As described in greater detail below, faculty can involve students in research or creative projects as partners in the work (as Student Research Partners) or as support for it (as Student Research Assistants). Available financial support includes funding for student wages, supplies required for the project, and student travel to research sites.
Student Research Partners
Student Research Partners (SRPs), in close collaboration with Carleton faculty, define and investigate an original research question. Often these questions are pertinent to the faculty member’s research program but they could arise from the student’s interests. SRPs can generally expect to present their research at a conference or other venue suitable to the discipline, such as Carleton’s Undergraduate Research and Internship Symposium, and in some cases to be a co-author on a future publication.
Faculty who wish to engage SRPs in their research or creative projects can apply for funding to support students during summer or winter break. To receive this funding, faculty members must commit to carefully mentor students during this time, so students develop the capacity for independent research. The collaboration should enable the student to make an original contribution to the research or creative project. Such projects should also involve regular, substantive faculty-student contact.
All faculty who wish to apply for funding to support SRPs can do so by filling out the Application for Student Research Partner Support. (This includes faculty who are applying for funding from the Towsley fund or through the Humanities Center.) Applications for funding are accepted at any time and are considered on a rolling basis, but priority for winter break SRP funding is given to applications which are received by 5 pm on the Monday of the fourth week of fall term, and priority for summer SRP funding is given to applications which are received by 5 pm on the Monday of the sixth week of winter term. In the 2025-26 academic year these are Monday, October 6, 2025, and Monday, February 9, 2026. Faculty supervising projects involving added costs or complexities, such as off-campus travel or on-campus housing, are strongly encouraged to apply before the priority deadline.
Funding is also available for supplies required for SRP work and for costs associated with SRP travel to and from off-campus research sites. Faculty can request these funds using the SRP funding form linked below. Faculty considering applying for funds to cover costs associated with SRP travel to and from off-campus research sites should review our funding guidelines.
Faculty who supervise SRPs during the summer can apply for a stipend using the Application Form for Faculty Stipend for Mentoring Summer Undergraduate Research. Faculty are eligible if their project lasts at least four weeks, they will spend significant time supervising student research, and they will not receive a stipend or salary from grants or other sources.During the term, Student Research Partners are not paid for their research with faculty. Instead, they can earn academic credit for this academic work by registering for an Independent Research course (number 294 or 394). As described on our Supervised Research and Teaching Credit page, faculty who supervise SRPs during the term can earn partial teaching credit for this work.
Application for Student Research Partner Support
Application Form for Faculty Stipend for Mentoring Summer Undergraduate Research
Student Research Assistants
Student Research Assistants (SRAs) assist Carleton faculty members with individual research tasks, which together do not constitute the investigation of a research question. Examples include glassware washing, caring for animals used in research, proof-reading, locating references or sources, transcribing or coding interviews, data processing, and bibliographic editing.
While faculty are expected to mentor their SRAs, there is no expectation that they will develop their students’ capacity for independent research. Similarly, SRAs would not typically expect to be a co-author on a future publication or to present research findings at a conference. Due to the different level of mentoring expectations involved in working with an SRA, faculty who hire an SRA are not eligible for a summer mentoring stipend.
SRAs are paid for their work at the standard student wage rate, whether the work occurs during a break or during the term. If the work occurs during the term then it is considered to be work-study.
Faculty who wish to apply for funding to support SRAs can do so by filling out the Application to Support Student Research Assistants. Each faculty member can receive funding for up to 160 student work hours during summer or winter break and up to ten hours per week during the term. Applications for funding are accepted at any time.
FAQs
How do I know if my research is best supported by an SRP or an SRA?
Student Research Partners should make an intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline and they should be mentored to increase their capacity as an independent researcher. Student Research Assistants assist faculty with research tasks, but are not expected to gain an increased capacity to conduct independent research or to make the sort of intellectual or creative contribution to the project that would lead them to be a co-author on a publication or to present their findings at a conference.
How much are SRPs paid?
During academic breaks, SRPs are classified as Carleton employees. Beginning in the summer of 2026 they are paid at a rate of $14.50 per hour, which is $580 for a 40-hour week.
Because SRPs are Carleton employees, their pay is subject to Federal and State tax withholding as well as FICA (social security) taxes. In addition, Carleton pays FICA employer taxes on SRP wages, which increases the amount that will be deducted from the budget paying them by 7.65%. SRPs are paid biweekly, and they must fill out electronic timecards, which are approved in Workday by their research supervisor/mentor. SRPs also earn overtime for any hours worked over 40 in a given week (which is from Sunday to Saturday).
How do I hire my SRP in Workday?
We use a two-step process to hire SRPs in Workday.
Step One: Complete the form linked below, which asks for the name of the supervisor/mentor, and some information about the students they will be supervising/mentoring. This form can be completed by the supervisor/mentor, or by someone else on their behalf, as soon as the supervisor/mentor knows which students they will be hiring and how those students will be funded. To ensure there is enough time to complete all of the required steps before the SRP starts work, it is best to complete this form by early May for summer break SRPs and by the end of October for winter break SRPs.
Step Two: Once the form above is completed, staff in the Student Employment Office will set up a supervisory organization in Workday. The supervisor/mentor will be notified when this is done, and they can then hire each SRP individually in Workday. Supervisors/mentors will need to complete this process in Workday themselves, once for each of their SRPs. Instructions for this process are linked below, in both detailed and summary versions. In order to leave time for SRPs who have not worked for Carleton before to complete their hiring paperwork before their SRP positions begin, supervisors/mentors should complete this process by the middle of May for summer break SRPs and by the middle of November for winter break SRPs.
Professor Barbara Allen on the Value of Faculty-Student Research
“It's wonderful to work with our students in a way that creates a much closer relationship that is long-lasting; I will know these students well past their graduation. I’m happy that I can be part of their lives in this positive way.
“On the research part, you have very smart people who are contributing by examining problems from a different angle. For example, in my research I can think about different generations and what my students’ insights are, how they understand what's going on. There are some things that are interesting because we are generationally different. I really appreciate working with students who are from very different educational backgrounds, and to work with them in an interdisciplinary way is a real joy.”