Participation for Academic Credit
All UROP work must be worthy of academic credit. If you participate in a fall or spring UROP for pay or as a volunteer, you are eligible to receive transcript recognition (URN credit). This notation will be added to your transcript if UROP proposals are submitted and your faculty supervisor deems the semester's work satisfactory.
In order to participate in a UROP for credit, you must submit a UROP application by the given deadline for the term and register the credit with the Registrar's office no later than the given term's Drop Date. UROP credit units and subject numbers are determined and awarded by your faculty supervisor in accordance with his/her academic department. Because departments may set their own credit policies regarding UROP credit, you should check with the appropriate credit contact for your UROP department regarding any special credit limits or procedures. A list of UROP subject numbers can be found under a given department page in this site or in the MIT Bulletin.
Although it is not uncommon for UROP research to eventually become thesis work, students conducting research when they are registered for thesis credit may not earn UROP pay or credit for that research during the same term. Any questions regarding thesis credit policies should be directed to the academic department awarding your credit.
During any given term or summer, you may not receive pay and credit for the same UROP project.
NOTE: Special restrictions apply to international students. During the fall and spring, international students participating in UROP for pay, credit or as a volunteer may not work in excess of 20 hours per week. During IAP and the summer months (June, July, and August), International Students may work standard full-time hours.
Before accepting a UROP position, international students should check in with the International Students Office (ISO) to ensure that the terms of their UROP positions do not conflict with ISO regulations. The ISO is located in Room 5-133 and can be reached at x3-3795 or iso-help@mit.edu.
Once you have found a UROP and determined how much credit you will receive, you must submit a UROP application, so that we can evaluate the content and scope of your planned research. See the Applying for UROPssection for complete details.
Registration Information
You must add (register) or drop UROP credit as you would a class. If you do not add the appropriate UROP subject during pre-registration or on Registration Day, you may use an Add/Drop form to register your credit during the term, but no later than the Drop Date for the given semester.
Adding UROP
- Add the appropriate UROP subject (i.e. 6.UR or 7.URG, etc.) and number of units during pre-registration, on Registration Day, or using an Add Form. Check the UROP page for your department for details regarding subject numbers and credit restrictions or contact UROP staff.
- Add Date does not apply to UROP or to other individually planned activities like thesis and special topics. The absolute deadline for adding a UROP subject is Drop Date of the given semester.
Dropping UROP
Drop Date DOES apply to UROP. If you decide to cancel your project:
- Notify the Registrar by submitting an Add/Drop form before Drop Date,
- Notify the UROP Coordinator that your UROP has been dropped,
- Notify the UROP Office. Failure to cancel your UROP with the UROP Office may delay the approval of your subsequent UROPs.
Important Credit Registration Note
In the absence of compelling, extraordinary circumstances, the CAP will not approve petitions to late add UROP subjects. You can add UROP subjects to your registration up until Drop Date each term. UROP credit registration instructions appear in UROP guidelines each term along with the applicable registration deadlines. If you have any questions about how to register your credit or are unsure about the subject number for which you should register, please contact UROP staff immediately. A full statement of the CAP policy can be found in the Late Add section of the CAP site.
Credit Outside Semesters
- Summer UROPs: Although summer UROP is usually done for pay, it may alternatively be done for credit. To receive credit for a project, register with the Registrar's Office for the Summer Session. Tuition is based on the number of units earned and is charged per unit. If you are interested in participating in a summer UROP for credit, please contact the Registrar's Office (Room 5-111 and 5-119, x3-4784). Also, submit your UROP application well before the UROP Office deadlines.
- IAP UROPs: IAP does not usually stand alone as a UROP term. Four weeks is rarely enough time to become fully engaged in substantive research. If you continue fall research into IAP or begin spring research during IAP, you may get additional credit using UROP subject numbers (1.UR, 2.UR, etc.) for IAP work. If you plan to receive IAP credit, submit the usual UROP application by the IAP credit deadline. Your faculty supervisor should contact the Coordinator at the end of IAP to submit your grade. As with all IAP credit, UROP credit must be registered by the IAP registration deadline. IAP UROP credit counts toward the IAP I2-unit credit limit. See http://web.mit.edu/iap/ for additional IAP credit information.
