UNC undergraduates are eligible to apply for funding from OUR in order to present their original research at professional conferences (Conference Travel Funding). They are also able to fulfill a Carolina Research Scholar Program requirement by presenting at a professional conference. Please use the following guidelines to determine whether or not the conference you plan to attend would be considered a “professional conference.” If you feel that your conference does not meet these criteria but is still a “professional” conference for some reason, please email our@unc.edu.

Professional Conference Guidelines

• The conference should be sponsored by a professional organization or academic institution.
• The conference should not be specially designated for students (either undergraduate or graduate). This is usually stated in the call for papers or the call for abstracts.
• A student participant must present in the same way that a professional participant would present.
• The student participant must be invited to present at the conference.
• Additionally, the research conducted must be associated with UNC Chapel Hill and UNC faculty.

Examples of Professional Conferences

• American Sociological Association Annual Meeting
• Modern Language Association Convention
• American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting
• American Psychological Association Convention