The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is an intensive, nine-week internship for undergraduates entering the summer before their final year, semester, or quarter of study. It's designed to provide research experience and mentorship for students interested in biomedical research. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, interns will complete an independent research project and present their findings at a competitive poster session.
The 2024 SURP application is now live! Applications are due by midnight (PST) Friday, January 5, 2024 and letters of recommendation are due by midnight (PST) Friday, January 12, 2024.
The program runs from Monday, June 17 through Friday, August 16, 2024. Students must be able to commit to this entire period in order to participate.
Please feel free to reach out to program staff at surp@fredhutch.org with any questions.
If you are looking for an alternate summer program, please check out our Catalog of Biomedical Research Internships.
Interns are paired with a faculty mentor after selecting one of the following areas of interest:
Learn more about the specific research interests of Fred Hutch faculty.
In addition to completing a mentored research project, interns participate in professional development workshops designed to facilitate preparation of competitive applications to graduate/medical school.
Workshops include:
Interns will also attend weekly research seminars regarding a broad array of scientific topics. The program culminates with a competitive poster session.
The SURP program includes activities designed to foster interaction among interns and their mentors. Past activities include:
Please carefully review the FAQs Among Applicants to ensure your academic standing and/or U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status qualifies you to participate in the SURP. If you remain uncertain about your eligibility upon reviewing the FAQ's, please contact us prior to submitting your application.
The SURP endeavors to engage scientific curiosity and promote cancer research careers among undergraduates and is committed to expanding diversity among students who enter STEM fields.
Interns will receive $5,085 (minus taxes) for participating in the program.
The SURP provides roundtrip travel (up to $450) to and from Seattle. Travel arrangements will be coordinated by program staff unless otherwise requested. If the cost of airfare is less than $450, interns may also request reimbursement for the cost of luggage fees and/or ground transportation to and from the airport. Interns who drive to Seattle are eligible for mileage reimbursement, up to $450.
Interns are responsible for their housing, meals, and local transportation costs. Housing is available at the University of Washington’s Stevens Court for approximately $3,000* for the duration of the program. Housing applications for Stevens Court will be available to students who are selected to participate in the program in early March. For more information about the amenities offered at Stevens Court, please visit UW Student Housing. Interns are also welcome to make their own housing arrangements.
Participants are eligible to purchase a subsidized transportation pass for $45. There is a free shuttle between Fred Hutch and the University of Washington campus, departing every 15 minutes.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Program is supported in part by the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) CURE Supplement: 3 P30 CA015704-44S1, U54 CA132381 (Fred Hutch) and U54 CA132383 (NMSU).
* Estimate based on 2023 price
The 2024 SURP application is now live! Apply here today! Applications are due by midnight (PST) Friday, January 5, 2024 and letters of recommendation are due by midnight (PST) Friday, January 12, 2024.
The application consists of:
We recommend applicants start by reviewing the Recent Interns page to help identify faculty whose research is of interest. However, all Fred Hutch faculty are potential mentors. If applicants have a general sense for the type of research that interests them, the Faculty & Labs page can help determine the faculty within that scientific area of interest.
We encourage applicants to review our "Tips for Submitting a Quality Application" below.
We encourage students to submit their application before the deadline. An abundance of last-minute submissions can overwhelm the application portal, which may result in upload failure. The same suggestion applies to uploading letters of recommendation. We are unable to accept any late submissions.
The SURP is a highly competitive program. While adhering to the following recommendations does not guarantee acceptance into the program, it does improve your chances of creating a successful application.
To increase the likelihood of securing summer research experience, we encourage applicants to apply to a minimum of 5–8 internship programs.
Responses to open-ended questions should have a thoughtful, detailed response that shows the applicant:
Students should thoroughly review their responses and supporting materials for accuracy and completeness before submitting their application. Given the number of applications received and in fairness to other applicants, the program is unable to accept late or revised materials.
When preparing this document, consider the following key points:
An informative recommendation should come from someone who can highlight your relevant strengths, your quality as a student compared to other students, your achievements; and how this program will further your academic and/or career goals.
When requesting a recommendation:
If you have questions about the SURP that are not addressed in our FAQs, please contact us.
SURP staff are unable to facilitate research internships for students outside of the 9-week summer program and will not accept unsolicited or late applications.