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.
SUPERS@Penn
Deadline: 02/02/2025 (Tentative)Summer research program hosted by Penn's Department of Radiation Oncology that provides undergraduates with hands-on laboratory experiences in the field of radiology.
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.
Humanity in Action Fellowships
Deadline: 02/04/2025 (Tentative)The Humanity in Action Fellowships allow fellows to explore issues of social justice, human rights, politics of memory and remembrance culture, and civic engagement with several different location options to apply to.
AAPM’s “DREAM” Program - Diversity Recruitment through Education and Mentoring Program
Deadline: 02/05/2025 (Tentative)Summer research program aimed at increasing the number of women and racially underrepresented groups in medical physics through offering hands-on research opportunities.
AAPM Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program
Deadline: 02/05/2025 (Tentative)The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program is a 10-week summer program designed to provide opportunities for undergraduate university students to gain experience in medical physics by performing research in a medical physics laboratory or assisting with clinical service at a clinical facility.
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.