- 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).
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.
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.
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.
Penn Program for Public Service Internship Program
Deadline: 01/26/2025The Penn Program for Public Service (PPPS) Summer Internship is an 11-week multi-faceted summer program that immerses undergraduates in real-world problem solving in the West Philadelphia-Penn community.
Park City Mathematics Institute's Undergraduate Summer School
Deadline: 01/31/2025The Undergraduate Summer School (USS) at Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI) provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to learn some fascinating mathematical ideas in a setting that allows them to interact with mathematicians at all levels.
NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
Deadline: 01/31/2025The NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) provides students with the opportunity to spend 11 weeks conducting hands-on lab research with world-class mentors in one of NIST's six labs or other offices.
Leonard Davis Institute Summer Undergraduate Minority Research Institute
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)The Leonard Davis Institute Summer Undergraduate Minority Research Program provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to receive a stipend to conduct health services research on a topic of their choice, under the guidance of Penn faculty.
Biomedical Graduate Studies: Summer Undergraduate Internship Program
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)Summer research program at Penn for undergraduates interested in conducting biomedical research with faculty in the Biomedical Graduate Studies group.
Summer Research - Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)SR-EIP is a fully paid summer internship that provides undergraduates with training and mentoring in the principles underlying the conduct of research and prepares them to pursue competitive applications to PhD or MD-PhD programs.
Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) Summer Internship Program
Deadline: 02/01/2025 (Tentative)Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) is offering a summer internship program for highly motivated undergraduates, providing education and hands-on research experience in the field of neuroscience.