University Awards and Fellowships
Burch Honors Fellowships
Burch Fellowships provide funding for students to pursue an intense interest beyond the scope of an academic course or a summer internship. The parameters are very broad; the main stipulations are that the project must be an academic endeavor that falls within the University’s mission and that it must be completed within a calendar year from the time undergraduate students at UNC who have completed at least one full semester but not more than six; they do not need to be members of Honors Carolina to apply. For further information, see the Honors Carolina website.
Robinson Honors Fellowships
The Robinson Honors Fellowship provides up to $6,000 to support domestic or international learning experiences for students who propose a program of study wholly focused on some aspect of the history and culture of the West, including Europe and the Mediterranean region, from the 5th century BCE to 1920. The fellowship is open to all Carolina students who meet the eligibility criteria. To be chosen as a Robinson Honors Fellow, an applicant must give convincing evidence of exceptional ability and promise through the application, recommendations, and personal interview. The proposed fellowship experience should be one that will allow the recipients to study the humanities and the ideas that have molded Western society and form the foundation of Western culture. For further information, see the Honors Carolina website.
Francis L. Phillips Travel Scholarship
This award, administered jointly by the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, provides funding for juniors and seniors with a major in the College of Arts and Sciences to engage in individual self-designed and directed international travel experiences for periods ranging from two months to six months. Applicants must be US citizens and have attended a North Carolina high school. Approximately twenty Phillips Scholarships for up to $9,000 each are awarded every year on the basis of a competitive written application and committee interview. For further information, see the Student Affairs website.
Gerald Unks Undergraduate Travel Fellowship
The fellowship, administered by the Division of Student Affairs, is intended to provide an opportunity for the financial support of a student’s personal enrichment and growth through travel. It is not intended to support the expenses of participating in the University’s formal study abroad program, although it may be used to ‘extend’ a student’s participation in that program. The awards are for support of an individual student, traveling either independently or as part of a group, and are intended to support travel for no less than two months and no more than six months. The proposed itinerary can involve anything from independent study for college credit (e.g. European cathedral architecture) to experimental activities (e.g. a bicycle tour of England, Scotland and Wales), but must include a stay of at least four days in London, England. Applicants must be upper-class undergraduates at UNC; a strong preference will be shown to students for whom this will be the initial international multicultural experience. Eight recipients will be selected for awards of up to $2,500. For further information, see the Student Affairs website.
Class of 1938 Fellowship Program
This program, administered by International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), provides awards of $5,000 for summer study abroad projects. Applicants must be US citizens, and sophomores or juniors at UNC-Chapel Hill. The best candidates are those who indicate their interest in an independent study project that is tied to their personal and/or career aspirations and have financial need of scholarship funding to pursue this project. Strong consideration will be given to candidates whose university records demonstrate their seriousness of academic purpose and to students who lack the sufficient funds to pursue the project. For further information, see the ISSS website.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Every year the Office of Undergraduate Research makes at least 60 SURF awards of $3,000 each. Applicants must be full-time undergraduates at UNC in good standing who will be enrolled in both the spring semester prior to and the fall semester after the proposed project; students who have received a SURF award in prvious years are not eligible to apply. Applications are encouraged from all disciplines. SURF recipients are expected to engage in undergraduate research, scholarship, or performance for at least 9 weeks, with a minimum of 20 hours/week during the summer (May-August). SURF projects must be carried out under the supervision of a UNC-Chapel Hill faculty research advisor, and additional collaboration with a postdoctoral fellow or graduate student mentor is encouraged. For further information, see the OUR website.
Taylor and Gold Summer Research Fellowships
The Taylor and Gold Fellowships are part of the SURF program, and all Honors Carolina students who receive a SURF fellowship will be considered. Recipients receive $4,000 grants to work on a faculty-mentored research project during the summer. The fellowships provide opportunities for students to continue work they may already have begun with a faculty mentor, to get a head start on a Senior Honors Thesis, or to travel to distant libraries, labs, or archives that might otherwise be beyond reach. For further information, see the Honors Carolina website.
Office of Undergraduate Research Travel Awards
These awards, of up to $500, provide funding for undergraduate students to present results of their research or creative performance at a professional conference in their field. Applicants must be in good academic standing and have completed their research under the mentorship of a UNC faculty member. For further information, see the OUR website.
The Jon Curtis Student Enrichment Fund
The Student Enrichment Fund (SEF) is a student-led initiative of Student Government and the Carolina Union that provides monthly $200-$600 grants to pursue personal, professional, and academic interests away from Carolina. Grants are awarded without restrictions based on major, course of study, or academic department. The hallmark of the SEF is the Bring it Back program. Grants are an investment made with the expectation that, through their experiences, recipients will expand their knowledge, get inspired, and then share that knowledge and inspiration with their peers. For further information, see the Carolina Internal Funding Database.