Grants and Writing Resources for Northern Michigan University

In January 2026 four NMU students and recent graduates were named Fulbright semifinalists, out of seven applicants from the university. Three are up for English teaching awards in South Korea, Bulgaria and Spain. The fourth, a business master's student, is a candidate for a study and research award in Finland.

Paid Research for Undergraduates

First-year students can start early. The Freshman Fellowship Program places up to 20 students a year as assistants on faculty research projects, usually for three to four hours a week, with an award of up to $1,000 paid by the hour. The program began in 1995 with five fellows.

The Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program is open to undergraduates in any major and at any level. The cohort with projects running from summer 2027 to summer 2028 has 10 fellows, who are paid a minimum of $2,000 to carry out the research in their proposals and then present it at the Celebration of Student Scholarship.

Grants for Projects and Travel

The Spooner Student Research Grant, funded by the endowment of the late Charles C. Spooner, gives full-time undergraduate and graduate students with at least a 3.0 GPA up to $500 for a supervised research project. The money can pay for supplies, publication costs and lab analysis, and requests for travel to present an accepted paper or exhibit at a scholarly meeting are considered. Students enroll in a related course, such as Special Topics, Directed Study or Thesis, during the award period.

Graduate students working through the summer can apply for the Excellence in Education Award, which pays $1,500 plus one credit of graduate tuition for scholarly or creative work that results in a tangible product. A student can hold it twice during a graduate program. The Office of Sponsored Programs also lists a Student Technology Innovation Award among its internal student grants, at $750 for the 2027 cycle.

Fellowships, Presentations and Prizes

Graduate Studies lists two fellowships on its funding page. The Future Faculty Fellowship, part of the King-Chavez-Parks Initiative the Michigan Legislature created in 1986, provides up to $20,000 toward a master's degree in exchange for a service obligation. The Rural Leadership Fellowship covers full tuition and fees for three fellows a year headed for rural economic development and public sector careers, and fellows are also paid for the applied learning work.

In NMU's Three Minute Thesis, graduate students explain original research to a general audience with one static slide. For the 2026-2027 competition, first place pays $750 and a trip to the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools competition; the runner-up receives $450. The annual Celebration of Student Scholarship recognizes undergraduate and graduate work in all disciplines. Its 30th edition, held in Jamrich Hall in April 2026, added film, readings, round tables and performances to the posters and 10-minute talks.

Writing Help, Journals and the Thesis

The NMU Writing Center, on the main floor of the Olson Library Learning Commons, offers free one-on-one tutoring in person and online, with no limit on sessions. Writers are expected to be present and take part in each session. Graduate students and faculty work with a graduate assistant on grant applications, journal articles and thesis projects.

The English Department's publications include Ore Ink Review, NMU's official undergraduate literary journal, and Passages North, an annual journal of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction published since 1979.

Master's theses follow the Graduate Studies Guide to the Preparation of Theses and a thesis template. Writers upload to the NMU Commons, Graduate Studies reviews formatting and asks for any revisions, and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research approves the thesis for posting. Theses also go to the ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global database at no charge. A thesis that used human or animal subjects needs a copy of the IRB or IACUC approval before the Dean will sign off.

Before a thesis goes into the Commons for format review, our editors can give it a last pass for grammar, consistency and format, and they read course papers as well. See our Northern Michigan University dissertation and thesis editing and Northern Michigan University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• The Secret to Better Grades: Starting Your Writing Process Early
• Navigating the IRB: Ethical Oversight as a Structural Requirement
• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter