Frequently Asked Questions

Our program is quite large, so we do not have a complete listing of research projects available prior to the program. Prospective applicants may benefit from reviewing our Former Participant Profiles, which showcase examples of research projects conducted with faculty members associated with each funding source. This resource can help applicants identify specific areas of interest and align their research goals with specific faculty members. 

Please note that we are only accepting applications for SPHEER and MRSEC for Summer 2026.

Most of our funding for the program is provided by the National Science Foundation, which requires participants to be Citizens or Permanent Residents of the United States. At this time, we are not able to accept applications from non-US Citizens/Permanent Residents. If you have specific faculty in whose research you are interested, we encourage you to reach out to them directly to see if they have any discretionary funding.

Faculty or researchers must be associated with one of our funding sources. Among research groups that are associated with the various funding sources, we have more faculty who are interested in hosting students than we have capacity each year – therefore, all official offers for the REU are made through the Office of Educational Programs. If a faculty member or researcher tells you that he or she will host you in his or her research lab, it is not a guarantee of REU funding.

First, complete and submit your application. Ask people who know you well to write letters in support of your application. Second, apply to other programs at Harvard. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has compiled a list of all summer intern programs based at Harvard, at https://gsas.harvard.edu/programs/recruitment-and-engagement/summer-research-programs.

Much our funding is from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which in many cases strongly encourages grant recipients to reserve the majority of NSF-funded REU spots for students coming from outside the home institution. This approach gives students the opportunity to experience research environments at different universities. We encourage you to explore these opportunities external to Harvard for yourself, particularly if you are interested in graduate school. If you would like to stay at Harvard for the summer, we strongly encourage you to apply for sources of funding and support that are sponsored by Harvard in addition to applying for REU funding. We have had many students sponsored by HCRP or other Harvard funds participate in our REU activities. Please see these links for potential funding sources for your summer research:

• Program for Research in Science and Engineering (PRISE) – deadline mid-February

• Harvard College Research Program (HCRP) – deadline late March

• Faculty Aide Program (matches faculty funds, submitted by faculty) – deadline mid-April

Please note that the REU has many program elements and weekly meetings – if you are selected for and accept REU funding, you are committing to be a part of our SEAS REU community and participate in these activities. Therefore, if you receive a PRISE award, we do not award REU funding, since both programs have substantial commitments outside of research.

You must apply though our online application.

Some programs use a committee to select the students who will be in the program, and then match the students either in the spring, or at the program start. Our program’s process is a little different. Once our applications have closed and all applications are reviewed for completeness, we open our application database to faculty who are interested in working with a student during the summer. As soon as a student is selected, an offer with a short project description is made to the student, and the mentor(s) are copied on the email. Students are given 1-2 weeks to respond. Once the student accepts the offer, we will send official paperwork. This process sometimes takes more time, especially for a program of our size. We try to notify students by early May at the latest regarding their status in the program.

If you have any questions during the selection window please contact us at reu@seas.harvard.edu and we will respond as soon as possible. No phone calls, please. 

We typically fund about 40-60 students out of a pool of approximately 1000 applicants. 

You are able to submit your application before your recommendation letters have been submitted. We do not have a strict deadline for recommendation letters, as we like to give recommenders some extra time. Please note that we cannot begin reviewing your application until all materials have been submitted. 

When you login to your application, you are able to click Edit. From here, click on the Register Recommenders tab and you can check the status and resend the request email if necessary.

We begin making offers after the application deadline has passed, and try to notify students by early May at the latest regarding their status in the program. Offers are made as soon as research mentors send their selections to our office for review.

We do not make offers until after the application deadline so that all applicants have an equal chance. If you have a pending offer, please email us at reu@seas.harvard.edu and we will put a note on your application with the date on which you must notify the other program. Please note that this does not guarantee that we will have a decision for you. No phone calls, please. 

The 2026 dates are June 3 - August 8. We only have on-campus housing available for those dates.

We strongly encourage all students to move in during our move in window on June 3. If your academic schedule does not allow this, we strongly encourage students to move in as soon as they can. We will work with students and mentors on a case-by-case basis to accomodate late arrivals.

We provide a stipend of $6500 for the program. Students also received free, on-campus housing, meal plan, and travel to and from Harvard.

Free on-campus housing and a meal plan is provided for students.

Research and professional development activities associated with the REU will keep you busy. Summer courses are a significant time commitment. Therefore, we do not allow REU students to take classes during the program. Likewise, part-time jobs are not allowed.