Student Research Opportunities
National Science Foundation "REUs" Heading link
Research experiences for undergraduates—called REUs for short—offer undergraduate students the opportunity to complete career-building research projects over the summer. REUs are competitive (with students chosen for the research positions by application) and often are held at universities other than your home institution. They are sponsored with funding from the National Science Foundation and typically come with a stipend that you can use to cover living expenses and other costs.
REUs make excellent résumé entries and offer valuable hands-on experience that you can talk about in job interviews. If you have your eye on a master’s degree or PhD after graduation, REUs provide a head start on building your research experience and could give you insight on what you might like to pursue in graduate school.
Search the NSF website for currently available REUs.
Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Awards Heading link
UIC’s Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Award program, or CURA, allows students who qualify for and have accepted Federal Work Study as part of their current year’s financial aid package to work as research assistants for hourly pay.
The CURA program is an ideal opportunity for eligible students to complete their work-study hours while developing experience in research techniques and while building relationships with one or more faculty members.
For more information, visit the CURA website.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Heading link
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides research funding to graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and math. To date, more than 46,000 graduate research fellowships have been awarded, and many fellowship recipients have gone on to achieve high levels of success in academia and professional careers.
Fellows receive an annual stipend and opportunities for international research and professional development. For more information, visit the program’s website.