Financial Aid
FER Home : Undergraduates : Financial Aid
Financial aid to undergraduates in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources (FER) is available through a variety of sources, including FER itself, the College of Natural Resources, affiliated foundations, NC State University and industry-sponsored programs.
Undergraduate scholarships offered by the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources (FER) are granted to eligible students enrolled in the following FER majors: Forest Management; Environmental Technology; Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; Natural Resources Ecosystem Assessment; Natural Resources, Policy and Administration; and Watershed Hydrology.
Click here to download a pdf of FER Undergraduate Scholarship Application.
Awards include the following types of scholarships and work/study programs:
Academic Scholarships
Each year, a total of about 50 academic scholarships are awarded to FER undergraduates. About 35 of these are scholarships being renewed for current recipients, and about 15 are newly awarded to students filing scholarship applications. Academic scholarships are typically awarded to students who have demonstrated strong academic achievement. For incoming freshmen, a high school grade point average of at least 3.5 and a total SAT score of 1150 or more are usually required. For transfer students and current students at NC State, a total grade point average of at least 3.2 is typically required.
The dollar value of most academic scholarships ranges between $4,000 and $5,000 per academic year, although some — including the William R. Poole Scholarship — provide significantly more. One-half of the total scholarship amount is available each semester. Academic scholarships are renewable annually for a maximum of four years, provided the recipient demonstrates high professional standards and continues to make superior progress towards their degree.
In addition to academic scholarships awarded by FER, talented students double majoring in Forest Management and any major offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences may apply to be a Gifford Pinchot Scholar, provided they meet the eligibility criteria. Students interested in forestry and international relations or political science may find this scholarship especially attractive. The Pinchot Scholars Program is limited to a small number of highly qualified and motivated students. For more information, contact FER's Dr. Erin Sills.
Endowed Scholarships
Endowed scholarships are available to help students in specific FER majors. Most are based on academic achievement, professional promise, leadership potential and financial need. These annual scholarships are supported by the endowments listed below:
- T. Clyde & Sally Watts Auman
- William J. Barton and Alexander Calder, Jr.
- John M. and Sally Blalock Beard
- Class of 1960
- Felton F. Coley
- Edwin F. Conger
- Crescent Resources/Duke Energy Scholarship for Sustainable Forestry
- Robert E. Dorward
- J.P. Harper/T.G. Harris/Chesapeake Corporation
- Sam Hughes
- G. Eddie Jackson
- Larry and Elsie Jervis
- Jimmy Jones/Hofmann Forest
- R.B. and Irene Jordan
- Leonard Kilian/National Association of State Foresters
- William R. Poole Scholarship of Distinction
- Donald and Jean Steensen
- Jonathan Wainhouse Memorial
- Camp Younts Foundation
In addition, about 35 academic scholarship awards are supported annually by timber sale receipts from the Goodwin and Hofmann forests managed by the North Carolina Forestry Foundation.
Bull Neck Swamp Scholarship
NEW for Fall 2007, the Bull Neck Swamp Scholarship provides $2,000/semester ($4,000 annually) to a qualified Fisheries and Wildlife undergraduate student filing scholarship applications. This scholarship will be awarded to students who have demonstrated strong academic achievement. For incoming freshmen, a high school grade point average of at least 3.5 and a total SAT score of 1150 are required. For transfer students and current students at NC State, a total grade point average of at least 3.2 is required.
Contact Dr. Christopher DePerno (chris_deperno@ncsu.edu) for more information on Bull Neck Swamp Research Forest and this scholarship.
Work Scholarships
Work scholarships provide students with paid job opportunities that help defray the cost of school while providing experience in a relevant field. Recipients usually work on one of the college-owned forests, most often on Saturdays, performing routine forest management activities such as timber sale preparation, stand mapping, road and boundary line maintenance, preparing for thinnings, crop tree release cuttings and wildlife enhancement projects. Because knowledge of forest management is required, most recipients are juniors or seniors studying forest management, natural resources or fisheries and wildlife sciences. A total grade point average of at least 2.5 is required to receive a work scholarship. FER work scholarship recipients are currently paid at the rate of $18 per hour until they have earned a total of $3600 per semester. They are renewable, provided the recipient maintains a total grade point average of at least 2.5 and is a dependable and productive worker.
The number of available work scholarships varies each year. However, each year, about four work scholarship awards are supported by endowments funded by the Biltmore Forest, George K. Slocum and Dan S. Spears endowments. In addition, eight work scholarship awards are usually supported annually by timber sale receipts from the James L. Goodwin Forest.
Summer Camp Scholarships
Summer camp scholarships help students defray the cost of attending NC FER's wildlife or forestry summer camp. The dollar value of summer camp scholarships currently ranges between $500 and $1500. Some awards are based on financial need, academic achievement or participation in student clubs. Others are provided by outside organizations related to specific fields. A total grade-point average of at least 2.5 is required.
Summer camp scholarships are not renewable, and about five scholarships are awarded annually. These awards are supported by the following endowments:
- Friends of the Forest
- Hare/Hofmann/Huff Champion Timberlands
- Ralph C. Bryant
- Victor W. Herlevich
- T. E. Maki-Thomas Gemmer-William Johnson
Industrial Scholarships
There are many forestry and environmental industry scholarships available to help students pursuing careers in these areas. These include the Budweiser Conservation Scholarship, the American Fisheries Society Scholarship and more. Others are sponsored by specific companies, particularly in forestry, and provide recipients with a grant toward tuition plus summer employment with the sponsoring timber company. Summer work assignments generally involve assisting professional foresters with wood procurement or silviculture.
Because of the need for technical skills during summer employment, industrial scholarships are limited to juniors or seniors studying forest management. A total grade point average of at least 2.5 is required. The dollar value of industrial scholarships is currently $4000 for tuition and about $8 to $10 per hour during the period of summer employment.
The three major industrial scholarships currently available include one annual award each from the Georgia-Pacific Corporation. H. Don Smith — Canal Wood Corporation and T. Nelson Squires Timber Company.
Special Scholarships
FER has a strong desire to help students who show promise, but have not yet performed at the academic level achieved by typical scholarship recipients. Students who would like to qualify for a special scholarship should apply for an academic scholarship or a work scholarship, then attach a letter with documentation, if possible, explaining why their achievements are not indicative of their true potential. Recipients of special scholarships are expected to bring their grades up and qualify for a regular academic scholarships within one or two years.
For More Information
For more information on FER undergraduate scholarships, please contact:
Dr. Richard Braham
Department of Forestry
Campus Box 8002
NC State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8002
Phone: 919-515-7568
Richard_Braham@ncsu.edu
Other Funding Sources
University Undergraduate Research Scholarships and College of Natural Resources Undergraduate Research Grants both provide stipends to help students fund summer or on-going research projects.
Financial support at NC State is also administered through a number of University Financial Aid programs, and there are other scholarships and work-study opportunities that exist solely for the use of CNR students.
In addition, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Scholarships may be available to students majoring in fields that overlap with FER’s coursework, such as wildlife management or fisheries sciences.
