FAQs
What are the eligibility requirements to apply to NCRC 2025?
Applicants must be enrolled as an undergraduate (freshman through senior) in a college or university at the time of the conference.
What are the application deadlines?
Applications for the priority cycle will be due on December 9th, 2024, and regular cycle applications will be due on December 16th, 2024. A late fee will be enforced for applications submitted after December 16th; applications will not be accepted after December 23rd.
Will the conference be virtual or in-person?
Our current plan is to have NCRC 2025 be a hybrid conference, with in-person attendees at Harvard's campus in Cambridge, Mass. Those planning to present their research in our poster symposium are required to be in-person. Virtual attendees will not be able to present, but have the opportunity to participate in our numerous keynotes and panels presentations.
What are the fees involved in attending NCRC 2025?
The application fee is $20 which is included on the form. If accepted, there will also be a $20 participant fee for virtual attendees (non-presenters only) and $130 participant fee for in-person attendees (either presenters or non-presenters).
If this poses a financial barrier to you, please email vp@hcura.org with an explanation of why you are requesting a fee waiver.
Can I receive a refund?
At this time, we are unable to provide refunds to applicants.
Must I have conducted previous research in order to attend NCRC?
No! All undergraduates, regardless of whether or not they have conducted previous research, may apply to NCRC. If you wish to apply to NCRC without a research project, you may indicate that in the application form, and you will not be required to submit an abstract. If accepted, you will not present in the poster fair. That being said, the majority of participants in the past have conducted research previously, but it is certainly not a prerequisite to attending NCRC, and many students who have attended without presenting a poster have found the experience still to be immensely worthwhile.
Am I required to present a poster? I haven’t been able to conduct as much research this year because of the pandemic.
No! We are welcoming non-presenters, as we understand that there have been significant barriers to conducting research. While most participants welcome the opportunity to present their research and receive feedback on their research (each poster presenter receives feedback from a Harvard-affiliated faculty member, graduate student, or postdoctoral fellow), you are not required to. If you do not wish to present a poster, please apply as a "non-presenter" in your application.
Can I apply as a plenary speaker if I apply as a "non-presenter"?
No, all plenary speakers must also present poster and must submit an abstract in their application.
Can I apply if I don’t go to college in the US?
Yes; we are accepting students from international universities!
With how many projects can we apply to NCRC 2025?
Applicants may only apply once to NCRC 2025 with one research project.
What academic disciplines does NCRC cater to? Can I apply if I am conducting research in the humanities or in an interdisciplinary field?
Absolutely yes! NCRC prides itself on being a multidisciplinary research conference—we believe that one of the most compelling learning experiences results when students from myriad academic fields come together to share their interests and work. Our speakers and programming will come from a variety of research fields.
Is there financial aid available?
Because we are a undergraduate student-run conference and not a for-profit organization, we are only able to provide financial assistance for application and participation fees. Contact vp@hcura.org with an explanation for requiring a fee waiver. Unfortunately, we will be unable to provide support for hotel and travel costs.
Do you provide support for travel costs?
Because we are a undergraduate student-run conference and not a for-profit organization, we are unfortunately unable to offer financial support for travel costs at the current time. We do try to setup discounts with nearby hotels, and this information will be sent to attendees as soon as they become available.
What are plenary speakers?
At NCRC 2025, our 3 plenary sessions will each feature four plenary speakers, who will present their research to a large audience of their peers. Plenary speakers are considered the most experienced undergraduate researchers, and they are given a special distinction in our conference. There is no separate application for plenaries; applicants may indicate on the application that they would like to be considered for the plenary selection, and we will inform those who are chosen in our decisions. However, the plenary process is very competitive, as we will only be selecting 12 plenary speakers.
When should I expect to hear back regarding application decisions?
We will be releasing application decisions near the end of December.
Can I apply as a group project?
Yes! Groups that have contributed to a single research project should submit one singular application and indicate in the abstract that it is a group effort. Upon acceptance, we will ask that each participant submit a registration form and pay the registration fee independently.
Contact Us
Please direct your questions, comments, and concerns accordingly.
NCRC application confirmation/payments: vp@hcura.org
NCRC programming/events: programming@hcura.org
Other concerns: president@hcura.org