- 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 Internship Program at the National Gallery
Deadline: 02/21/25The Summer Internship Program at the National Gallery is crafted to provide a deep dive into the world of art through hands-on experience.
South Asia Center Research Internships
Deadline: 02/23/25The South Asia Center (SAC) at Penn offers summer research internship placements in South Asia for a variety of different projects.
Summer Humanities Internship Program (SHIP)
Deadline: 02/23/25Ten-week summer program for students in the College to have an opportunity to intern in a cultural, historical, or archival setting.
NASA Internships and Fellowships
Deadline: 02/28/25NASA’s internship programs provide training, mentoring, and career development opportunities while working with the best science, engineering, financial, information technology and business minds in the world.
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry Summer Scholars Program
Deadline: 02/28/25The 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.
The Melvin M. Goldberg Undergraduate Fellowship of $5000 for Research in Israel
Deadline: 03/01/25The Goldberg Fellowship supports summer travel to perform supervised technical research at one of Israel's universities or research centers.
American Friends of Herculaneum (AFOH) Scholarships
Deadline: 03/01/25The American Friends of Herculaneum (AFOH) are pleased to announce scholarships for research on a topic related to Herculaneum (preferably) or other ancient sites around the Bay of Naples.
MindCore: Undergraduate Summer Fellowship Program in Interdisciplinary Mind and Brain Studies
Deadline: 03/02/25Paid 10-week summer research program for Penn undergraduates (1st, 2nd, and 3rd years) as well as select students from other institutions interested in interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the mind and brain.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Native American Scholars Initiative Undergraduate Internship
Deadline: 03/03/25The 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.
Center for Africana Studies Annual Prizes
Deadline: 03/07/25The Center for Africana Studies offers multiple prizes for excellent writing.