Application FAQs
How do I apply?
The application period for the MURAP 2024 program will open on December 1, 2023. For program details and application, visit here.
When is the application deadline?
The application period will end on February 1, 2024. No late applications will be accepted.
What questions are on the application?
The MURAP application asks the following questions:
- Are you a U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent resident, U.S. national, or have received protected status?
- Next fall, will you be classified as a junior or a senior?
- As of the coming summer, will you have at least 12 credit hours to complete before your undergraduate degree is conferred?
- Name
- Birth date
- Gender & pronouns
- Ethnicity
- Contact information
- Name of undergraduate institution(s)
- Majors, minors, and cumulative GPA
- Class standing (e.g., junior or senior) and expected graduation date
- Credit hours completed & credit hours required to graduate
- Are you an MMUF scholar?
- Which of the following exams do you plan to take? (GRE, MCAT, LSAT, GMAT)
- Honors and Awards
- Previous Research Experience
Please address in no more than 500 words why you are applying to MURAP and what you hope to achieve as a participant in the program. This statement should include the following:
A description of your research interests in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts. Please describe as concisely and informatively as possible one or more lines of investigation for the summer project and demonstrate your suitability to undertake it.
A discussion of your commitment to pursue a PhD, the degree program(s) in which you intend to enroll, and your desired career path, especially your interest in teaching at the college or university level.
An examination of what you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses, and what you expect to bring to the MURAP learning community and summer experience. Please draw on your personal background and set of identities and experiences to explain how you will be a valuable member of the 2021 student cohort.
- Please describe in no more than 500 words the concrete ways (i.e., coursework, volunteer work, life experiences) in which you have demonstrated an interest in diversity and in working with racially and ethnically underrepresented communities. Once you have reached your career goal, how would communities of color benefit from your presence and position?
- Enter the names and email addresses of two faculty members who have agreed to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf. We will contact the faculty members directly for their recommendations. Please do not ask them to mail their recommendation letters to MURAP.
How many recommendations may I submit?
The application will ask for the names and email addresses of two faculty members who have agreed to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Please do not submit more than two names.
How do my recommenders submit their online recommendations?
Your recommenders will receive a link from MURAP via email and they will use it to submit their confidential recommendations. Please be sure to give your recommenders at least three weeks to submit their letters before the deadline. You will be notified if your faculty recommender hasn’t submitted their letter before the deadline.
May my recommenders mail in their letters of support?
Yes, but you must email MURAP to make sure we are aware of this change and your recommenders need to be mindful of the February 8, 2021 deadline.
I’ve attended more than one undergraduate institution. Do I need to send a transcript from each one?
Yes. You must send a transcript from each university you have attended.
May I send in an unofficial transcript?
Yes. If you are unable to obtain one, please have your registrar’s office email a copy to murap@unc.edu. If there are special circumstances that prevent you from sending us an unofficial transcript, contact MURAP.
Will I be notified when my application is complete?
No. It is your responsibility to check on your application status by emailing the Program Coordinator at murap@unc.edu.
I’m having technical problems with my application; what should I do?
Email the MURAP Program Coordinator at murap@unc.edu. Include your name and a description of the problem.
I am a freshman, may I apply to the program?
Not yet, but we like your enthusiasm! Our program is for rising juniors and seniors, so you may apply next year or the year after that.
I am a senior; may I apply to the program?
Only if you’ll have 12 or more credit hours to complete towards graduation AFTER finishing MURAP.
I am not a member of a racially or ethnically underrepresented group. May I still apply?
The program seeks to increase graduate school access for students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and are also interested in students who have a proven commitment to diversity and eradicating racial disparities.
I am an international student. Am I eligible to apply?
No. You are eligible to apply to MURAP only if you are a U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent resident, U.S. national, or have protected status.
What majors are eligible for the program?
Our accepted disciplines are:
- Anthropology and Archaeology
- Area/Cultural Studies
- Art History
- Classics
- English/Comparative Literature
- Ethnic Studies (including but not limited to Africana, African American, Diaspora, Latinx, Native American Studies)
- Film, Cinema, and Media Studies
- Musicology, Ethnomusicology, and Music Theory
- Foreign Languages and Literatures
- Gender/Sexuality Studies
- Geography
- History
- Linguistics
- Literature
- Performance Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Theory/Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Policy
- Religion and Theology
- Sociology
- Theater/Dramatic Arts
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Urban Studies/City and Regional Planning
The MURAP Program does not accept applications from students who wish to pursue professional degrees such as JD, MSFW, MFA, MBA, MPA, MEd or EdD; or from those receiving a bachelor’s degree in pre-professional or applied fields of study, such as business, education, journalism, library and information sciences, law, social work, social welfare, and public health. If you are uncertain about your major meeting the requirements, please contact the MURAP staff.
I have more than one area of interest; should I include them all?
You could discuss them in your essay and explain which one(s) you’d like to explore in your research project.
When should I expect to hear a decision from MURAP?
Decisions are sent out via email by mid-April. We appreciate your patience in waiting to hear from us.
Who are the mentors?
Every year, MURAP selects mentors from a pool of UNC faculty who apply to participate.
May I suggest the name of a possible mentor?
No. The mentors are chosen by MURAP and will be matched with students according to research interests.
What about COVID-19?
Traditionally, MURAP is a residential program; however, due to the extraordinary circumstances posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the program may be delivered online in summer of 2021. A final determination about the location of the program will be made when students receive their admissions offers.
Whom do I contact if I have further questions?
For all questions and inquiries, contact the Program Coordinator at murap@unc.edu.