How do Tulane and USF compare for undergraduate research funding?

The main tradeoff is breadth versus proximity: USF’s larger research enterprise creates more labs, centers, and externally funded projects, while Tulane’s smaller undergraduate population can make it easier to identify a mentor and compete for campus-based support. At both schools, funding is not automatic; many paid positions and grants depend on a faculty member’s project, departmental budget, and the student’s preparation. Neither school limits undergraduate research to honors students, but initiative matters substantially at each.

USF has a dedicated Office for Undergraduate Research and offers structured ways to pursue research, including faculty-mentored projects, presentation opportunities, and competitive funding programs for research expenses. Its scale is a practical advantage in areas such as health sciences, engineering, public health, marine science, psychology, and biomedical research, where faculty commonly operate externally sponsored labs. Students should expect that some opportunities will be paid hourly roles, some will be for academic credit, and some will require applying for a separate research award.

Tulane also has formal undergraduate research support through Newcomb-Tulane College and its academic enrichment infrastructure, including grants and programs that can support faculty-mentored research, creative work, conference participation, and project-related expenses. Tulane’s strengths are especially visible in public health, medicine-adjacent fields, environmental work, neuroscience, social sciences, and New Orleans-focused community research. Because Tulane is smaller, students may find it more realistic to build a close relationship with a professor early, which can lead to funded work even when a posted program is not available.