REU Program

2026 REU Program with I-MRSEC

Our ten-week summer research program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to work closely with MRSEC faculty mentors on solving a challenging, meaningful scientific question through taking part in the interdisciplinary Illinois MRSEC research. The program also includes workshops on professional/career development, professional guest speakers, touring research facilities/national laboratory, symposium presentations, etc.

Program dates: May 27 - July 31, 2026 (10 weeks)

Location: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL

Application deadline: Application will be open on December 1, 2025 and due on February 15, 2026.

Compensation: Students receive a stipend of $7,000 for the summer. Additionally, students receive free housing, travel to/from the REU site, and other benefits.

Application requirements:

To apply to the Illinois MRSEC REU, you will need to prepare the following materials:

• Statement of interest: A one page document that addresses the following: What sparked your interest in materials research, and what have you done to pursue that passion? What are your research interests? Do you have any preference toward experimental or computational projects? What are your academic and professional goals, and how would participating in the Illinois MRSEC REU program help you achieve those goals? Advice on preparing personal statements can be found here.

• Resume: Advice on preparing a resume can be found here.

• Two reference letters: At least one should be a faculty member in a scientific field. References are submitted electronically: Within the application, you'll enter contact info (name and e-mail) for your references. After each is entered, an e-mail will be generated that asks them for the letter on your behalf, with a link to where they should submit the letter. Advice on getting strong reference letters can be found here.

• Unofficial transcript

• Proof of citizenship or permanent resident

Eligibility: Must be U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident, 18 years of age or older. Must be an undergraduate currently enrolled in 2- or 4- year program who has completed at least one year of studies by the start of the program; studying engineering, physics, chemistry, materials, or related fields. Must not complete a Bachelor's degree until after the program ends. All participants must have proof of health insurance coverage. 

 Applicants cannot be currently enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. UIUC students interested in finding a materials-related REU program can explore REU options at the national site or Pathwaystoscience.org. There are other MRSEC REU programs at many other Universities, which also offer opportunities for interdisciplinary materials research- find out more at the MRSEC program website http://mrsec.org.

We especially encourage those with limited access to research, community college students, people with disabilities, and those from groups historically excluded from STEM to apply.

If you have any questions regarding Summer 2026 application, please send an e-mail to Kay Tsai (kst@illinois.edu).