BioSURF Program FAQ

The stipend is $5000. Students are expected to work a minimum of 360 hours (~9-10 weeks full-time) during the summer. During this period, Fellows may not be enrolled in more than 3 course units and cannot engage in other full-time employment.

No. Fellows will pay for and arrange their own housing.

Possibly. You may negotiate with your mentor to take a vacation during your BioSURF as long as you contribute a MINIMUM of 360 hours (~9-10 weeks full-time) within the set program dates in May and August.

Fellows are required to actively participate in the summer community of WashU undergraduate researchers, including attending a required research ethics workshop, giving a lightning talk on their project, and submitting mid- and end-of-award reports. Also participation in the Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium is mandatory.  If you are studying abroad during the fall semester, you will present in the spring.

Yes, information on a variety of other programs is available on the OUR's Research Opportunities page.

The BioSURF application will go live in late December. In the meantime, you should be finding a mentor/lab and developing a summer project with them.

 In the past, about 50% of applicants have been awarded a BioSURF.

Yes, you may apply for more than one Fellowship, but you may only accept one for the proposed project period.

A second BioSURF is rarely awarded, except in the case where the mentor is unable to support the student or under other special circumstances. Please inquire, relating your circumstances, before applying for a second BioSURF. In your application and in the mentor's letter of recommendation, you and your mentor must clarify the special circumstance or explain the funding issue. If the circumstances warrant it, we will consider, without prejudice, a second application.

BioSURF funding is intended for basic biological and biomedical research, and clinical studies are not eligible for this support. Disease-related research is often eligible, but patient outcome research is generally not. If you are unsure about whether your project is eligible for support, please inquire before submitting an application.

BioSURF is for continuing undergraduates only. However, if you will be a fifth-year senior during the following fall term, you are eligible for BioSURF.

About 6% of last year's BioSURF participants were rising sophomores. 

No; the BioSURF program only supports students working under the supervision of Washington University faculty. (The mentor may be a professor on the Danforth or Medical School campus.)

Washington University faculty may recommend no more than three applicants from their lab.

2-4 pages, double-spaced, written by you. Your proposal should include critical material to inform the review committee how you're going to approach the project.  See the “Research Proposal" section of the BioSURF webpage to help you. Ask your mentor to review your proposal for completeness well before the final deadline.

No. We do not release past proposals.

This is an excellent opportunity to get to know your professors! Draft a short (one-page) resume of your activities, your interest in research and the BioSURF program, what you hope to do in your project, and make an appointment to meet with your advisor, a teacher, a resident advisor in your dorm, your dean, or others. Faculty members like to see students take this kind of initiative and generally are willing to write a recommendation. Keep in mind the questions we ask recommenders when choosing who might write on your behalf. Remember, ONE recommendation MUST come from your mentor.

Yes. One letter may come from a graduate TA and one from your mentor.