Grants and Writing Resources for Western Carolina University

HatchThis 2026 gave its entrants 48 hours in March to pitch an idea, form a team and build a venture, with $21,000 in cash and services at stake. A team that included a WCU senior took first place. Second place went to a team led by a construction management alumnus and supported by two current students, and the university reported WCU students or alumni on nearly all of the top eight finalist teams.

The Research and Scholarship Conference

Undergraduates from any discipline enter the Undergraduate Research Exposition with a faculty mentor's approval and an abstract or artist statement of 300 words or fewer. Work can be shown as a poster, an oral talk, a performance, a fine arts exhibit or a Liberal Studies Project. Posters may be judged, with cash prizes for first, second and third place.

Graduate students register for the Graduate Research Symposium, held at the same conference. A faculty panel judges the posters and awards $300 for first and $200 for second. Oral talks run 15 minutes with five minutes of questions, and participants in each session vote for a top presenter, who receives $250.

Project and Travel Grants

Any student or group working with a faculty sponsor can apply for an Academic Project Grant. The grants pay for equipment, supplies and conference travel: up to $750 for an individual proposal, up to $2,000 for group travel, and up to $1,250 for a trip to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. A committee with members from each college, Hunter Library and the Office of Research Administration reviews the proposals. Funds are limited and awarded while they last, and the office advises applying early in the cycle.

For graduate students, the Graduate Student Association's Graduate Student Travel Award reimburses airfare, lodging, mileage and registration up to $500 per person, once per academic year. Applicants need a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Students presenting their work get first priority.

National Awards and the Three Minute Thesis

The Office of National and International Awards works with applicants for Fulbright, Goldwater, Gilman, Truman, Udall and Boren awards, among others, and its awards table gives campus and national deadlines.

Any graduate student, residential or distance, can enter the 3 Minute Thesis Competition. A thesis isn't required; business plans, literature reviews and preliminary research all qualify. First place earns a $500 tuition award and an expenses-paid trip to the Council of Southern Graduate Schools regional round. Second place and People's Choice each earn $250 in tuition credit.

Writing Help and Thesis Submission

The Writing and Learning Commons in the Belk Building offers free one-on-one writing tutoring to students at any level and at any stage of a draft. Students who can't attend a session can book written feedback appointments instead: a tutor spends up to an hour on the draft and returns comments by email, usually within 24 hours.

Theses, disquisitions and dissertations follow the Graduate School's formatting guide and are submitted through ProQuest. Graduate School staff then check the document for format and may return it for required edits, a review that can take several weeks. The thesis and dissertation resources page holds the defense forms, copyright guidance and recorded workshops on ProQuest submission.

Before a thesis goes to ProQuest or a paper goes to a professor, our editors can give it a final check for grammar, consistency and format. Visit our Western Carolina University dissertation and thesis editing and Western Carolina University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• The Secret to Better Grades: Starting Your Writing Process Early
• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• ProQuest Readiness: The Final Mechanical Audit