Summer Research Fellowship Program, California Institute of Technology (Caltech-SURF)

The California Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Caltech) is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States.

And Caltech SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships) program introduces students to research under the guidance of seasoned research mentors at Caltech and JPL. Students experience the process of research as a creative intellectual activity.

Who can apply: To be eligible for Caltech-SURF, you must:

• Be a continuing undergraduate student.


• Have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5/4.0.


• Complete the second semester or third quarter at your college or university.

Additional Requirements for Non-Caltech International Students: International students are eligible to participate in SURF on the Caltech campus; however, only US citizens and US permanent residents are eligible for SURFs at JPL.

Projects: In case you are a continuing undergraduate (second or third year in case of BE/B.Tech) student, then as an international non-Caltech student, you can apply only for projects at Caltech campus only not JPL.

You can check the list of projects here.

**Repeating. As an international non-Caltech student, you can apply only for projects at Caltech campus only, not at JPL. Plus some projects at Caltech campus are open only to Caltech students. If an AO is NOT open to non-Caltech students, please DO NOT contact the mentor.

More projects will be posted in next 1-2 months. Please check the projects page regularly for new AO submissions.

You can apply for more than one project, but do so with caution. One of the criteria used in assessing your application is your enthusiasm for the project. If you apply to more than one project, your enthusiasm for each can be questioned. If you choose to apply to more than one SURF, please inform each of your prospective mentors that you are pursuing other SURF opportunities.

Location: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California (United States)

Duration: Around 10 weeks. The Caltech SURF start date is June 14. If you have compelling reasons for needing an alternate start date, you must make a request to your mentor and then a final request to the SFP Office. If SFP approves your request, you must start on one of the approved alternate start dates. All students must begin by July 11.

Stipend: Fellows receive a $6,000 award for the ten-week period. Award payments will be distributed in equal installments in late June and late July.

Housing is available for non-Caltech students working on campus or at JPL during the summer under one of the programs coordinated by the Student-Faculty Programs Office. The cost of housing, however, is not part of the SURF award; students must pay for housing themselves.

How to apply: To apply, identify a project and contact its mentor in advance of submitting an application. A mentor must agree to support your application and collaborate with you to develop and define the research project and write and submit a research proposal.

This early interaction is a very important part of the application process. Non-Caltech students usually have to accomplish this discussion via email, phone, or fax.

For more details and to apply, check the Caltech SURF’s website.

The last date to apply this year is February 22, 2016.