NCUR

IMPORTANT: Students planning to present visual arts or performances should contact SRCEL in advance to make alternative travel arrangements. The group is not scheduled to arrive until AFTER these presentations occur on Monday, April 7.

Steps to follow:

1. Write your abstract and review it with your faculty mentor. 
2. Submit your abstract to NCUR using their online site by the deadline. (A timeline is listed under the Important Dates & Deadlines tab.) Be sure to use the Undergraduate Research Office Coordinator Information listed here, which is also specified in the informational email you will receive from SRCEL. Contact the office if you have any questions. Failure to enter this information correctly could result in you NOT being eligible for UWL support.
3. Once we have confirmation for submitted abstracts, SRCEL will invite those students to submit a recording of a "quick pitch" of their research project. Note: if you have not entered the correct information for the Undergraduate Research Office Coordinator, we may not have your information in time for you to be invited to submit a "quick pitch." You must submit a quick pitch video to srcel@uwlax.edu to be considered to have your attendance funded by SRCEL.
4. The URCC will choose which UWL students will attend.
5. SRCEL will then notify the selected students in mid-January. Only the selected students can register for the conference. 

NOTE: If your abstract is approved by NCUR and selected by the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Committee, your registration and travel expenses (flight, ground transportation, and hotel) will be covered by SRCEL. NCUR registration includes light breakfast and lunch; you will be responsible for dinner and other expenses.

Selection Guidelines

1. We expect to fund at least 14 students' registration and travel to NCUR. Students will be selected based on the overall quality of the research project, a presentation made to the URCC, and considerations listed below (items 3 though 7).
2. Recording of presentations will be "quick pitch" style. Students will have 3 minutes to describe their project.
3. A maximum of one student author per accepted abstract will be funded by the SRCEL office unless there are an unexpectedly low number of applicants (in this case, more than one author may be invited by SRCEL). Student authors should decide amongst themselves which author will present at NCUR.
4. Priority will be given to students who have not previously received funding for travel to present their results. Prior NCUR funding does not eliminate a student from consideration but reduces the likelihood of being selected in cases where there are more applicants than SRCEL can fund. 
5. Priority will be given to seniors, then to juniors, then to sophomores, then to first years. 
6. Effort will be made to ensure that there is a distribution of students selected across and within academic departments and programs.  
7. Priority will be given to students that followed UWL registration guidelines, including entering the correct Undergraduate Research Office Coordinator Information and submitting a quick pitch video to SRCEL. Note: this person and their contact information will be determined on an annual basis. Please refer to the email you received from SRCEL regarding NCUR registration. Failure to follow UWL registration guidelines may result in disqualification from receiving SRCEL travel support to attend NCUR.
8. Final URCC selections will be announced in mid-January after NCUR has made their abstract determinations. SRCEL can only send students whose abstracts are accepted into the conference. Only students who are selected by SRCEL will be invited to register and have their fees covered.

Important Dates & Deadlines for NCUR 2025

The 39th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research will be hosted by Council on Undergraduate Research from April 13-15. SRCEL-hosted transportation to the conference will occur on Monday, April 13, and return students to campus on Thursday, April 16. Please note that this means missing four days of classes. You should determine whether or not this is feasible before committing to attend the conference. If requested by your instructor(s), SRCEL can provide a written request to excuse you from class(es).

Timeline for NCUR 2026 

Other Opportunities

The Undergraduate Research and Creativity Committee (URCC) is committed to providing UWL students the opportunity to present their research at annual events including NCUR*, the UWs Annual Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creativity, and Research in the Rotunda. The committee has developed guidelines to be used for selecting travel awards to these events. Any student who receives a travel award to attend these events must make a commitment to present at the UWL Research & Creativity Symposium.  

Interested in Graduate School?

The Council on Undergraduate Research hosts a Registry of Undergraduate Researchers that can help you connect with one that matches your interests. There will also be graduate schools tabling at the event.