MIT Office of Graduate EducationInternship

Fully Funded MIT Summer Research Program

Jan 19, 2027 23:59:00 ET

Opportunity type

Internship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

United States

Deadline

Jan 19, 2027 23:59:00 ET

About this opportunity

MIT's Office of Graduate Education runs the MIT Summer Research Program, a nine week summer on MIT's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where undergraduates do research in an MIT lab under a faculty member, with day to day support from a postdoc or graduate student. Running since 1986, it exists to help students whose path has not always pointed toward graduate school get ready for a PhD, at MIT or elsewhere. Interns are paid a weekly stipend and MIT covers housing and round-trip travel.

What you get:

A weekly stipend (MIT does not publish the amount)
University housing for the full nine weeks
Round-trip travel to MIT
A meal subsidy, plus several meals a week at programme events
A research project in an MIT lab under a faculty mentor, with a postdoc or graduate student alongside
Advising on graduate school and research careers, and help writing a graduate school statement of purpose
Access to MIT's libraries, athletic facilities and health services
A chance to contribute to publishable research and possibly co-author a paper

What you'll do:

Work full time on a research project in an MIT lab from June 7 to August 7, 2027, on site for the whole programme
Attend weekly faculty research talks and professional development seminars
Write an abstract, a research paper and a graduate school statement of purpose
Present a poster at the closing Research Forum
Join a community service day and group outings such as a Boston Harbor boat cruise

Key dates:

Applications opened September 29, 2026
Online information session: December 2, 2026 at 4:00 pm ET
Applications and both recommendation letters due January 19, 2027 at 11:59 pm ET
Decisions by March 31, 2027
International students on F-1 visas need CPT or OPT approval by May 15, 2027
Programme runs June 7 to August 7, 2027

More information:

Eligibility and how to apply: https://oge.mit.edu/msrp/application/
FAQs: https://oge.mit.edu/msrp/frequently-asked-questions/
Faculty mentors who have offered to host: https://oge.mit.edu/msrp/msrp-faculty-mentors-research-groups/
Questions: msrp@mit.edu

Who can apply

Enrolled full time in a degree program at a US college or university located in the US or its territories (MIT students and students at campuses abroad are not eligible)
A sophomore, junior or non-graduating senior with at least two academic years of college coursework completed, not graduating before December 2027
A minimum 3.5 overall or major GPA on a 4.0 scale (the FAQ says students below 3.5 with a strong upward trend or meaningful challenges will still be considered)
A US citizen, permanent resident, DACA recipient, or international student with the right visa and work authorization (F-1 students need CPT or OPT through their own school)
Interested in a graduate degree in one of MIT's graduate programs (not Sloan professional programs such as the MBA) and in a career in academic research or teaching
Submit essay answers, a one to two page CV, an unlocked unofficial transcript and two letters of recommendation, at least one from a faculty member
Not open to graduate students or to first year students (some first year students may qualify for the Leadership Alliance FYRE program instead)

AI Verification

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Good to know

+Fully funded: weekly stipend, housing, round-trip travel and a meal subsidy, and the FAQ says there is no cost to participate
+Nine weeks of real lab research at MIT with a faculty mentor and a graduate school writing package
+Explicitly built for students from under-resourced schools and first generation students, with need prioritised
+Long, clear window: open since September 29, closes January 19, 2027 at 11:59 pm ET
+Open to international students already studying at a US college, not just citizens

Worth checking yourself

!Only for undergraduates enrolled at a college in the US or its territories; students at Canadian or other non-US universities cannot apply, whatever their citizenship
!Both recommendation letters must arrive by the same January 19 deadline or the application is not reviewed
!MIT does not publish the stipend amount, and food is subsidised rather than fully covered
!Applying needs an account on MIT's application portal; no MSRP page mentions an application fee, but the portal itself was not read past its login screen
!The FAQ still says students graduating before December 2026 are ineligible, while the eligibility page says December 2027; the eligibility page is the current one
!F-1 students need CPT or OPT approval by May 15, 2027, and MIT notes CPT guidance changed in August 2026
!Biology and brain and cognitive sciences applicants must apply to MSRP Biology/BCS instead

Sources checked

OGoge.mit.eduApplyOGoge.mit.eduApplyOGoge.mit.eduApplyOGoge.mit.eduApplyPRprogram-connect.mit.eduOfficialOGoge.mit.eduApply

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