Undergraduates

Promo Area

One of FER's most enduring traditions is to honor outstanding faculty with endowments in their name — allowing them to continue to contribute to their beloved fields by providing up-and-coming leaders with the financial assistance they need.

For example, when Fisheries & Wildlife Professor Dr. Phil Doerr, shown above, retired in January 2007, over 100 people attended a reception to celebrate his legacy and to kick off an endowment fund in his name administered through the North Carolina Forestry Foundation. Over $7,000 was raised for the endowment at the event.

The endowment will be used to fund an annual award to assist undergrad or graduate students in gaining valuable field experience.

Key Contacts

Richard Braham
Undergraduate Scholarships

Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Campus Box 8002
NC State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8002
Phone: 919-515-7568
richard_braham@ncsu.edu

Sydna Willis
Undergraduate Program Assistant

Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Phone: 919-515-7560
sydna_willis@ncsu.edu

Financial Aid

FER Home : Undergraduates : Financial Aid

Financial aid to undergraduates in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

is available through a variety of sources, including:

To receive a departmental undergraduate scholarship, students must be full-time, undergraduate students enrolled in one of the following Forestry and Environmental Resources majors:

Download a pdf version of the FER Undergraduate Scholarship Application

Download a Word version of the FER Undergraduate Scholarship Application

(application updated September 2011)

Awards include the following types of scholarships and work/study programs:

Academic Scholarships

Each year, about 50 academic scholarships that range from $4,000-$6,000 are awarded to FER undergraduates. About 35 of these are renewed for current scholarship recipients, and about 15 are presented as new awards for students filing scholarship applications. Academic scholarships are typically awarded to students who have met the following eligibility requirements. 

For incoming freshmen:

For transfer and current NC State students:

These scholarships offer one-half of the total scholarship amount per semester, and they are renewable for a maximum of three additional years based on continued demonstration of high professional standards and superior progress towards degree requirements. 

Students double majoring in any Forestry and Environmental Resources major and any College of Humanities and Social Sciences major may apply to be a Gifford Pinchot Scholar.  The Pinchot Scholars Program is limited to a small number of highly qualified and motivated students. For more information, contact Dr. Erin Sills.

Endowed Scholarships

Endowed scholarships are available to 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 following endowments:

Work Scholarships

Work scholarships provide sophomores, juniors, and seniors with paid job opportunities along with relevant field experience.  Recipients usually work on one of the college-owned forests performing routine forest management tasks 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, wildlife, and conservation biology. A GPA minimum of 2.5 is required.  FER work scholarship recipients are currently paid $18 per hour until they earn a total of $4032, and recipients must be willing to work on Saturdays. These scholarships are renewable based on continued demonstration of high professional standards and maintaining a GPA minimum of 2.5.

The number of available work scholarships varies 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 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. Awards are based on financial need, academic achievement and/or participation in student clubs. Others are provided by outside organizations related to specific fields. A total GPA of at least 2.5 is required, and these are not renewable.

About ten scholarships are awarded annually, and these awards are supported by the following endowments:

Industrial Scholarships

Because of the need for technical skills during summer employment, industrial scholarships are limited to juniors or seniors studying forest management. A total GPA minimum of 2.5 is required. The dollar value of industrial scholarships is currently $1000 for tuition and recipients earn $8 to $10 per hour during summer employment. The three major industrial scholarships currently available include: Georgia-Pacific Corporation, H. Don Smith — Canal Wood Corporation, and T. Nelson Squires Timber Company.

Special Scholarship

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 year.

For More Information:

Richard Braham
Undergraduate Scholarships Director

Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Campus Box 8002
NC State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8002
Phone: 919-515-7568
richard_braham@ncsu.edu