Research Experiences for Undergraduates | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is a federal grant opportunity designed to expand hands-on research participation for undergraduate students across essentially the full range of fields NSF supports. The core idea is that undergraduates should not just observe research from the sidelines; they should actively contribute in meaningful ways, either by joining established, ongoing research efforts or by working on projects that are created specifically for an REU cohort. In practice, REU funding helps institutions and research teams provide structured, mentored research experiences that typically include a defined project, training, professional development activities, and opportunities for students to present or publish results.

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary NSF grant program (Funding Opportunity Number 13-542) within the broader category of science, technology, and other research and development. It spans many NSF directorates and disciplines, reflected in the CFDA listings that include Engineering (47.041), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (47.049), Geosciences (47.050), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (47.070), Biological Sciences (47.074), Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (47.075), Education and Human Resources (47.076), and the Office of International Science and Engineering (47.079). That breadth matters because it means REU projects can be anchored in a single department, built around an interdisciplinary theme, or designed to connect multiple departments around a coherent research focus. Projects with an international dimension are explicitly welcomed, which can include research collaborations, field components, or comparative work that benefits from cross-border partnerships, as long as the project fits within NSF guidelines and is well-justified.

NSF supports REU activities through two main mechanisms, and the distinction is important for both institutions and students. First, REU Sites are standalone awards based on independent proposals submitted specifically to establish and run an REU program. A Site typically supports a group of students (often as a cohort) and is organized around a common intellectual theme, lab cluster, center, or research area. Sites can be discipline-specific (for example, a chemistry REU) or intentionally interdisciplinary (for example, data science applied to environmental research). Second, REU Supplements are smaller add-on awards tied to an existing NSF research grant or cooperative agreement. Instead of running a full REU program, a supplement allows an NSF-funded investigator to bring one or more undergraduates into their ongoing research project with dedicated support. Supplements can be requested either as part of a new or renewal proposal or for an active award already in place, depending on NSF unit practices.

A key eligibility rule applies to the undergraduate participants: students supported through either an REU Site or an REU Supplement must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Another practical point that often causes confusion is that students do not apply directly to NSF to participate. Instead, students apply straight to the individual REU Sites (each Site runs its own recruitment and selection process) or they are recruited/selected by NSF-funded investigators who have received REU Supplements. NSF maintains an online directory of active REU Sites to help students find programs that match their interests (the solicitation points to the REU Site search page on nsf.gov).

From the funding perspective, the solicitation lists an estimated total program funding level of about $68.4 million and an expectation of roughly 1,800 awards, reflecting the fact that the program is spread across many disciplines and includes both full Sites and smaller Supplements. Award sizes vary substantially, with a listed award floor of $5,000 and a ceiling of $400,000, which is consistent with the difference between a small supplement supporting a limited number of students versus a full Site supporting a cohort, programming, and administration. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement stated for this opportunity, which generally lowers the barrier for institutions to propose a Site or for investigators to request a supplement.

The solicitation also outlines proposal timing in a way that signals the program is cyclical and recurring. Historically, it lists deadlines tied to annual schedules (for example, a fourth Friday in May and a fourth Wednesday in August, annually thereafter), and it notes a special timing consideration for REU Site proposals that require access to Antarctica. In the provided record, the current closing date is shown as August 26, 2015 for Antarctica-access Site proposals, with the broader instruction that other REU Site proposals must be submitted to the August REU deadline. While these specific dates reflect the archived snapshot of the announcement, the underlying takeaway is that REU Site proposals are tied to set annual submission windows, and proposers need to follow the schedule and any special instructions based on the nature of the research logistics.

For leadership and proposal structure, the opportunity clarifies who may serve as Principal Investigator (PI) for REU Site proposals. A single individual can be designated as PI and is responsible for oversight of all award aspects. One additional person may be named as co-PI if the Site requires shared responsibility for development and operations. Other research supervisors and mentors are typically included as senior personnel but not necessarily as co-PIs. After an award is made, some NSF units may allow additional co-PIs, but only when a strong case is made that distributed management is essential. This setup reflects how NSF wants REU Sites to have clear accountability while still allowing for multi-mentor, multi-lab experiences for students.

Administrative details included in the listing identify NSF as the sponsoring agency, categorize the award instrument as a grant, and provide support contacts primarily for technical access issues (for example, NSF Grants.gov support). The solicitation is also referenced as NSF Publication 13-542, which is the document proposers would consult for the full set of program requirements, review criteria, participant support expectations, and proposal preparation instructions.

Overall, the REU program is best understood as NSF’s flagship mechanism for putting undergraduates into real research environments early in their careers, either through organized REU Sites that host multiple students around a theme or through supplements that integrate undergraduates directly into funded research projects. It is broad in disciplinary scope, focused on substantive student engagement, and structured so that students apply to the programs and research groups rather than to NSF itself.

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