Spend a summer doing research on MIT’s campus. The MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP), run by the MIT Office of Graduate Education, places undergraduate students in MIT labs and research groups for nine weeks, from 7 June to 7 August 2027. Participants receive a weekly stipend, round-trip travel, a meal subsidy, and housing. The programme prepares students for graduate school, and it gives priority to students with demonstrated need. Applications close on Tuesday, 19 January 2027 at 11:59 PM ET. To apply, you must be enrolled full-time at a US college or university, and that rule applies to international students too.
MIT Summer Research Program 2027 Details:
- Host Country: United States (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
- Host Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of Graduate Education
- Programme Type: Summer research programme for undergraduates
- Duration: 9 weeks (7 June to 7 August 2027)
- Financial Coverage: Fully Funded
- Application Opened: 29 September 2026
- Deadline: 19 January 2027, 11:59 PM ET
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Financial Benefits
According to MIT’s overview page, participants receive:
- A weekly stipend
- Round-trip travel to MIT
- A meal subsidy
- Housing
- Access to MIT’s libraries, athletic facilities, and health services
MIT doesn’t publish the stipend amount on these pages, so ask the programme office for the current figure. Participation also doesn’t guarantee admission to MIT’s graduate programmes.
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What You Get Beyond Funding
- Mentored research: You work with an MIT faculty member, plus a postdoctoral fellow or advanced graduate student
- Graduate school advising: You receive individual guidance on academic and research careers
- A chance to publish: Participants may contribute to publishable research and co-author a paper
- Professional development: The programme includes seminars, weekly faculty research talks, and a community service day
- A final research forum: You present your work at a poster symposium
Participating Departments
MSRP General places students in many MIT departments, including:
- Engineering: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Chemical, Civil and Environmental, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Materials Science, Mechanical, and Nuclear Science
- Sciences: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, and Computational Science
- Social sciences and humanities: Economics, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Urban Studies and Planning, and History, Anthropology, and STS
- Other areas: Architecture, Media Arts and Sciences, Transportation, and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Biology and Brain and Cognitive Sciences students must apply to the separate MSRP Biology/BCS programme instead.
Eligibility Criteria
- GPA: A minimum 3.5 overall or major GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Enrolment: Full-time at a US institution of higher education in the US or its territories, excluding MIT
- Class Year: A sophomore, junior, or non-graduating senior with at least two academic years of college coursework completed. You shouldn’t graduate before December 2027
- Graduate Interest: An interest in one of MIT’s graduate programmes (Sloan professional programmes such as the MBA aren’t included) and in a career in academic research or teaching
- Status: US citizens, permanent residents, non-citizens with DACA, or international students with the right visa and work authorisation
- Priority Groups: MIT strongly encourages students who have overcome barriers such as financial hardship, first-generation college status, or limited access to academic resources
International students: If you hold an F-1 visa, you need work authorisation through CPT or OPT before the programme begins, with approval by 15 May 2027. MIT notes that CPT guidance changed significantly in August 2026, so contact your international students office right away. Studying abroad, satellite campuses abroad, or hybrid programmes don’t meet the requirement.
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Required Documents
- Essay questions: You answer all of them, covering your academic journey, barriers you’ve faced, research interests, and how MSRP will help you
- A CV of one or two pages
- An unofficial transcript. It must be unlocked, because MIT won’t consider locked or password-protected files
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty, research mentors, or supervisors, submitted directly by your recommenders
MIT must receive both letters by the deadline. Extra letters aren’t reviewed.
How to Apply for the MIT Summer Research Program 2027?
Confirm your eligibility first. Check your GPA, your US enrolment, and your class year before you begin.
Choose your research interests. Review MIT’s departments and the faculty mentors page so your essays are specific.
Request your letters early. Ask two recommenders to submit by the deadline, since MIT can’t extend it for missing letters.
Complete the online application. Write the essay answers, then upload your CV and unlocked transcript on the MIT Program Connect portal.
Join an information session. MIT is holding one on Wednesday, 2 December 2026 at 4:00 PM ET.
Submit before 19 January 2027. Check that both letters have arrived.
Wait for the decision. MIT announces admission decisions by 31 March 2027.
Official Website
Link to the Official website is given below
Frequently Asked Questions:
It’s a nine-week summer research programme for undergraduates at MIT, designed to promote graduate education and widen access to research.
Yes. MIT lists a weekly stipend, round-trip travel, a meal subsidy, and housing.
No. You must be enrolled full-time at a US institution. Studying abroad or at a campus outside the US doesn’t qualify.
Yes, if they study at a US institution and hold the right visa and work authorisation, with CPT or OPT approved by 15 May 2027.
A minimum of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, either overall or in your major.
By 31 March 2027.
No. Acceptance doesn’t guarantee admission to MIT’s graduate programmes.