The integration of research and teaching in higher education presents a significant opportunity to enrich students’ learning experiences. However, establishing effective connections between these two domains can be challenging due to varying practices and levels of understanding across institutions. Overcoming these complexities requires careful consideration and collaboration among educators, administrators, and researchers to ensure a cohesive and impactful integration that maximizes the benefits for students. This study examines students’ perceptions of research-informed teaching, with the goal of enhancing and strengthening the links between research and teaching within higher education. By analyzing survey data from undergraduate thesis/capstone courses, it provides insights into effective integration to enhance the educational experience, benefiting students and educators and informing educational practices and policies. The finding revealed noteworthy observations regarding students’ perceptions of the relationship between research and teaching across various disciplines such as engineering, science, education, business, and computer science. These findings highlighted the significance of research-informed teaching approaches in meeting student expectations. Specifically, students expressed the importance of research-led, research-oriented, research-based, and research-tutored approaches in bridging the gap between research and teaching. As a recommendation, conducting experimental studies utilizing these four approaches in the classroom setting would be beneficial to further explore their effectiveness in enhancing the integration of research and teaching.