The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program covers most of the FOUR summer undergraduate research internship awards. This pulls together several different awards under one common application. All provide a $4500 stipend (rather than paying a wage) and students may request up to $500 for research expenses (except for Food Systems Undergraduate Research Fellow, see details).

Prior to receipt of a SURF, students will need to enroll in a 1-credit summer research internship credit (SINT course). As part of that course, students will be required to virtually attend three short informational/orientation sessions throughout the summer, including "Ready, Set, SURF!", "Mid-Summer Check-In", and the "End of Summer SURF Party!".

Below is a list of this summer's awards; some carry specific requirements (major, college, and/or research topic).

Summer Research Award: This award is the largest number SURFs. It is open to UVM undergraduates in any major. There are 20 SRAs of $4500 paid to the student as a stipend. Additional funds may be available for research expenses.

Brennan Summer Research Fellowship: This alumni-funded grant is awarded to the strongest 4-5 applications each summer. For more information on the Brennan Family and this generous donation, click here.

Carl Reidel Summer Award: This single award is available to one Honors College student engaging in a project that aims to understand, communicate, and resolve environmental challenges, no matter the discipline. Click here for more about Dr. Carl Reidel and this generous donation.

Green Mountain Scholar: This award was created as a collaboration between FOUR and the Center for Research on Vermont. It is given to a student who has crafted the best proposal focusing on Vermont. Learn more about the CRVT by clicking here.

Gund Institute Summer Research Award: Established in 2018, these two awards are available to students studying environmental topics. Any discipline may apply as long as the research has an environmental component  and the support of a Gund faculty sponsor. To learn more about the Gund Institute for Environment, click here.

Humanities Center Summer Award: Established in 2014, this award is given to two students annually -one award for humanities scholarship and one for the creative arts. You'll find more information on the Humanities Center at UVM here.

Social Justice Research Fellows: Two awards to fund individuals investigating systems of oppression and the intersections between facets of identity including, but not limited to, race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, class, nationality, and colonization.

Food Systems Undergraduate Research Fellow: Up to 14 awards are available to support students working on pressing food systems issues in Vermont and/or the greater Northeast region. Learn more about the Food Systems Research Center here.

Special Collections Summer Scholar: This award provides funding for work in special collections, archives, museum collections, etc.

Sustainability Summer Fellowship: Any field/discipline, but topics related to energy, water, responsible investment, transportation, food, waste, green tech, etc.

Deadlines and Important Dates

  • Application deadline: March 2025 (TBD)
  • Award Orientation Meeting: early May
  • Deadline for trainings/protocols, signed contracts, and completed documentation: early June
  • Mid-point check-in: End of June
  • Deadline for final reflection: last day of summer semester

Application Information

SURFs are awarded to students who have an interesting research question, a well-conceived plan, and clear faculty support. Students are expected to focus full-time on their research project for 8-10 weeks during the summer. 

Successful applicants will show promise of a quick start (meaning all trainings are completed and research protocols are expected by the start of the summer) and potential to complete their project within the proposed timeline. If projects are part of a larger program or thesis work, then it must be clear to the reviewers that the summer will be spent on specific tasks that otherwise would be difficult to accomplish during the academic year.

Below are additional criteria that reviewers prioritize when evaluating proposals:

  • Students must be in good academic standing. Generally a 3.00 GPA is needed to be in strong contention for these awards. Shortcomings in GPA must be addressed in the personal narrative. An upward trajectory or steady improvement is valued more than a declining or uneven one.
  • Academic record (courses taken), particularly how these show the student’s ability to complete the proposed project. Students should highlight courses that are applicable to their projects (e.g., a methods course, foreign language training, etc.).
  • Preference given to students with some past experience in the area of research and with their faculty sponsor; the exceptions to this rule is the CALS Life Science Program, which strongly encourages students who may be new to research.
  • The proposal is judged on its overall merits and strengths (abstract, thesis statement, literature review, objectives, methods clearly defined, and outcomes clearly discussed). The student’s role in a larger project must be clear.
  • The proposal must be written by the student applicant. While it is important that the faculty sponsor review and advise in the writing of the proposal, it must be clear that the student has written the proposal, understands the project, and explains it clearly. Think of your faculty as an editor, not a co-author.
  • The letter of support from the faculty sponsor impacts the decision of whether or not to fund a proposal and must include how the faculty knows the student applicant, for how long, and in what capacity. Faculty who are sponsoring more than one student should note that we will fund only one student per faculty member.
  • Students must be degree-seeking undergraduates at the time of the project to receive a grant. You may not graduate the spring prior to application.
  • Previous/Current Mini Grant funding does not affect your chances for the summer research funding, but those who have received a prior SURF will be given a lower priority. You may only receive two of the major awards from FOUR (involving $4000+ stipends) during your undergraduate career.
  • Students who win other substantial university summer awards (APLE Summer, Binter, Barrett, departmental research awards, etc.) will be expected to choose either the FOUR award or the other one, so that additional students may benefit from summer research opportunities.