What opportunities are open to me?
There are many opportunities for Penn undergraduates to conduct research in any discipline—regardless of their previous experience. Research positions can be:
- Volunteer
- Arranged through work-study
- Paid -- funded directly through a faculty member’s grant or via a program that provides a stipend
- Conducted for academic credit, or
- Supported via a grant for which you apply.
Keep in mind that funding options are often specific to particular kinds of research, fields of study, grad year, etc. In addition, most (but not all) CURF funding is reserved for research conducted under the mentorship of a Penn faculty member.
Use the list below to identify research programs, grants and opportunities at Penn, elsewhere in the US and abroad. While CURF strives to maintain a thorough and up-to-date website, these listings are not comprehensive and students are encouraged to conduct their own funding searches.
What grants should I apply for?
The Penn Undergraduate Research Mentorship (PURM) program is ideal for first and second-year students who have little to no prior research experience. For more advanced researchers, the College Alumni Society Research Grant, the Vagelos Undergraduate Research Grant, and the Class of 1971 Robert J. Holtz Endowed Fund for Undergraduate Research are good places to start.
Other options are often specific to particular populations or kinds of research (e.g. grants for international research, social-impact endeavors, or for juniors who have not done research before).
CHOP Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP)
Deadline: 01/31/2025 (Tentative)The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Research Institute Summer Scholars Program (CRISSP) is a 10-week competitive summer internship program for undergraduate students interested in careers in the biomedical sciences.
Penn Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium
Deadline: 01/31/2025 (Tentative)The Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium facilitates faculty- and doctoral student-mentored, urban-focused research through funding support and a semester-long, credit-bearing seminar (CPLN 528/URBS 428).
EPFL School of Life Sciences International Summer Research Program
Deadline: 01/31/2025 (Tentative)The Summer Research Program in Life Sciences and Technology at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) offers an intensive research training opportunity to undergraduate students interested in research careers in life sciences.
Harvard-Amgen Scholars Program
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)The Amgen Scholars Program at Harvard is a summer research opportunity for undergraduates interested in biotechnology.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program at UT Southwestern’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is an intensive summer research training experience designed for college students who are preparing for Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. careers in biomedical research.
National Radio Astronomy Summer Research Assistantships
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)Summer research opportunity for students interested in conducting cutting-edge astronomical research at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Green Bank Observatory.
Summer Research - Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)SR-EIP is a fully paid summer internship that provides undergraduates with training and mentoring in the principles underlying the conduct of research and prepares them to pursue competitive applications to PhD or MD-PhD programs.
Leonard Davis Institute Summer Undergraduate Minority Research Institute
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)The Leonard Davis Institute Summer Undergraduate Minority Research Program provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to receive a stipend to conduct health services research on a topic of their choice, under the guidance of Penn faculty.
Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) Summer Internship Program
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) is offering a summer internship program for highly motivated undergraduates, providing education and hands-on research experience in the field of neuroscience.
The Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)The LRSM offers undergraduates interested in materials science and engineering research with Summer Research Fellowships through the National Science Foundation.