screening Form.

Submitting this form will connect you with the Undergraduate Research Center who will support you and your research sponsor. It will also notify Financial Aid and Scholarships to evaluate your eligibility for spring 2024. Students who are interested in setting up a paid opportunity for 2024-25 academic year must wait until 2024-25 financial aid offers are finalized. More information about 2024-25 funding will be available soon.

Many research positions require students to submit a resume, as well as a cover letter, or other materials. The Internship and Career Center (ICC) can support you with developing these materials–whether you have a lot of experience or none at all. The ICC offers sample resumes, workshops, virtual resume reviews, drop-in advising, and appointments. Visit The Internship and Career Center (ICC) to learn more.

In addition, the Undergraduate Research Center (URC) provides support for getting the most out of research experiences–including cohort-based support programs, one-on-one advising services, conferences and events, and tips for reaching out to faculty. Visit Undergraduate Research Center (URC) to learn more.

You can track your LAEP aid disbursements on your paycheck and in the Awards tab in MyAwards. LAEP amounts are listed as “Work-Study Amounts” in MyAwards (see below for an example).