Undergraduate student employment
Undergraduate students may be hired into hourly research roles supporting COSMIAC projects. Duties are assigned according to project needs, student training, academic background, and supervision requirements.
Student Support
Student Support
Hands-on engineering experience for undergraduate and graduate researchers.
COSMIAC supports undergraduate, master’s, and PhD-seeking students through research employment, graduate assistantships, technical mentorship, and project-based engineering experience. Students work on sponsor-relevant efforts aligned with their training, education, and expertise while contributing to aerospace, defense, space systems, communications, cybersecurity, and prototyping projects.
Student appointments are coordinated through University of New Mexico policies, COSMIAC project needs, and applicable sponsor requirements.
Student appointment types
COSMIAC supports students through undergraduate hourly appointments and graduate assistantship pathways.
Graduate assistantships
Graduate students may support COSMIAC research through assistantship appointments that can include stipend support, health insurance eligibility, and tuition support according to UNM and project-specific requirements.
Project-based research
Students work on projects connected to aerospace systems, satellite communications, radiation effects, cybersecurity, modeling and simulation, mechanical design, software, hardware, and rapid prototyping.
Eligibility and work expectations
Student support is governed by UNM policies, enrollment status, appointment type, and project funding requirements.
Enrollment and eligibility
A student must be registered for courses to be eligible for employment during the academic year. During the summer session, students do not have to take courses, but students not taking summer courses must generally be registered for the following Fall semester.
Students are expected to perform duties consistent with their training, education, experience, and assigned project responsibilities.
Hours, timekeeping, and pay
Undergraduate student employees are paid hourly and are responsible for submitting timesheets according to UNM payroll schedules. Student work-hour limits and fringe rates depend on semester, enrollment status, appointment type, and University policy.
Because rates and policy details can change, students and supervisors should use current UNM and COSMIAC guidance when planning appointments.
Graduate assistantships
Graduate assistantships may provide a monthly stipend, health insurance eligibility, and tuition support. Appointment details depend on degree status, appointment percentage, funding source, semester, and University requirements.
Stipend levels, tuition support, and related costs are determined through COSMIAC and UNM processes and should be confirmed before appointment or proposal submission.
Proposal and project planning
When student support is included in sponsored projects, budgets should account for stipend or hourly pay, fringe, tuition, health insurance, and other applicable University rates as required.
Principal investigators and project leads should use current UNM Office of Sponsored Projects guidance when preparing budgets and appointment plans.
Student pay rates, stipend amounts, fringe rates, health insurance costs, tuition rates, tuition differential, and work-hour limits may change over time. The information on this page is intended as a student-support overview and should be confirmed against current UNM and COSMIAC guidance before hiring, budgeting, or appointment processing.
Need the signed student support memo?
A signed PDF version of the student support memo is available for reference.
