Grants and Writing Resources for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Two drama juniors took first place in performing arts at the April 2026 Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo. Two more juniors placed third in their categories. One, a computer science major, did computational work on schizophrenia risk variants. The other, in arts administration, studied the value of an Asheville Ballet production of The Nutcracker.

The Expo and Undergraduate Grants

Any currently enrolled undergraduate who has worked on a project with a faculty mentor can apply to present at the Carolyn & Norwood Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo. The work can come from a course, an independent study or volunteer research, and unfinished projects qualify. Posters are open to every major. Dance, theatre and music majors can perform instead, and visual arts majors can exhibit. Judging is optional, and only students who opt in can win the first, second and third place prizes, which include money.

Faculty mentors apply for Undergraduate Research and Creativity Awards on a student's behalf. An award pays up to $2,500 for each summer session or up to $1,500 for a fall or spring semester, for at most two periods, and can go to project costs or a stipend. First-year, transfer and part-time students qualify, there is no GPA minimum, and every awardee presents at the Expo. Students accepted to present at a conference, exhibit or performance venue can also apply to the URSCO Travel Fund, which reimburses registration, flights, hotels and meals against receipts.

Graduate Competitions

The Graduate School's Graduate Research and Creativity Showcase reached its 15th year in 2026. It is a poster competition, and the 2026 winners were named in four categories, among them health sciences and the natural, physical and mathematical sciences. Each presenter talks for seven to nine minutes and then takes questions from the judges. The Graduate School asks for jargon-free talks that people outside the field can follow. Awards are posted to the winner's student account, and 2026 winners could take their work to Graduate Education Day at the state legislature in Raleigh.

Thesis and dissertation students can also enter Three Minute Thesis. Speakers get one static slide and no props. The 2026 competition paid $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for People's Choice, and the winner may compete in the regional round at the Council of Southern Graduate Schools meeting, with the Graduate School paying for travel and lodging.

Graduate School Fellowships

Departments nominate new full-time doctoral students for the Alumni-Excellence-Hayes Fellowships, which carry a stipend of at least $22,000 and a year of full tuition remission. The same office runs the Lyon Fellowship for new or continuing graduate students in any program, the Lula Martin McIver Fellowship for outstanding students whose presence contributes to inclusiveness at UNCG, and the Weil Fellowship for UNCG graduates starting a master's or doctoral program.

Two more awards have narrower aims. Faculty nominate doctoral and MFA students for the Summer Research Fellowship. A student who wins a large outside award that pays less than current funding can receive a Bridge Fellowship, with the Graduate School covering the difference.

Writing Support, Theses and Coraddi

The Communication Lab works on speaking and writing projects with students, faculty and staff, in one-on-one and group sessions booked through TracCloud. For graduate students, the Graduate School's writing resources add the lab's Advanced Author Support Program, which pairs the author of a long project with one consultant, along with peer-led writing groups and boot camps where faculty consultants help with literature reviews, proposals and dissertation outlines.

Theses and dissertations go to the Graduate School through its online submission system and are checked in a format review against the required Word or LaTeX template. Under the catalog rules for thesis students, every approved thesis is published through ProQuest and NC DOCKS.

Students publish poetry, fiction, scripts, photography and visual art in Coraddi, a student-led fine arts and literary magazine. Students of the State Normal and Industrial College put out its first issue in 1897, and it took the name Coraddi, from the Cornelian, Adelphian and Dikeian literary societies, in 1919.

A thesis headed for format review, or a paper headed for a class, can go to our editors first for a final edit of grammar, consistency and format. See our UNC Greensboro dissertation and thesis editing and UNC Greensboro essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• How to Write an Analytical Essay: Analysis vs. Interpretation
• Literature Synthesis: Moving Beyond the Summary toward Authority
• ProQuest Readiness: The Final Mechanical Audit