Research Funding
Western Carolina has a long tradition of supporting undergraduate student's creative and research-based projects. Funding opportunities are available for students interested in conducting research or creative inquiry and traveling to disseminate research.
Undergraduate Research Funding
Students participating, planning to participate, or having wrapped up a recent project should consider funding opportunities sponsored by the Office of the Provost and campus partners like, the Chancellor's Office, the Brinson Honors College, and the Graduate School.
Undergraduate students from all disciplines are eligible for undergraduate research funding opportunities, but some restrictions may apply. Please review the guidelines and requirements for each funding opportunity. Dates and deadlines apply.
Academic Project Grants (APGs) support undergraduate research and creative work efforts at Western Carolina University. Any student or group of students working with a faculty sponsor is eligible to apply for a grant. Undergraduate students who submit a proposal can be granted funding support that can be used in many ways, through equipment, materials/supplies purchases, or travel to dissemeinate their research at local, regional, and even national conferences.
Proposals are accepted on a 4-month cycle between October and March. Find out the cycle dates and learn more by clicking the link below.
Each year, Western Carolina University supports a limited number of students in applying for and attending the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Students accepted to NCUR have the opportunity to present their undergraduate research along with peers from across disciplines. Since 1987, NCUR has been a flagship conference for undergraduate researchers to share, celebrate, and promote their research achievements. Western Carolina University has established itself as a national leader in undergraduate research having ranked in the Top 10 for the number of projects accepted to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research annually since 2006.
The Southern Conference (SoCon) Academic Exchange hosts the annual SoCon Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) in the fall on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. This multidisciplinary conference brings together approximately 150 student presenters from all ten colleges/universities of the SoCon for a two-day event that features projects in the arts and humanities, as well as the STEM disciplines.
SURF is an awesome opportunity for all students involved in research and creative activities, particularly for those involved in these activities from the summer, to display their accomplishments in a variety of small, welcoming venues. Please note that there is no registration fee, and standard conference expenses will be covered by the university upon acceptance. The SoCon will provide meals for most of the conference.
This year the SURF conference will be held October 4-5, 2024 at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The application form is now open! Click on the grey button below.
Application form closes on September 9, 2024.
Students will be notified of acceptance to present at SURF 2024 mid-September.
For questions and inquiries about this conference, please contact Suzanne Melton, Research Programs Coordinator, at scmelton@wcu.edu or Dr. Robert Youker, Associate Professor of Biology, at rtyouker@email.wcu.edu
Related Information
Deposit Your Scholarly Work to NC DOCKS!
What is NC DOCKS?
NC DOCKS is the institutional repository shared by 11 UNC system schools. It houses
faculty and student scholarship such as journal articles, theses, and research posters.
Why Deposit My Work to NC DOCKS?
There are numerous benefits to depositing your work:
- NC DOCKS is crawled by Google and provides full-text keyword access
- Anyone, anywhere, anytime can see your work - no database subscription required
- Your work will be permanently available through a URL that will never break
- You will have a profile page, which includes statistics that you can add to your resume or CV
What do I Need to do to Deposit My Work?
First talk to your faculty mentor, and if they approve, contact Scottie Kapel in the
Hunter Library at skapel@wcu.edu.
LEARN MORE
Poster Writing Workshops
Are you a Faculty member interested in hosting a poster writing workshop in your course or for your research students?
Email Scottie Kapel from the Hunter Library to request a Poster Writing Workshop tailored to your students!
For independent support in developing research posters for formal presentations please access the Hunter Library Research Guides for more support.