What research opportunities are available for undergraduates in Wisconsin universities?

Undergraduates at Wisconsin universities generally have strong access to research, especially at the University of Wisconsin system schools. At UW–Madison, for example, students can join faculty labs, work on independent projects, and apply to structured programs like the Undergraduate Research Scholars program, which supports students through the research process and often includes a thesis or capstone-style final project. Smaller UW campuses also give undergrads real access to faculty-led research because classes and departments tend to be less crowded.

Students in Wisconsin commonly find opportunities in STEM labs, social science research groups, public health projects, and humanities-based archival or field research. At many campuses, the easiest entry points are direct outreach to professors, departmental research programs, and campus-wide undergraduate research offices or symposiums. UW–Madison also has the Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowship, which funds student-faculty research, and many departments have their own hiring or credit-bearing research options.

If you’re comparing Wisconsin schools, the key difference is usually scale rather than access. UW–Madison has the largest research ecosystem, but schools like UW–La Crosse, UW–Eau Claire, UW–Oshkosh, and others can be especially approachable if you want closer faculty contact and earlier opportunities to participate.