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).
Penn Museum Field Research Grants
Deadline: 03/17/2025 (Tentative)The Penn Museum provides support for current Penn undergraduate and graduate students to pursue field research related to Archaeology and Anthropology.
Samuel and Esther Goldin Endowment Award
Deadline: 03/18/2025 (Tentative)This annual prize recognizes an outstanding thesis or research paper in the field of Jewish Studies.
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.
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.
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.
Asian American Studies (ASAM) Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Deadline: 04/12/2025 (Tentative)ASAM Undergraduate Research Fellowship is an interdisciplinary program that provides students with comprehensive academic training in archival research, methodology, and theory to enhance their critical thinking and writing skills.
Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS) Program
Rolling DeadlineThe Institue for Pure and Applied Mathematics at UCLA offers several versions of its Research in Industrial Projects for Students (RIPS) program, a summer research experience for students of math and related disciplines.
Gutmann-Doyle Research Opportunities Fund
Rolling DeadlineThe Amy Gutmann and Michael Doyle Research Opportunities Fund is used at the discretion of the director of CURF to assist students with activities associated with their independent research projects. This may include covering the cost of travel to research sites, or assisting with living expenses during a research project away from campus.
Center for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Immigration (CSERI) Turner Schulman Undergraduate Fellowships
Deadline: 04/30/2024 Rolling DeadlinePenn students in any school interested in social science approaches to race, ethnicity or immigration can apply for support for either their own research or a research assistantship.