Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and supports active research participation by undergraduate students in astronomical research. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. Students may not apply to NSF to participate. Students apply directly to the REU Site.
Pathways to Science
Pathways to Science is a project of the Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP). It supports pathways to the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Pathways to Science places particular emphasis on connecting underrepresented groups with STEM programs, funding, mentoring, and resources. Its website can be used to find undergraduate summer research opportunities, graduate fellowships, and postdoctoral positions.
Other Summer Research and Outreach Opportunities for Undergraduates
Summer programs that are not part of the NSF REU program; these programs are open to non-US citizens (most commonly international students studying at a US university) unless otherwise indicated. *indicates programs targeting students from historically marginalized backgrounds.
- *Banneker Institute (Harvard)
- Berkeley SETI Research Center Summer Research Undergraduate Internships
- Boulder Solar Alliance REU Program in Solar and Space Physics
- Bryce Canyon Astronomy Outreach Internship
- Caltech LIGO SURF Program
- Carnegie Astrophysics Summer Student Internship (CASSI) Program
- Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory (EPL) Summer Undergraduate Research Internship (SURI)
- CRESST Summer Internship Program
- Dorrit Hoffleit Undergraduate Research Scholarship
- LEAPS-The Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program for Summer Students (Netherlands)
- Lee Teng Undergraduate Internship (Argonne National Lab and Fermilab)
- Los Alamos National Laboratory Undergraduate Summer Internship Program
- LPI Summer Intern Program in Planetary Science
- NASA Internship Programs
- *National Astronomy Consortium (NAC)
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory Summer Program
- Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astronomy (ASTRON) and the Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE)'s Summer Research Program
- RISE Internships (Germany)
- Science and Engineering Student Internship (SESI) program in heliophysics, astrophysics, and planetary science – Summer Research Opportunity for Undergraduates at NASA's GSFC
- *Summer Internships in Science and Technology (SIST, Fermilab)
- Space Telescope Science Institute Summer Student Program
- Summer Student Opportunities through the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) - most labs only accept US citizens
- *TAURUS Program (UT Austin/McDonald Observatory)
Year-long Intern Opportunities for Undergraduates
Aerospace Industry Internships and Fellowships
- Check out the websites of AAS Meeting Sponsors and/or Exhibitors for job opportunities.
- Ball Aerospace College Internships
- Brooke Owens Fellowship (Paid internships and executive mentorship for exceptional undergraduate women and gender-minority students in aerospace)
- Internships at Northrop Grumman
- Internships at Boeing
- Patti Grace Smith Fellowship (Jobs, mentorship, and community for black undergrads seeking aerospace careers)
- Zed Factor Fellowship (Mentorship, internship, service projects for underrepresented communities)
Summer Camps for Kids and High School Students
- Alfred University Astronomy Camp (New York)
- AstroCamp Science & Adventure Summer Camp (California)
- Astronomy Camp (Arizona)
- California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS)
- Frontiers in Modern Astronomy (University of the Pacific Summer High School Institute)
- Galileo's Astronomy (Edge on Science)
- Science and Engineering Student Internship (SESI) program in heliophysics, astrophysics, and planetary science - Summer Research Opportunity for Undergraduates at NASA's GSFC
- Summer Immersion in Astronomy & Astrophysics (Columbia University, New York)
- The Summer Science Program
- Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics (Yale University, Connecticut)
Summer Opportunities for Graduate Students, Postdocs, Faculty
- IDA Summer Internship Program
- Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
- Kavli Summer Program in Astrophysics
- *LEAPS-The Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program for Summer Students (Netherlands, masters' students)
- NASA Internship Programs
- NASA/JPL's Planetary Science Summer Mission Design Schools
- Prospects in Theoretical Physics Program (PiTP)
- Science and Engineering Student Internship (SESI) program in heliophysics, astrophysics, and planetary science - Summer Research Opportunity for Undergraduates at NASA's GSFC
- SDSC/UC Santa Cruz Summer School on Astroinformatics
Fellowships
Astronomy Fellowships are advertised by the institutions in the AAS Job Register.
Science Policy Fellowships
In addition to the AAS John Bahcall Public Policy Fellowship, there are several other options for AAS members to enter the world of science policy. See our Science Policy Internships & Fellowships page.
Scholarships
Here are some guides to scholarships available to students pursuing careers in the astronomical sciences:
- Scholarships for Women (from the Open Education Database)
- Scholarships & Grants for Single Moms (from the Open Education Database)
To add a recurring internship or summer job program to this list, please email a member of the AAS Committee on Employment.