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).
Thune Summer Travel Fellowship Fund
Deadline: 03/20/2025 (Tentative)Funding for History of Art majors and minors to support summer travel as part of honors thesis research in the History of Art.
José Miguel Oviedo Undergraduate Student Paper Award
Deadline: 03/22/2025 (Tentative)The José Miguel Oviedo Undergraduate Student Paper Award is given annually to the best paper in Latin American and Latino Studies written by an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jewish Studies Administered Research Awards
Deadline: 03/25/2025 (Tentative)Each fall and spring the Jewish Studies Program offers Goldfein Research Awards, Brenner Special Opportunity Awards, and Schwartz Awards to both undergraduate and graduate Penn students to cover research projects and study programs in or related to Jewish studies.
Center for the Advanced Study of India
Deadline: 03/25/2025 (Tentative)The Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) offers several opportunities for Penn students, including the Summer Internship Program in India and summer research funds.
Hayden Scholars
Deadline: 03/29/2025 (Tentative)The Hayden Scholars program aims to build a community of undergraduate researchers in the geosciences at Penn through extra-curricular, independent research experiences affiliated with the Department of Earth and Environmental Science.
Mongolia Field School Program
Deadline: 03/30/2025 (Tentative)The Mongolia Field School Program offers an educational travel experience blending academic insights and discussions with travel experiences that allow participants to interact with local people and locations off the usual tourist track.
Millennium Oceans Prize
Deadline: 03/30/2025 (Tentative)The Millennium Oceans Prize supports students passionate about conserving, protecting, and sustainably using oceans, seas, and marine water and life.
Seltzer Family Digital Media Awards
Deadline: 04/01/2025 (Tentative)Each award will provide to $1,000 for the purchase of hardware or technology (with nominal spending on software and supplies) for students to use for 1 year to pursue a digital media project.
LGBTQ & Gender Studies Undergraduate Student Research Expense Grants
Deadline: 04/04/2025 (Tentative)Grants designed to support research-related expenses for undergraduate students working on projects related to LGBTQ and/or gender studies.
Penn Student Government Public Service Fellowship
Deadline: 04/09/2025 (Tentative)The Penn Student Government Public Service Fellowship seeks to shift the culture at the University of Pennsylvania around public service by emboldening students to pursue internships, projects, and eventually careers in the field.