Finding a Summer Research Program-general & valuable resources

Here are some wonderful resources and webpages to search to find more information about a wealth of summer research program opportunities available to undergraduate students at universities and research institutions nationwide.

Please note that these programs have a wide range of application deadlines, many are in the Fall semester. So don鈥檛 wait too long to start your search for the summer and to submit your applications!

This resource list is not exhaustive and is currently in development. If through the course of your research you find other useful websites and/or internship opportunities, we鈥檇 be grateful if you could alert us too, so we can add them here.

  • The National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors a wide variety of summer 鈥淩esearch Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)鈥� programs (usually 8-10 weeks in duration) at universities throughout the nation. The REU program areas are very diverse, range from biology & ecology focused programs through to astrophysics and engineering. Something for everyone! NSF sponsors a that allows you to search programs either by geographical location or subject area. Please note application deadline dates vary by program, and you need to apply directly to the specific program(s) of interest (not to a general NSF application portal). NSF-sponsored REU summer programs provide students with a summer stipend, often campus accommodation and in many cases funds to offset travel and food expenses. These are wonderful programs to gain valuable research experience, to spend a summer in another geographical location and often a chance to check out a university that you may be considering for graduate school.
  • Summer Research Internship Program at the NIH. From the : 鈥淪ummer programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide an opportunity to spend a summer working at the NIH side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research (At the NIH "biomedical research" includes everything from behavioral and social sciences, through biology and chemistry, to physics, mathematical modeling, computational biology, and biostatistics).鈥� Application deadline varies each year but tends to be beginning of March.
  • Another useful site is . Not only does this great site provide information on many summer research program opportunities for undergraduates, but they also provide a valuable 鈥渞esource toolbox鈥� with lots of useful tips for things like applying to graduate school, internship searching, preparing competitive applications to programs etc., Definitely worth checking out!
  • The with a tremendous list of available summer research program opportunities that have been submitted to CUR by individual programs. Note the CUR website states that each listing will appear on their webpage for 60 days or until the application date deadline has passed. The CUR page lists a host of interesting programs, many in STEM disciplines and many beyond. Many if not all of these programs are paid opportunities, i.e., the participating students receive a summer stipend and often accommodation.
  • The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a , not only in biological research, but also Public Health/Policy, Health Communications, Ethics, Environmental Health. The CDC offers both summer paid and semester-long paid (co-op) opportunities too!
  • The SPUR Program @ MCW - The Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) hosts roughly 25-30 participants each summer from across the country to gain valuable research experience, refine critical thinking skills, build upon academic and professional networks and are introduced to various disciplines of science.  Participating students all receive a summer stipend. For more details please visit .   
  • Argonne National Laboratories 鈥� Summer Internships & Research paid programs in a variety of topic areas and geographical locations. For more details please visit .
  • :  - paid research programs located in many universities throughout the USA. Want to research abroad? There is also an Amgen Scholars Program in Japan, Singapore and China. For more details please visit .
  • Germany 鈥� The RISE program: RISE stands for Research Internships in Science and Engineering. RISE Germany offers undergraduate students the opportunity to complete a summer research internship at top German universities and research institutions. RISE Germany is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. If you are interested in pursuing a RISE opportunity, please talk also to Dr. Rosemary Stuart (BIOL/INES internship director).For more details please visit
  • Other useful websites/databases for more information on summer research program opportunities include: