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).
Gates Summer Internship Program
Deadline: 02/02/2025 (Tentative)The Gates Center Summer Internship Program (GSIP) provides hands-on research experience in cell biology and regenerative medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Department of Medicine Undergraduate Student Scholars Program (USSP)
Deadline: 02/02/2025 (Tentative)Summer program hosted by the NIH Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive Liver Diseases at Penn that combines summer lectures and presentations with research experience in an affiliated laboratory.
National Institute on Drug Abuse Summer Research Internship Program
Deadline: 02/02/2025 (Tentative)Summer research opportunity for undergraduates interested in learning more about the field of drug abuse and addiction research.
Undergraduate Translational Research Immersion Program (TRIP)
Deadline: 02/02/2025 (Tentative)The Translational Research Internship Program at the University of Pennsylvania is a 10-week summer research experience in clinical and translational sciences for undergraduate students from Bryn Mawr College, Franklin & Marshall College, Haverford College, Lincoln University, Swarthmore College, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Puerto Rico.
SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience): Natural and Biomedical Sciences Program at Emory College
Deadline: 02/04/2025 (Tentative)The 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.
Wharton Social Impact Research Experience (WSIRE)
Deadline: 02/08/2025 (Tentative)Grants to support summer research on topics that promote economic and social value for Wharton undergraduate students.
Perry World House Student Fellows
Deadline: 02/09/2025 (Tentative)The Perry World House Student Fellows Program is an experiential learning opportunity for Penn undergraduates interested in collaborating on policy-relevant research projects about global issues.
FactCheck.org Undergraduate Fellowship
Deadline: 02/11/2025 (Tentative)Year-round, paid fellowship program for undergraduates interested in utilizing journalism and scholarship to increase public knowledge and understanding of US politics.
SNF Paideia Fellowship
Deadline: 02/12/2025 (Tentative)The fellowship is a unique, three-year program that bridges students’ academic interests with experiential development of skills essential to becoming an engaged global citizen both while a student at Penn and beyond.