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).
Summer Undergraduate Applied Mathematics Institute (SUAMI)
Deadline: 02/15/2025 (Tentative)The Summer Undergraduate Applied Mathematics Institute (SUAMI) is an eight-week summer research program for undergraduate students interested in applied mathematics hosted by Carnegie Mellon University.
Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM)
Deadline: 02/18/2025 (Tentative)Each year Penn supports undergraduate involvement in faculty research through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM), which provides students completing their first or second undergraduate year the opportunity to spend a summer conducting research with a standing Penn faculty member.
Entry Point
Deadline: 02/19/2025 (Tentative)Entry Point! invites partnerships with industry, university research programs, and government agencies in a mutual effort to place students with disabilities in 10-week, paid internships in opportunities geared toward their skills and interests.
Summer Humanities Internship Program (SHIP)
Deadline: 02/25/2025 (Tentative)Ten-week summer program for students in the College to have an opportunity to work in a cultural, historical, or archival setting. Students receive $5,000 award.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Native American Scholars Initiative Undergraduate Internship
Deadline: 02/28/2025 (Tentative)The Native American Scholars Initiative Undergraduate Summer Internship provides students interested in Native American and Indigenous Studies with hands-on opportunities to conduct research and explore career possibilities in archives and special collections.
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Summer Scholars Program
Deadline: 02/28/2025 (Tentative)The Summer Scholars Program is aimed at providing research opportunities in all aspects of Biological, Biomedical, and Health Research to undergraduates who may be considering applying to graduate (PhD) programs.
Sigma Xi Grant
Deadline: 03/01/2025 (Tentative)The Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research (GIAR) program provides undergraduate and graduate students from a wide variety of disciplines with financial support for scientific research.
South Asia Center Research Internships
Deadline: 03/01/2025 (Tentative)The South Asia Center (SAC) at Penn offers summer research internship placements in South Asia for a variety of different projects.
The Melvin M. Goldberg Undergraduate Fellowship of $5000 for Research in Israel
Deadline: 03/01/2025 (Tentative)The Goldberg Fellowship supports summer travel to perform supervised technical research at one of Israel's universities or research centers.
FBI Honors Internship Program
Deadline: 03/01/2025 (Tentative)The FBI Honors Internship Program is a full-time, 10-week paid summer internship for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral college students and offers exposure to the world’s premiere law enforcement and intelligence agency while also serving as a pipeline for entry-level positions after graduation.