VIP is an undergraduate and graduate research initiative in which students work on multidisciplinary teams led by faculty, contributing to their research, creative inquiry, and/or design efforts. Course credit is structured based on the scale of the project and the student's involvement, and some teams offer the option of pay (Federal Work-Study) in lieu of credit. Students can participate for multiple semesters or years, providing deeper learning experiences and leadership opportunities. The long-term nature of VIP creates an environment of mentorship, with faculty and graduate students mentoring teams, experienced students mentoring new members, and students moving into leadership roles as others graduate

"Vertically Integrated" refers to the composition of the VIP team with multiple levels of mentoring. Mentos may include undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, and faculty.

Students are eligible to participate in VIP as first-years, sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate students. Becoming involved in VIP earlier in your college career allows for several semesters to be spent with a team, and more opportunities for leadership and mentoring students new to the team.

To find a team that matches your interests, visit our Explore Teams page and check the boxes "Accepting New Students" and a box that matches your research/scholarship/creative activity area of interest! 

In most cases previous experience is not required, but willingness to learn and work with others is a must. Individual team listings may include some experience requirements, but those requirements are generally kept to a minimum.

Yes! We continue to grow our list of teams open to online students. For Fall 2026, there are eight teams open across disciplines.  You can find them by navigating to our Explore Teams page and checking the box "Accepting Fully Online Students." 

W.A. Franke Honors College students are eligible to apply for Exploratory Mini-Grants as individuals or teams. For a team project, be aware that all team members must be Honors students. There are two deadlines - in Fall, for Spring award, and in Spring, for Summer or Fall award. From their page:

Exploratory mini-grants provide funding for students to follow their curiosity where it leads and take the sort of intellectual risks that lead to meaningful discovery and innovation. 

Click here to learn more, and apply: Exploratory Mini-Grants

VIP credits typically count toward your electives (and sometimes research requirements in your major) , and re-enrollment is allowed for any students who are academically eligible and have demonstrated satisfactory engagement with their VIP team. Students are encouraged to check with their academic advisors in their home departments about graduation requirements and how VIP engagement can best contribute to their degree completion.
 

Almost all teams are multidisciplinary. For example, a team led by a professor from Modern Languages may also include Eller School of Management and Information Science & Technology students. As such, students can apply to any team that fits their academic interests but should consult their home departments to ask about any restrictions related to degree requirements or scholarship eligibility.

Application processes are determined by each VIP team and listed on their VIP team page in the "Application Process" section. If you have additional questions after visiting our Explore Teams page and clicking through to the individual team pages that match your interests, please contact the team advisor(s) or the VIP program coordinator Dr. Kay Orzech (vipprogram@arizona.edu)  for more details.

While returning students do not need to reapply, please let you team leader know that you intend to continue in the next semester. Team leaders can establish requirements to ensure that returning students are academically eligible and have demonstrated satisfactory engagement with their VIP team. Please contact your VIP team leader with any questions.

Students are encouraged to participate as long as possible in their team to experience a research, design or other project through multiple stages of its development. Becoming familiar with the long-term needs of a complex project can be important later in a student's academic or professional career. However, students are free to switch to a different team, as long as the other team is accepting new members.

Positions are posted on Talent for staff opportunities and Handshake for student opportunities. Please note, however, that many teams engage students for academic credit only, while others may offer Federal Work-Study (FWS). Please contact the team advisors if you are interested in FWS.

We do have opportunities for student ambassadors to table at recruiting events, help with the annual poster session, or speak to prospective students. Please email vipprogram@arizona.edu with the subject line "Student Ambassador" if you are interested.