Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) 2026
- Omran Aburayya
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
If you’re a motivated undergraduate seeking a rich, hands-on research experience this summer, the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) — a programme many describe as one of the “crown jewels” of the Institute — is now open for applications. Since its inception in 1979, SURF has enabled students to engage in cutting‐edge research under expert mentorship, gain experience in the full research cycle, and prepare for advanced study, including PhD work.
🎓 Programme Summary
Location: Pasadena, California, USA (Caltech campus)
Host institution: Caltech, through its Student-Faculty Programs office
Programme Type: Undergraduate research fellowship (for students currently enrolled in a bachelor’s degree)
Target group: Early stage undergraduates (continuing undergrads) including both Caltech students and non‐Caltech visiting undergraduates, subject to eligibility criteria.
Fields of Focus: All fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The program is modelled on the grant-seeking process: you define a project with a mentor, write a proposal, carry it out for 10 weeks, submit a technical paper, and give an oral presentation.
Value & coverage: For the 2026 cycle, the fellowship award is US $8,110 for the ten-week period.
Duration: 10 weeks during the summer.
Application deadline: Usually in late February (for example, February 22 in recent years)
Start date: Summer period (typically beginning in June) for ten-week duration.
📖 Programme Overview
The SURF programme offers you the opportunity to experience research as a full cycle activity: you will collaborate with a faculty mentor to define and develop a project; you will write a research proposal as part of your application; you will execute the 10-week summer research project in‐person; and at the end you will submit a technical paper and give an oral presentation at one of the SURF Seminar Days.
During the summer, SURF Fellows are invited to engage in weekly seminars by Caltech faculty and scientists/engineers from Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), professional‐development series (covering topics such as graduate school admissions, research careers, effective communication), as well as social and cultural activities, student-faculty dinners and more.
This immersive structure is designed not merely to provide a summer job, but to simulate the professional research environment — including proposal writing, progress reporting, technical writing, presentation, and peer engagement.
💲 Benefits
The fellowship stipend of US $8,110 (2026 figure) for ten weeks gives you financial support to focus entirely on research.
Hands-on research experience at a world-class institution, working with faculty at the frontier of their fields.
Structured professional development: seminars on research careers, graduate school admissions, communication workshops.
Networking opportunities: interacting with faculty, peer researchers, and mentors; participation in student-faculty dinners and cultural activities enriches the experience.
A strong addition to a postgraduate application e.g., if your goal is a Master’s and eventually a PhD — having this kind of research experience at a top institution like Caltech can distinguish your profile.
The program emphasises intellectual ownership of the project, meaning that you’ll have real responsibility for a piece of research.
✅ Eligibility Criteria
You must be a continuing undergraduate student and eligible for fall-term registration before your SURF project begins (no later than July 1).
For Caltech students: minimum GPA 2.0, have completed at least three academic terms at Caltech (or equivalent).
For visiting (non-Caltech) students: minimum GPA 2.5/4.0, have completed at least second semester or third quarter at your home institution.
Must not be under any academic or disciplinary sanctions.
If you are an international student: you may apply to the main SURF on Caltech campus, but if the project is at JPL you must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident. You will need to apply for F-1 or J-1 visas, or for CPT/OPT/Academic Training if you already are studying in the U.S.
The research must be full-time for the ten-week summer period; you cannot take other courses or hold another job. Remote projects are not permitted.
📝 Application Procedure
Identify and contact a potential mentor. A faculty mentor must agree to support your application, help you develop your project and write the proposal, and financially contribute to your award. Do not submit an application unless you have received a mentor’s agreement.
Prepare a strong research proposal. The proposal should outline what you plan to do, why it's useful, how you will do it (methodology, work plan), and how your project fits into the field.
Submit the online application through the SFP Online system. The application will include:
Your research proposal upload.
Unofficial transcript (for visiting non-Caltech students).
Two letters of recommendation (at least one must be from a faculty member).
Evaluation criteria include:
The clarity, technical depth and feasibility of your proposal (must be realistic to be done in 10 weeks), including your intellectual ownership of the project.
Your preparedness for the project (coursework, experience) and mentor support.
Strong mentor and faculty evaluations.
Award notifications: Applications are typically due late February (e.g., February 22) and awards announced around April 1.
After acceptance, you’ll commit to the full 10-week period, submit two interim reports, an abstract, final technical paper and give a final oral presentation. You must abide by the Caltech Honor Code and other campus policies.
ℹ️ Extra Information & Tips
Start reaching out to potential mentors early (ideally in the fall preceding the application deadline). Many students report that finding a mentor is the hardest part — for external applicants in particular.
Your proposal should be technical and specific: emphasise why the work matters, what you will do, how you will do it, and a realistic work plan — especially since you have statistical modelling experience which you can highlight to indicate your ability to execute.
If you are a non-Caltech student, ensure your transcript, letters of recommendation, and visa/readiness (if needed) are ready well ahead of the February deadline.
Use the professional development components of the program to their full advantage — seminars, communication workshops, networking dinners: these complement your technical skills and help prepare for graduate school, which aligns with your long-term goal.
