This page lists summer undergraduate research opportunities in astronomy and space sciences outside of OSU. Appearance on this list is informational, not an explicit endorsement (although all of them are great opportunities, and all are paid positions).
NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs typically have deadlines early in the new year for programs to run during the upcoming summer. NASA programs have similar application deadlines.
Most programs require you to fill out an application form (usually but not always online), write an essay, and provide either letters of recommendation (usually 2, sometimes 3), or ask you for the email addresses of people who will write you these letters (it varies by program). Note that some programs may also have minimum GPA requirements.
We will add links to programs here as we learn of new opportunities, ordered by deadlines (earliest to latest). The application period for the summer typically starts in January and programs have a wide variety of deadlines that sometimes change, so be sure to check the webpages linked below to confirm the actual deadlines. We recommend applying to more than one as some of them are competitive.
Astronomy is not the only field to have REUs or research opportunities. There are also opportunities in the Physics Department and other sciences if you look and ask. An extensive list of physics resources and opportunities is available here.
Summer Research Programs
Ohio State Astronomy Summer Undergraduate Research Program, Deadline: 2021 Feb 14
NSF REU Programs in Astronomical Sciences (link to NSF) Deadlines: vary by REU program
All NSF REU Programs (link to NSF) Deadlines: vary by REU program
Compiled list of programs from AstroBetter, Deadlines: vary by program
Carnegie Summer Undergraduate Research Program, Deadline: 2021 Jan 31
DAWN-IRES Scholars Program in Copenhagen, Denmark (through UMass), Deadline: 2021 Feb 1
NRAO Summer Student Research Assistantships, Deadline: 2021 Feb 1
SETI Institute REU, Deadline: 2021 Feb 1
Harvard-Smithsonian Summer Astrophysics REU Intern Program, Deadline: 2021 Feb 1
National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) at NRAO, Deadline: 2021 Feb 3
Cornell University REU, Deadline: 2021 Feb 5
Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) SROP (multiple programs), Deadline: 2021 Feb 10
Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) SUPPR, Deadline: 2021 Feb 12
University of Texas at Austin TAURUS Program, Deadline: 2021 Feb 15
Brigham Young University (BYU) Physics and Astronomy REU, Deadline: 2021 Feb 15
Washington State University (WSU) REU in Physics and Astronomy, Deadline: 2021 Feb 19
NASA Summer Internships, Summer Session Deadline: 2021 Mar 5
JPL Summer Internship Program, Deadline: 2021 Mar 31
Acronyms:
JPL = NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
NRAO = National Radio Astronomy Observatory
NSF = National Science Foundation
REU = Research Experiences for Undergraduates
SETI = Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
SROP = Summer Research Opportunities Program
SUPPR = Summer Undergraduate Program for Planetary Research
TAURUS = Texas Astronomy Undergraduate Research experience for Under-represented Students
