The Yale College First-Year Summer Research Fellowship in the Sciences and Engineering seeks to promote the academic development of promising students through engagement in original scientific and engineering research projects.
The First-Year Summer Research Fellowship program provides support for a summer research experience under the supervision of a Yale faculty member. Applicants are expected to have laid an appropriate foundation through their coursework and to present a well-developed proposal for a research project with substantial pedagogic and scholarly merit.
Award recipients will perform research during the summer, and will participate in six consecutive weeks of the Entering Summer Research workshops.
* If you are interested in neuroscience, psychology, computer science, or engineering, please consider applying to the Wu Tsai Undergraduate Fellowships Program, Undergrad Fellowships (yale.edu).
Eligibility and Application
Stipend support of $5,000 is granted for 10 weeks minimum of summer research (which should be consecutive and full-time, with no other commitment, such as employment or courses) under the supervision of a Yale University faculty member. Currently enrolled first-years proposing research in the natural sciences, engineering, mathematics and computer science are eligible to apply. Research must be supervised by a member of the Yale faculty (including the Graduate and Professional Schools), and will be conducted at Yale.
In order to be eligible for Yale College Science & QR-administered Fellowships, Yale College students must be enrolled (that is, not withdrawn) both at the time of submitting the fellowship application and at the time of receiving an award. Yale College students who are on a leave of absence are eligible to apply.
View an example of a research proposal (PDF) submitted for the Yale College First-Year Summer Research Fellowship.
Deadline for submission
- Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 3:00pm ET
Applications must be submitted online through the Student Grants & Fellowships database, http://studentgrants.yale.edu/
Applications should include the following materials
- A description of the proposed research project.
- A copy of the applicant’s transcript. An unofficial transcript is acceptable.
- A CV/resume, including a description of relevant experience.
- A recommendation letter from the proposed Yale faculty mentor, including evaluation of the qualifications and potential of the student, the scholarly and pedagogic merits of the proposed project, the student’s role in the development of the proposal, and a detailed plan for the supervision of the project. View the instructions on what should be included in the letter.
- A second letter of reference is required. The letter should speak to the applicant’s abilities and propensities to succeed in research, and can be from a previous PI (within or outside of Yale) or other mentor or professor.