SURP Application & Eligibility

SURP Application & Eligibility

SURP Application & Eligibility

 The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) gives undergraduate students an opportunity to work closely with faculty mentors and peers on valuable research while developing valuable technical, critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills. SURP research projects are available throughout the College of Science & Mathematics (CSM) departments of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology and the School of Earth & Environment (SEE) departments of Environmental Science, Geography, Planning, & Sustainability, and Geology. 

Selected students will be funded for 5 or 10 weeks of research, based on the professor’s research project length.  Research projects run between late May through early August. To enrich and complement the research activities happening over the summer, CSM hosts several free events, such as socials, workshops, and a poster symposium, that SURP students participate in. SURP is a great chance to grow your professional skills and join a vibrant research community!

Eligibility: After confirming your eligibility, you can click here to submit an application!

  • Must be a CSM & SEE undergraduate student who is graduating September 2025 or after
  • Must submit a complete application by February 3rd, 2025 for Summer 2025 research
  • Domestic and international students may apply.
  • No previous research experience is required.
  • Honor’s Students should apply to the Martinson Summer Scholars Program – students in this program working with CSM & SEE faculty are included in the SURP community with invitations to all events and programming

Application Details & Tips: Before submitting, we suggest you take the following steps to increase the success of your application:

  1. Open the application and print or download it. This will allow you to review what needs to be completed, prepare your entries and ensure they are free of errors before submitting.
  2. Applicants will be asked if there are any research areas and/or faculty they are interested in.  We strongly encourage you to use the CSM Research Directory and SEE Research pages to explore the faculty and their research profiles, and to take note of faculty and projects you are highly interested in.  You can then reference those specific interests on the application. 
  3. Be clear and specific when you express your interest or share what you can bring to a lab.
  4. If you have specific faculty or projects that you are strongly interested in, make sure that you state that in your application AND connect with the faculty member directly.  This way you can explain your interest and find out if they might have availability in the summer – make sure you tell them that you are applying to SURP!  In some cases, you can even join a lab during the fall or spring semester before SURP.  Use the research directories above to see if the faculty have current availability and to apply for the Fall and Spring semester. 
  5. Finally, please note that although many faculty participate in SURP each year, this is dependent on their other commitments so listing more than one faculty of interest can be helpful.  

Additional SURP Fellowship Information:

Faculty select SURP students during late February and early March.  If you are selected, you’ll be informed if the project is for 5 or 10 weeks. Projects run late May and early August but the exact timing can be discussed with your faculty member.  Stipends are $2000 for 5 weeks and $4000 for 10 weeks – these stipends are subject to taxes and are issued biweekly. Stipends are supported by a variety of sources including major funding by the NASA New Jersey Space Grant Research Cluster program, National Science Foundation, National Institutes for Health, industry sponsors, and Rowan University.

Summer parking and housing are available (fees apply)

Other Summer Research Opportunities:

  • If you connect directly with a faculty member, they may have other funding or resources available beyond the SURP funding discussed above. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.
  • Volunteering: some students choose to volunteer time in a research lab over the summer, if funding is limited. This can be a way to get started in a lab and then continue for paid or credit-bearing research during the academic year.
  • Visit the NASA New Jersey Space Grant Student Opportunities webpage as there are additional external opportunities through this organization
  • Visit http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/ to search for other undergraduate research opportunities at other universities and institutions
  • Visit the National Science Foundation (NSF) website to search for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

Questions?

If you have questions or would like further information, please contact Dr. Jennifer Ravelli, Assistant Dean, at ravelli@rowan.edu.