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).
Department of Religious Studies Awards
Deadline: 03/18/2025 (Tentative)The Department of Religious Studies offers a number of prizes to stimulate excellent student research, such as the Ibn Sina Prize, the Israel Goldstein Prize, the Merle Saunders Schaff Memorial Prize, and the Ann Matter Prize.
Wolf Humanities Center
Deadline: 03/20/2025 (Tentative)The Wolf Humanities Center awards several Undergraduate Humanities Research Fellowships each year to further undergraduate research in the humanities.
Thune Summer Travel Fellowship Fund
Deadline: 03/20/2025 (Tentative)Funding for History of Art majors and minors to support summer travel as part of honors thesis research in the History of Art.
José Miguel Oviedo Undergraduate Student Paper Award
Deadline: 03/22/2025 (Tentative)The José Miguel Oviedo Undergraduate Student Paper Award is given annually to the best paper in Latin American and Latino Studies written by an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania.
Joseph Warner Yardley Prize
Deadline: 03/24/2025 (Tentative)The Yardley Prize is awarded to the best thesis on political economy written by a member of the senior class in any undergraduate school at Penn.
Bodek Prize for Research on Interracial and Interfaith Relations
Deadline: 03/24/2025 (Tentative)The Gordon Bodek Prize will be awarded annually to a student in any of the undergraduate departments and schools at Penn for the best paper addressing issues of interracial and interfaith relations.
Rose Award
Deadline: 03/24/2025 (Tentative)The Rose Foundation generously funds the Rose Undergraduate Research Award recognizing outstanding undergraduate research projects completed by graduating seniors under the supervision of a Penn faculty member.
Carroll Smith-Rosenberg Senior Thesis Award in Women's Studies
Deadline: 03/25/2025 (Tentative)Annual award for a superior senior thesis paper in the field of Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies.
Jewish Studies Administered Research Awards
Deadline: 03/25/2025 (Tentative)Each fall and spring the Jewish Studies Program offers Goldfein Research Awards, Brenner Special Opportunity Awards, and Schwartz Awards to both undergraduate and graduate Penn students to cover research projects and study programs in or related to Jewish studies.
Center for the Advanced Study of India
Deadline: 03/25/2025 (Tentative)The Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) offers several opportunities for Penn students, including the Summer Internship Program in India and summer research funds.