Summer Opportunities
Make your summers count!
A summer by the pool is tempting, but summers are often the best time to gain new skills through research, internships, intentional and purposeful travel, intensive language study, service-learning and other immersive experiences.
Consider these options:
Amgen Scholars
The Amgen Scholars Program allows undergraduates from across the globe to participate in cutting-edge research opportunities at world-class institutions. Seventeen institutions across the U.S., Europe and Japan currently host the summer program. Each U.S. host institution has its own application process. No previous research experience is necessary and you do not need to be a biology major to apply.
- Sophomores, juniors, returning seniors
- U.S. citizens
- Research in science and biotechnology at a leading university or college
Critical Language Scholarship
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a fully funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. With the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries, CLS provides opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the United States at every level of language learning. CLS is a program of the U.S. Department of State.
CLS seeks participants from a variety of fields, backgrounds, and career paths, with the goal of building a cadre of Americans who speak critical languages at high levels in government, business, arts and culture, science and engineering, health and medicine, education, research and other fields.
- Sophomores, juniors, seniors, alumni
- U.S. citizens
- Summer intensive language instruction and cultural enrichment
Cultural Vistas Fellowship
The Cultural Vistas Fellowship aims to provide American students from groups historically underrepresented in international programs with the unique opportunity to advance their career goals, develop global competencies, and experience life in another culture. The Fellowship provides 12 U.S. university students fully-funded eight-week summer internship and immersion experiences in Argentina, Germany and India. This fellowship is meant for students who have not had the opportunity to study, intern or live abroad before.
DAAD-RISE
RISE Germany offers summer research internships in Germany for undergraduate students from North America, Great Britain and Ireland, with the mission to promote student exchange to Germany in the fields of natural sciences, engineering and life sciences. In their internships, students are carefully matched with doctoral students- whom they assist and who serve as their mentors. Interns receive a monthly stipend to cover every day costs. About 300 scholarships are available each year. Ultimately, DAAD-RISE seeks to motivate undergraduate students to learn more about Germany’s research landscape and study opportunities.
- Sophomores or juniors majoring in the sciences
- U.S., Canada or U.K. citizens
- Research matching interns with doctoral students in Germany
Gilman Scholarship
Also available for fall, spring, and academic year study abroad options, the Gilman International Scholarship Program provides up to $5,000 for undergraduate students who are receiving federal Pell Grant funding to participate in study abroad programs worldwide. Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award to defray eligible study abroad costs. Deadline for summer award is early March (a spring award: early October; for a fall award: early April). Summer programs should be at least four weeks in duration.
- First-years, sophomores, juniors
- U.S. citizen
- Federal Pell Grant recipient
- Grants to pursue academic studies abroad for students of limited financial means.
Humanity in Action
The Humanity in Action Fellowship brings together international groups of Fellows to study minority rights and produce original research exploring how and why individuals and societies, past and present, have resisted intolerance and protected democratic values. Separate programs take place for five weeks every summer in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Berlin, Copenhagen, Detroit, Sarajevo and Warsaw.
- Sophomores, juniors, seniors, recent graduates
- U.S. citizens, international students
- Summer fellowship program in Europe; focus on international human rights
Mount Vernon Fellows Program
The Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows Program is a fully paid, five-and-a-half week summer residential program for rising juniors who desire to make a difference. Students from diverse academic disciplines meet near Washington, D.C. to immerse themselves in a leadership development program inspired by George Washington and today’s foremost leaders.
This select, small cohort will engage in dynamic leadership education curriculum, interact with nationally recognized corporate, government, and military leaders in the nation’s capital and discover how to change the world through self-reflection, exciting experiential activities, and a community service-focused capstone project.
NSF-REU
NSF's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU's) funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either a US or foreign location.
By using the web page, Search for an REU Site, you may examine opportunities in the subject areas supported by various NSF units. Also, you may search by keywords to identify sites in particular research areas or with certain features, such as a particular location.
Students must contact the individual sites for information and application materials. NSF does not have application materials and does not select student participants. A contact person and contact information is listed for each site.
Public Policy & International Affairs Program (PPIA Fellowships)
The goal of the PPIA Fellowship Program is to help students achieve a Master’s or joint degree, typically in public policy, public administration, international affairs or a related field. The organization does this through the intensive study provided by participation in a Junior Summer Institute (JSI), through partnerships with universities across the country, and through an alumni network that provides opportunities to connect with nearly 4,000 individuals who share the same interest in public service.
Each year, PPIA seeks out high-potential undergraduate students from universities across the country to participate in an intensive seven-week Junior Summer Institute (JSI) before their senior year. During their program, fellows are equipped with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in graduate school and ultimately, in influential roles serving the public good.
Once a student has successfully completed their JSI, they have the opportunity to receive financial support for their graduate school education if they attend one of the programs in PPIA's Graduate School Consortium.
- Juniors
- U.S. citizens, international students
- Summer training program in public policy
US-UK Summer Fulbright
The US-UK Summer Fulbright provides fully funded 3-4 week summer programs to explore the culture, heritage, and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university. For freshmen and sophomores only. Late January/Early February deadline, with a campus deadline of mid-December.
- U. S. citizen with U.S. passport
- First-years or sophomores (age 18 or older)
- Minimum GPA of 3.7
- Evidence of maturity, responsibility, independence and open-mindedness