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Penn offers many resources for students conducting research.  Please note that funding options are often specific to particular kinds of research, fields of study, grad year, etc.  Also, CURF funding is reserved for research conducted under the mentorship of a Penn faculty member.

Use the Funding Opportunities database (below the highlighted opportunities) 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.

Highlighted CURF Opportunities

A PURM team in a robotics lab.

Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program

PURM provides students completing their first or second undergraduate year the opportunity to spend a summer conducting cutting-edge research under the guidance of a standing Penn faculty member. No prior experience is required.

Learn more about PURM
A SHIP participant presenting at the Penn Museum

Summer Humanities Internship Program

Each year the College of Arts and Sciences and CURF fund approximately twenty-five summer research internships for students in the humanities and social sciences. Internships provide undergraduates with the opportunity to work in a cultural, historical, or archival setting.

Learn more about SHIP
A Barthmaier grant recipient doing field work with their team

Independent Research Grants

Undergraduates pursuing an independent or semi-independent research project with a Penn faculty member can apply for funding to offset research-related expenses. Multiple opportunities are available each fall and spring. Click below and then scroll down to see a filtered list of CURF-administered research grants.

browse CURF grants

FactCheck.org Undergraduate Fellowship

Deadline: 02/11/26 (Tentative)

Year-round, paid fellowship program for undergraduates interested in utilizing journalism and scholarship to increase public knowledge and understanding of US politics.

Wharton Social Impact Research Experience (WSIRE)

Deadline: 02/12/26 (Tentative)

Grants to support summer research on topics that promote economic and social value for Wharton undergraduate students.

Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law Summer Internship Program

Deadline: 02/15/26 (Tentative)

Summer internship opportunity for law, graduate, and undergraduate students interested in national security, ethics, and rule of law to participate in research, writing, and conference planning at the Center for Ethics and Rule of Law at Penn.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Internship

Deadline: 02/15/26 (Tentative)

Opportunity to conduct three months of hands-on, collaborative research at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama.

Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM)

Deadline: 02/16/26 (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.

Summer Internship Program at the National Gallery

Deadline: 02/21/26 (Tentative)

The 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: 02/23/26 (Tentative)

The 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: 02/23/26 (Tentative)

Ten-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: 02/28/26 (Tentative)

NASA’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: 02/28/26 (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.