Research Opportunities Program

All faculty members who hold a U of T appointment at the St. George campus are eligible to submit an ROP proposal and supervise an ROP student. However, research support funding is limited to:

• A&S faculty members with continuing undergraduate appointments at St. George, and;
• Faculty members with continuing appointments in academic units that offer A&S undergraduate programs

Funding is based on the total number of students supported per term and the length of the ROP (H/Y). Funding can be provided for up to nine students in summer and nine students across fall/winter, fall and winter. Funds are transferred into the research accounts of participating faculty members by the midterm of the ROP course.

The funds are meant to directly support the faculty research project in which the ROP students are engaged, as well as hosting the ROP students, and covering their poster printing cost for the participation of the research poster fair.

Funding details are outlined below:

Proposal Guide

Faculty members are encouraged to review the ROP Student Assessment Guide for sample learning goals, activities and assessments that can be adapted for the purpose of their ROP project. To learn about the program and discuss a ROP idea, faculty members can attend a ROP information session or contact rop.artsci@utoronto.ca for support.

Faculty members may submit one application for all projects offered under an academic program instead of one application per research project, as in previous years.

• If a faculty member has two projects that fall under different academic programs, they may submit two applications — one per program.

Submissions may describe either a specific project OR a broad research area with various sub-project areas, if applicable.

• Example: A specific project might be The Impact of Trauma on Cognitive Development. A broad research area might be Trauma and the Brain, with specific sub-project areas on The Impact of Trauma on Cognitive Development

Steps to Submit Your Proposal

1. Log in to the ROP system with your U of T UTORid and password. If you don’t have access to the ROP system, please request access by emailing rop.artsci@utoronto.ca with your UTORid.
2. Submit your ROP proposal application via the ROP system. This ROP system tip sheet is developed to support faculty members to navigate the system.
3. The ROP coordinator will contact your chair or designated approver to review and approve your proposal application.
4. ROP proposal applications are adjudicated by the multi-disciplinary Research Opportunities Committee, who offer feedback when appropriate.
5. Faculty members will be informed of their ROP status (approval, conditional approval, not approved) by February 5, 2025.
6. Approved ROP courses will be posted on CLNx from February 17 to March 16, 2025 for students to consider and apply.

Student Eligibility Criteria (299/399)

Students are eligible to apply for an ROP if they meet the following criteria:

• Are registered as a full- or part-time student entering their second or third year of an undergraduate degree program within the Faculty of Arts & Science at the St. George campus
• Have accumulated between 4.0-13.5 credits (including transfer credits) by the end of the April exam period

Selected students will be placed into a 299 course for their first ROP, and a 399 course for their second ROP. Students are only allowed to accept one ROP offer and enroll in one ROP course per cycle and may enroll in a maximum of two ROP courses (with different supervisors) during their undergraduate studies.

Student Selection Process

• In response to requests by students for a more equitable and transparent ROP selection process, this year we will be continuing a two-round interview process.
• Faculty members will receive student application bundles once the student application period closes in mid-March. Faculty members will then be asked to interview students during the round one interview period and to present offers by the round one deadline. Students will have the opportunity to review all round one offers together and select their preferred project. (Note: Offers cannot be rescinded during this time).
• For any projects not filled following round one, there will be a second interview period immediately following round one. Faculty members can present offers at any time during round two. See key dates for 2025–26 ROPs for further details.

Faculty members can take a maximum of 18 students into their research project(s) in one ROP cycle, provided they can demonstrate that they are able to provide adequate supervision and support for a large group of students.

Students may not complete two ROP courses with the same professor. Special consideration may be granted if the student and professor can demonstrate that the student will be working on a new project with distinct learning goals and skill development opportunities.

To request special consideration, please fill out the ROP Student Continuation Request Form and email it to rop.artsci@utoronto.ca. Please note that the final decision for student continuation requests rests with the vice-dean, undergraduate (or designate).

Faculty members are encouraged to read the information about ROPs provided to students for examples of past projects, student eligibility and other general FAQs.