Summer Research
External Opportunities
You can apply for paid research internships at other institutions (select examples below). Please see the additional resources available at the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections
Searchable opportunity databases and lists:
1. SEARCHABLE DATABASES
- CUR Council on Undergraduate Research (internship & research opportunities database)
- National Science Foundation (NSF) REU Sites (typically restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents only)
- NSF Education & Training Opportunities (ETAP) (NSF pilot test of a database to search multiple NSF programs)
- Pathways to Science searchable summer research database (filters available for citizenship, location, discipline, etc.)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Searchable database of summer opportunities)
- University of Chicago (searchable database of opportunities)
2. COMPREHENSIVE LISTS COMPILED BY OTHER UNIVERSITIES
- Select opportunity listings by discipline (compiled by the University of Washington)
- Select clinical and health-science opportunity listings (compiled by Swarthmore College)
- Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) - Big 10 Academic Alliance; 1 app for 13 campuses
- Summer Research Opportunities (compiled by UNC Chapel Hill)
3. LISTS FROM PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) - Summer undergrad research programs; pre-med
- American Chemical Society (Internships, REU's, Co-Ops, Fellowships, & Post-Doc Experiences related to Chemistry)
- American Mathematical Society (REUs, internships, scholarships, fellowships, undergrad to grad)
- American Psychological Association (Undergraduate Research Opportunities & Internships - Psychology & Neuroscience)
- American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (summer research opportunities organized by state)
- National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, Inc. (pre-health summer opportunities - searchable list)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - searchable database of NOAA opportunities
- Physics Today job and summer internship listings
- Federal Agencies Internship Opportunity Bank (Links to 46 US Federal Agencies, internships)
- USA Jobs (Central repository for opportunities with the federal government)
4. OPPORTUNITIES BY MAJOR: NATURAL SCIENCES
- Summer opportunity listings for Life Sciences research (compiled by Tom Frederick of RIT)
- Paid Undergraduate Summer Research Opportunities in Neuroscience (and other life sciences)
- Summer internships in Neuroscience (compiled by the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscientists FUN)
- Pre-Health Summer Opportunities (Google doc from Tufts' University)
- Summer Research Database (Google doc from Cornell University Office of Undergraduate Biology)
- Internships in Scientific Research or Medicine for Undergrads (compiled by Fred Hutch Cancer Center)
- Non-NIH Biomedical research opportunities list (Compiled by NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education - OITE)
- Summer Opportunities for Pre-Health Students (Tufts Google doc)
- National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP) Fully virtual microbiology & computational immunology-related research opportunities for URM students
5. OPPORTUNITIES BY MAJOR: ENGINEERING & MATH
- Federal Opportunities for Undergrads in STEM (across 11 federal agencies)
- NSF Engineering Research Centers - (engineering REUs at a variety of ERC's)
- NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers (MRSEC) (various programs at 19 different universities)
6. OPPORTUNITIES BY MAJOR: ARTS & HUMANITIES
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Smithsonian, Office of Internship Programs
- Council on Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities (Google list)
- International Radio & Television Society Foundation (IRTS) Summer Fellowship Program
- Summer Experiences in the Arts & Humanities (Google list)
7. OPPORTUNITIES BY MAJOR: SOCIAL SCIENCES
NSF REU Sites: Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (typically restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents only)
- Summer Undergraduate Psychology Experience in Research (SUPER) - American Psychological Association summer research grant
If you are an international student, linked here is a list of some programs that accept applications from international students studying at U.S. universities.
8. Select examples of other external summer opportunities
| PROGRAMS: NATURAL SCIENCES | FOCUS | APPLICATION DEADLINE | ELIGIBILITY FLAGS |
ACCESS Summer Internship Program Advancing Cornell Career Experiences for Science Students (ACCESS) | Biomedical research in preparation for PhD programs | February 1, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizen or permanent resident; Locations: Weill Cornell Medicine or Sloan Kettering Institute, both in New York City |
| Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Summer Undergraduate Research Programs | Medical research careers | Program-dependent | |
| Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) MD-PhD-focused Summer Undergraduate Research Programs | MD-PhD-focused careers | Program-dependent | |
| Gateways to the Laboratory Summer Program | MD-PhD in biomedical research and academic medicine | February 1, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | First-Years and Sophomores; US citizens or permanent residents and are from racial or ethnic backgrounds shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research, individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, and/or individuals with disabilities, as described by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center Summer Undergraduate Research Program Northwestern University | Cancer research in biomedical sciences | January 27, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizen, permanent resident; First-Year, Soph, Junior, Senior |
MD Anderson Cancer Center Summer Experience, University of Texas | Biomedical, Clinical, Oncology, Imaging, Pre-Veterinary, MD/PhD | January 17, 2024 (2025 app opens in Nov.) | Multiple Programs; Over 200 summer positions; High school through early med school students; citizenship eligibility varies by individual program |
| Memorial Sloan Kettering Summer Programs | Chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, computational biology, intersection of engineering & biomedicine, molecular imaging, quantitative science | January 20 or February 1, 2024 - Program-dependent (2025 app opens in Nov.) | U.S. citizen, permanent resident & international - Program-dependent; First-years, sophomores, juniors, seniors; Program-dependent |
Hands-on cancer research | January 12, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizen, permanent resident, DACA; no prior experience necessary | |
| Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) | Pre-Healthcare skills, including medicine, dentistry, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, public health, and more. Free six-week enrichment program | February 5, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or an individual granted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services First-Years and Sophomores; 12 partner institutions |
Travelers Summer Research Fellowship Program Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City | MD focus Pre-Med laboratory or clinical research | February 1, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizen, permanent resident; Juniors; Seniors not yet accepted into medical school in and college graduates enrolled in a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program are also eligible to apply |
National Institute of Health external opportunities Listing of multiple non-NIH programs | Pre-med, biomedical, public health, STEM; Primarily at U.S. locations but some international | Program-dependent Opens mid-Nov. | Closes late Feb. | Program-dependent; extensive list that covers all class years and citizenship statuses |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) REU Sites | Varied | Program-dependent January through March deadlines | Program-dependent (typically requires U.S. citizenship) |
| NIST Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) | STEM | January 12 (Rochester internal deadline - applications require extensive processing time) January 31, 2024 (NIST deadline) (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizen or permanent resident *MUST apply through the Office of Undergraduate Research - institutions, not individuals, apply |
| Amgen Scholars Program | STEM | February 1, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | See U.S., Europe, and Japan programs for citizenship, GPA, and class year requirements |
| American Physical Society | Physics | Program-dependent | Careers in Physics - Grad & Undergrad; University Internships & REU's; National Labs, Industry, and other Internships & Fellowships |
| American Physical Society (APS) and IBM Research Internship for Undergraduate Women and Underrepresented Minorities | STEM | January 31, 2024 | STEM major; GPA 3.0 or higher; Women and/or underrepresented minority (no citizenship requirement) |
| DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) | STEM | November 30, 2024 (Opens Oct. 15) | Current sophomores and juniors |
| NASA Internships and Fellowships | STEM | Can be internship-dependent Summer '25: 1. Early Decision, Oct. 25, 2024 2. Final, Feb 28, 2025 Fall '25: May 16, 2025 | U.S. citizen (international intern program is available) |
| NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research (SIP) (other related programs also available) | Biomedical research | February 16, 2024 (2025 date TBD) Opens mid-Nov. | Closes late Feb. | U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
| NIH Biomedical Engineering Summer Internship Program (BESIP) | Biomedical engineering | February 16, 2024 (2025 date TBD) Opens mid-Nov. | Closes late Feb. | U.S. citizen or permanent resident; Juniors; Location: Bethesda, MD |
NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential (STEP-UP) | Focus research areas include diabetes, endocrinology and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases and nutrition; or kidney, urologic and hematologic diseases. | February 1, 2025 | U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or national; Nationwide research experience open to current undergrads; Diversity and equity requirements |
| Department of Energy Scholars Program | Varied | February 15, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
| Department of Energy Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) | STEM | Spring '25: October 2, 2024 (Opens 7/10/24) Summer '25: January 8, 2025 (Opens 10/16/24) | U.S. citizen or permanent resident; GPA 3.0 or higher |
| Department of Homeland Security Education Programs | STEM | December 15, 2023 | U.S. citizen; GPA 3.0+; First-Years through Grad students |
| Fermilab Student Internships | Particle Physics | Program-dependent | Program-dependent |
| National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | International ocean, fisheries, climate, space and weather science & policies | Varies by program | Student opportunities database - summer, multi-year, fellowships |
| Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) | Atmospheric Science | February 1, 2024 | U.S. citizen or permanent resident; Current sophomores and juniors |
| U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Research Associateship Program (RAP) Summer Journeyman Fellowship | Engineering, Computer Science, Science Writing | 2nd Round: February 9, 2024 (int'l students apply early) | GPA 2.5 or higher; Open to international students |
| Argonne National Laboratory (ARL) Internship Opportunities | STEM | Program-dependent Science Undergrad Laboratory Internship (SULI) January 9, 2024 Seasonal Internship Program March 1, 2024 | Program-dependent (typically requires U.S. citizenship) |
| Leadership Alliance, Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR EIP) | Training & research for PhD and MD-PhD Programs Life & physical sciences, social & behavioral sciences, & the humanities | February 1, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | Rising sophomores, juniors, seniors; U.S. citizen, national, permanent resident; 20+ university locations |
| Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF) with the DOE Office of Fossil Energy | STEM | January 21, 2025 | U.S. citizen, permanent resident; Sophomores, juniors; GPA 3.0+ |
| National Security Agency (NSA) | Various; Internships, Co-ops, Scholarships, Fellowships | Program-dependent Typically opens Oct. 1 & due by Nov. 1 | U.S. citizenship |
| University of Missouri Summer Undergraduate Research Program | Various | February 11, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizenship, Permanent Resident |
| PROGRAMS: ARTS & HUMANITIES | FOCUS | APPLICATION DEADLINE | ELIGIBILITY FLAGS |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum Seminar Internship Program (MuSe) | Placements in over 40 Met departments - see list | January 10, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | U.S. citizens & international students; Sophomores, juniors, seniors |
| IRTS Summer Fellowship | Media career; NYC top media company experience | January 15, 2024 (2025 date TBD) | All majors; Junior, Senior, Grad |
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| PROGRAMS: SOCIAL SCIENCES | FOCUS | APPLICATION DEADLINE | ELIGIBILITY FLAGS |
APA Summer Undergraduate Psychology Experience in Research (SUPER) Fellowships | American Psychological Association - Research at your choice of US/Canada undergraduate degree-granting institution; student-mentor designed research project | March 1, 2025 | Underrepresented groups (broadly defined); Psychology major not required; at least 1 semester left in your degree program; no citizenship requirements |
| Harvard Business School - Program for Research in Markets & Organizations (PRIMO) | Management & business research; 13 research areas | February 14, 2024 (Opens Winter 2024; 2025 deadline TBD) | First-Years, Sophomores, Juniors; Open to international students |
| US State Department Internships & Fellowships | Supports US Foreign Policy | Various | Typically requires U.S. citizenship |
| CDC John R. Lewis Scholars Program | Public Health & Minority Health | Typically the end of January | Seven universities participating in program; rising junior or senior; US citizen/national/permanent resident |