XR Club

About

The XR Club at UMD is a social and academic community exploring extended reality technology. Members are welcome to come into our lab and make full use of our resources in a relaxed, open environment. We host workshops, info sessions, and community events throughout the year. At our core, we create opportunities for students of all backgrounds and experience levels, connecting them with corporate partners and professors to gain hands-on experience building beautiful, immersive experiences.

20+ Active Projects

We offer 20+ hands on XR development and research projects, many with corporate sponsors or faculty mentors. There's no competitive application process, we encourage freshmen and sophomores to apply! Projects are organized by level to support growth.

Gateway

Gain hands on experience working in a team environment with the most freedom.

Intermediate

Work on projects involving corporate sponsors with a bigger commitment.

Advanced

Collaborate with professors on projects that include a research component.

XR Creators

XR Creators are at the core of our membership. They are engineers, designers, and risk-takers who refuse to settle for what they've built and push themselves to create something greater. Whether you're a freshman with no experience but a strong drive to learn, or a senior with extensive experience, you're welcome here.

As an XR Creator, you can propose your own projects and request the resources or equipment needed to bring them to life. Note that new project proposals may undergo a more rigorous review than applications to join existing projects.

Apply Now

Explore a walkthrough of "Nyctophobia Simulator", created by Dinushka Jagodige '28, Ricky Jiang '29, Oliver Blevins '29, and Ronit Munshi '29 entirely from scratch using VIRNECT's exclusive software.

Ricky Jiang's testimony on working with VIRNECT with minimal prior coding experience.

Members & Alumni

History

Brendan Iribe, a UMD alum, co founded Oculus, one of the most influential VR companies. He later donated generously to the university's CS program, helping shape our beautiful computer science building but also supporting the rise of XR CLUB

Fun fact: when our lab space was at risk, a club member reached out to Brendan Iribe who advocated for the club to the CS department!

What is the XR Lab?

Need a place to unwind with some VR games like Beat Saber after a long day of classes? Want access to powerful machines to build your latest AR/VR project, or help troubleshooting something you're stuck on? Maybe you just want to brainstorm ideas and talk about where XR is headed with other members.

If any of that sounds like you, stop by the XR Lab (AVW 4176) during Open Lab Hours, it's your space to explore, build, relax, and connect. The lab is equipped with a range of headsets and development machines.

Galen Stetsyuk '18

Founder of XR Club

The XR Club was founded in 2015 by Galen Stetsyuk, a computer science major who at the time also founded MPLEX VR, an entertainment virtual reality company. Since then, the club has grown to over 1000 members and earned its own dedicated lab space in AVW. We're continuing to expand, grow our community, and push toward an even bigger future for the lab.

Events

The XR Club hosts several events throughout the year and often partners with major student organizations. Our flagship event is our project demo presentation, where teams showcase their work. We're also in the middle of organizing a hackathon in partnership with IXA Alliance.

Past highlights include Mini Demo Day, TerpCon 2026, KAMECON 2026, and the UMD Gaming LAN. We also run workshops and occasional Beat Saber tournaments. Join our Discord to stay updated on upcoming events!

Discord