Skip to main content
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). 

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.

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship

Deadline: 02/09/2025 (Tentative)

The Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship is designed to encourage the study of less commonly taught languages by providing undergraduate and graduate recipients with a stipend and funding to take courses in South Asian Language and Area Studies for either a full year or as part as a summer intensive language program.

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.

Summer Undergraduate Applied Mathematics Institute (SUAMI)

Deadline: 02/15/2025 (Tentative)

The Summer Undergraduate Applied Mathematics Institute (SUAMI) is an eight-week summer research program for undergraduate students interested in applied mathematics hosted by Carnegie Mellon University.

Women+ and Advanced Mathematics

Deadline: 02/16/2025 (Tentative)

Women+ and Mathematics (W+AM) is an annual program with the mission to recruit and retain more women in mathematics through collaborative research and mentorship.

Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM)

Deadline: 02/18/2025 (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.

Entry Point

Deadline: 02/19/2025 (Tentative)

Entry Point! invites partnerships with industry, university research programs, and government agencies in a mutual effort to place students with disabilities in 10-week, paid internships in opportunities geared toward their skills and interests.

Summer Humanities Internship Program (SHIP)

Deadline: 02/23/2025

Ten-week summer program for students in the College to have an opportunity to work in a cultural, historical, or archival setting. Students receive $5,000 award.