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).
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.
Dr. Rosane Rocher Prize for Best Undergraduate Essay in Asian American Studies
Deadline: 03/25/2025 (Tentative)The Dr. Rosane Rocher Prize for Best Undergraduate Essay in Asian American Studies is offered every year for papers submitted from an ASAM course taken during the prior calendar year.
Hayden Scholars
Deadline: 03/29/2025 (Tentative)The Hayden Scholars program aims to build a community of undergraduate researchers in the geosciences at Penn through extra-curricular, independent research experiences affiliated with the Department of Earth and Environmental Science.
Mongolia Field School Program
Deadline: 03/30/2025 (Tentative)The Mongolia Field School Program offers an educational travel experience blending academic insights and discussions with travel experiences that allow participants to interact with local people and locations off the usual tourist track.
Millennium Oceans Prize
Deadline: 03/30/2025 (Tentative)The Millennium Oceans Prize supports students passionate about conserving, protecting, and sustainably using oceans, seas, and marine water and life.
Perry World House Undergraduate Essay Prize
Deadline: 03/31/2025 (Tentative)Perry World House (PWH), the University of Pennsylvania’s hub for global policy research, offers an annual Undergraduate Essay Prize of $1,000 in recognition of outstanding student writing on how policy can be used to tackle global policy challenges.
Seltzer Family Digital Media Awards
Deadline: 04/01/2025 (Tentative)Each award will provide to $1,000 for the purchase of hardware or technology (with nominal spending on software and supplies) for students to use for 1 year to pursue a digital media project.
Holden Furber Undergraduate Writing Prize in South Asia Studies
Deadline: 04/01/2025 (Tentative)Annual award for the best undergraduate essay on any topic related to South Asia.
CAMRA Mellon Fellowship Program
Deadline: 04/03/2025 (Tentative)The CAMRA Mellon Fellowship Program is a three-year program that provides undergraduate students with mentorship and support in the following interrelated areas: (1) the production of multimodal research projects, and (2) applying to and persisting in graduate programs.
LGBTQ & Gender Studies Undergraduate Student Research Expense Grants
Deadline: 04/04/2025 (Tentative)Grants designed to support research-related expenses for undergraduate students working on projects related to LGBTQ and/or gender studies.