Research opportunities
How to get a summer research position
Summer is the easiest time to do research, because you can work full time without classes competing for your hours. There are two ways in: apply to a formal program such as an NSF REU site, or email professors and arrange a position directly. Most formal programs close in winter, so start looking in the fall.
- Formal programs
- NSF REU sites, university programs, NSERC USRA
- Pay
- A stipend for most formal programs
- Application season
- Mostly winter, months before summer starts
- Informal route
- Email professors in fall or winter
NSF REU sites
Research Experiences for Undergraduates sites are funded by the US National Science Foundation and hosted by universities and research centres. Each site runs its own summer program on a theme, such as materials chemistry or coastal ecology, for a small group of undergraduates. You apply to each site separately, not to NSF, usually with a short statement, a transcript and one or two recommendation letters.
Students funded by NSF must be US citizens, US nationals or permanent residents. NSF keeps a searchable list of REU sites; check each site's page for this year's deadline and eligibility. The number of sites changes from year to year with NSF funding, so confirm a site is running before you plan around it.
University programs and awards
Many universities run summer research programs of their own. Caltech offers Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF), and other universities run programs with the same name or a similar model. The Amgen Scholars Program places undergraduates in summer science research at a group of host universities. Some programs take only their own students and others recruit widely, so read the eligibility section first.
In Canada, the main national award is the Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA). NSERC's version funds science and engineering; CIHR and SSHRC versions for health and social science are currently open only to Black student researchers. Every USRA needs a supervising professor before you apply. The details are on the research in Canada page. For other health, social science or humanities research, ask your department which summer awards it offers.
Arranging a summer position directly
Many students spend the summer in a lab at their own university after emailing a professor in winter or early spring. The position might be paid from the professor's grant, paid through a university award, or unpaid, depending on funding.
Professors plan summer budgets and supervision early, and many awards need a supervisor's support by a winter deadline. If you are also applying to REU sites, say so and ask whether you could confirm in the spring. A workable timeline:
- Fall: shortlist REU sites and university programs, ask two instructors about letters, and in Canada email professors about USRA support before your university's winter deadline
- Winter: submit program applications and email professors at your own university
- Early spring: follow up, accept an offer, and sort out housing if you are travelling
- Late spring: if nothing has come through, keep emailing, because plans change and spots open
Example email to a professor
The names and papers are made up. Swap in your own details and a real paper from the professor's page.
Subject: Second-year physics student: summer research in your variable star group
Dear Professor Castellano,
I'm a second-year physics student at [your university]. Your group's paper using archival survey images to find stars that change brightness over a few hours is why I'm writing; the method for separating real variability from instrument noise is the part I most want to understand.
In my computational physics course I wrote Python code to fit periods to noisy light curves, and I used astropy to process telescope images for a class project. I can work full time from May through August.
Would you have room for a summer student in your group? If funding is a question, I'd be glad to apply for [your university]'s summer research award with your support before its winter deadline.
Thank you, Leah Fischer BSc Physics, Year 2
Common questions
Do REU programs pay?
Yes. NSF REU sites pay participants a stipend, and many also provide housing and help with travel. Amounts vary by site, so check each program's page.
Can international students do an REU?
Usually not in an NSF-funded spot, which requires US citizenship, US national status or permanent residency. A few sites have other funding for students who don't qualify, and their pages say so. Otherwise, look for university programs open to international applicants or arrange a position directly with a professor.
When should I apply for summer research?
Start looking in the fall and apply in the winter. Most formal programs and funded awards close months before summer, and dates vary by program. Informal positions can come together later, but early spring is safer than May.
Is it too late to find summer research in April?
Not always. Formal programs have usually closed, but professors' plans change, grants come through and students drop out, so direct emails in April can still work. Expect an unpaid or shorter position rather than a funded program.