- 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).
National Institute on Drug Abuse Summer Research Internship Program
Deadline: 01/06/2025Summer research opportunity for undergraduates interested in learning more about the field of drug abuse and addiction research.
Penn Global Research & Internship Program (GRIP)
Deadline: 01/08/2025The Global Research & Internship Program (GRIP) offers outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research with a variety of organizations and companies abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer.
Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)
Deadline: 01/08/2025The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship provides both undergraduate and graduates students through conducting research in one of 17 participating U.S. Department of Energy laboratories/facilities for summer or for a semester-long experience.
Undergraduate Clinical Scholars Program (UCSP)
Deadline: 01/10/2025The Undergraduate Clinical Scholars Program (UCSP) is a 9-week rigorous summer research enrichment program for undergraduate students with an interest in clinical/epidemiologic research, with an eventual goal of MD, PhD, or MD-PhD degrees.
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
Deadline: 01/10/2025The Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship is designed to encourage the study of less commonly taught languages by providing undergraduate and graduate recipients with a stipend and funding to take courses in South Asian Language and Area Studies for either a full year or as part as a summer intensive language program.
Penn Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium
Deadline: 01/15/2025The 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).
Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM)
Deadline: 01/17/2025Each 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.
Grants for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Research
Deadline: 01/20/2025Grants for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Research will be awarded to offset undergraduate research expenses, such as to provide stipends for undergraduate students or for any other expenditure necessary to facilitate continued support of undergraduate research.
SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience): Natural and Biomedical Sciences Program at Emory College
Deadline: 01/20/2025The SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience): Natural and Biomedical Sciences Program supports undergraduates who wish to explore, experience, and conduct full-time independent and mentored research for the summer.
RealArts@Penn Internships
Deadline: 01/20/2025RealArts@Penn Internships help students jumpstart their chosen artistic lives and career paths through paid internships with creative professionals across the country.