Summer Research and Creative Projects: For Students

Each summer, roughly 200 undergraduates work directly with faculty members on projects that touch the frontiers of discovery.

Most fellowships are funded directly by Colgate. Additional fellowships receive funding from corporate or foundation grants, individual donors, or individual faculty research grants.

Summertime research and creative projects often result in the presentation of papers at professional meetings or publication in journals, with undergraduates as co-authors and exhibitors. Students and faculty from all academic departments and divisions participate.

There are two ways for students to pursue research or creative projects on campus over the summer:

Each summer, many faculty members from across the university will have positions available to students to collaborate on existing faculty research and creative projects. Students interested in collaborating in one of the projects (listed below) may apply to the faculty member through an online application form.

The student will collaborate in the project at a high intellectual level for up to 10 weeks over the summer, receiving a stipend of $565 per week.

Available Positions, 2024

(posted in early Jan, 2024)

There are positions available in each of the following departments and programs. Students may submit a single application to express interest in up to three positions (positions may be in any department/program or combination of departments/programs).

Past projects

Deadlines

Stages Deadline
Stages Students apply online to up to three faculty Deadline February 6, 2024
Stages Faculty decisions announced to students via email from division directors Deadline February 28, 2024
Stages Students reply to undergraduate research office to accept position and indicate start/end dates Deadline March 8, 2024
Stages Summer housing Deadline TBD

This type of funding envisions research or creative projects supervised by faculty mentors but proposed by students. Projects do not need to be related to the faculty member’s research or specific area of scholarly or artistic interest, but the faculty member must agree to supervise the student for the duration of the project. Students apply for funding in consultation with faculty mentors. Information about applying and application deadlines may be found at the student-initiated summer research page.

Other Summer Opportunities

The Beckman Scholars Program offers students in chemistry, biology, molecular biology, or biochemistry the chance to earn a 15-month stipend to conduct independent research with the help of a faculty mentor.

Colgate and its generous alumni and parent donors offer grants to support the living costs and supplemental expenses of students who pursue unpaid and underpaid summer experiences.

Explore Summer Funding

The Center for Freedom and Western Civilization will sponsor up to three students (current second- or third-year students) to pursue faculty-mentored summer research projects focused on themes related to the Western heritage of freedom and civilization. 

More about the Center for Freedom and Western Civilization

The Lampert Institute grants several fellowships each summer allowing Colgate students to design research projects under the mentorship of a faculty member. 

Lampert Institute

In lieu of in-person internships for the summer of 2021, University Museums will sponsor up to three students conducting independent research on collections of the Longyear Museum of Anthropology, the Picker Art Gallery, and on the theme of digital approaches to educational outreach. Please reach out to Rebecca Mendelsohn or Nick West.

Summer Field School Fellows work with a community, government, or non-profit partner to create and complete projects that will have a positive impact on the Upstate region. 

Field school

For Faculty

If you are a faculty member interested in applying for funding to support student projects over the summer, please see the summer fellowship information page for faculty.

Contact Information

Questions about specific summer fellowship opportunities should be directed to the advising faculty member.

Questions regarding the summer fellowship application process and funding opportunities may be directed to:

Co-Director Center for Learning, Teaching, and Research