UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH GRANT BUDGET

 

Instructions:

Please itemize your research budget on the budget form Please be aware that if you are a financial aid recipient, your research award may impact your financial aid award. While the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid can consider certain research costs for which you directly pay (such as supplies) as an offset to your research award, other budgeted items (such as paying for your time) cannot be counted as an offset of you research award, and may reduce your current financial aid award. Funds distributed to your mentor will not impact your financial aid package.

 

Note: Please be aware that if you have a balance at the University Cashier Office, any funding (including your research award) given to the student  may first be used to pay toward the current charges before funds are issued to you.

 

Example:

Reese Earch submitted a proposal to study the spending habits of NCSU undergraduate students.  Reese has financial aid  totaling $15,197, an amount that fully covers NC State University’s cost of attendance of $15,197 for an undergraduate in state resident living on campus.  Reese’s proposed budget for her research award totaled $750 (see budget below). Her research budget included $402 for 4 different line items of supplies and $348 for her labor costs to conduct the research proposed. The Office of Undergraduate Research approved Reese’s budget and proposal, and sent her research award and budget proposal to the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid indicating she should receive an Undergraduate Research Award of $750. The Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid reviewed her proposed research budget and concluded, based on federal financial aid guidelines, that the additional costs for supplies were a legitimate educational expense that could be added to Reese’s budget for financial aid purposes.  Thus, the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid increased her cost of attendance by $402, which allowed her to receive $402 of the $750 research grant without any adjustment to her aid package.  The $348 amount Reese budgeted for her time to work on the research project does not qualify as an additional cost for financial aid purposes.   Since Reese has already been awarded financial aid up to her full level of financial need and cost of attendance, and since the $348 labor costs cannot be added to her budget for financial aid purposes, Reese’s aid package must be reduced by $348 to prevent her from being over-awarded. 

 

If you have any questions regarding the research grants impact of your financial aid, please contact  the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid at (919) 513-3879.

 

Budget

           

Category                    Type                                                   Costs in whole dollars

Supplies                      1 Ream of printer paper                                $ 30

Supplies                      Printer cartridge                                             $ 22

Supplies                      Kinko’s copy and collate costs                     $100

Supplies                      1 Binder for research results                           $ 5

Supplies                      Technician Advertisement for survey          $245

Labor                           48 hours X $7.25 (minimum wage)              $348     

 

Total                                                                                                 $750