Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (URSCA)

In keeping with the University's mission to foster opportunities for student-faculty scholarship, the Honors College offers undergraduates the opportunity to apply for competitive funding to promote their research, scholarship, and creative activities.

Much of the research and creative activity that has been funded has gone on to be presented at regional and national meetings in the students' respective discipline or at meetings of the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Each year, the Honors College sponsors over 20 students' attendance at the annual NCUR meeting.

Applicant must be an undergraduate student in good standing with a minimum 3.00 GPA and enrolled full-time for the current semester AND the semester in which the research/creative activity is to be conducted.  Research must be completed and the summary reflection submitted to the Honors College prior to the end of the semester following the one for which the grant was awarded.

Applications for the Fall 2013 cycle of funding have now closed.  Please check back to this page, or the Honors College, in the fall for funding effective Spring 2014 and beyond.

Faculty mentors are required to submit an URSCA Faculty Sponsor Form by the deadline in order for their student's project to be considered.

Award Information

All awards made by the University are first applied to a student’s account.  If a student has a balance, then the award is applied to that balance.  Award amounts not used to pay off a student’s balance will be refunded.  Direct deposit is the recommended method for receiving a refund because it will allow students quicker access to their funds.

In order to receive the award in a timely manner, even if the student is off campus, students are strongly encouraged to use Direct Deposit.

In order to sign up for direct deposit, complete the EFT authorization form, attach a voided check and send to the Student Accounts Office. If you have any questions, contact the Student Accounts Office at 217-581-3715.

If a refund is not issued, it must be direct deposited or it will be mailed to the local address. Please print and return this EFT authorization form.

The reflection (guidelines) must be submitted to the Dean of the Honors College by the end of the semester in which it was awarded: for example, if your award is for spring semester research, the Summary Reflection must be submitted by the last day of classes that spring semester.  If the research, scholarship, or creative activity is still not completed at this time, please submit an interim progress report addressing as many of the required topics as possible. Failure to submit a Summary Reflection may result in the refusal of future awards and may result in a hold being placed on your records. The Summary Reflection is required in order to maintain an account of past recipients and to identify the actual use of award monies.

While the Honors College has been able to internally fund undergraduate students, there are also external funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, which offer other opportunities to the students.  For example, the NSF-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) offers opportunities that range from paid research positions to internships.