Summer Undergraduate Research Program

***Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SURP will not be taking place in 2022.***

What is SURP?

The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is a 10-week internship that provides undergraduates with valuable research and professional development experience under the guidance of UVA Faculty conducting education research. This internship program is designed to encourage undergraduates students to pursue graduate study and consider careers in academic, policy, or research organizations. Interns will work on research focusing on schools, classrooms, and other settings as contexts critical to child and adolescent development. They will also participate in developmental workshops and meetings, and present at a research conference.

Program Timeline

SURP is an 10-week full-time program. Interns will spend 8 weeks in Charlottesville as well as participate in a week of pre- and post- internship work prior to arriving and after completion of the program. Interns spend the entirety of June and July in Charlottesville, and must be able to commit to the full 10 weeks of the program (including weekends).

Program Goals

• To strengthen the skills needed to successfully complete a doctoral program in education research
• To diversify and broaden the range of perspectives within the field of education research
• To attract the most competitive, diverse group of students to the Curry School of Education and Human Development graduate programs, like Education Psychology-Applied Development Science (M.Ed. & Ph.D.), Education Policy, and Research Statistics and Evaluation.

SURP Alumni

Former SURP participants have gone on to pursue graduate programs in applied developmental and educational psychology, public policy, applied behavior analysis, urban education, school psychology, higher education, and mental health counseling.  Additionally, we have alumni working across the country at research labs, public schools, research and policy institutes, and the Peace Corps.

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“SURP has shaped my future goals in many ways, personally but academically most of all. It’s also prepping me for every step that I need to take to get there. It’s a very well-rounded program. SURP provides me with GRE prep, and lab experience, and workshops; basically everything that I need to know.”

– Yessenia Magana, SURP 2014

Please read more about our alumni and what they have had to say about SURP.

Internship Benefits

SURP interns receive a variety of benefits from their participation in the program.

Several of these benefits relate to interns’ personal and professional development. For instance, interns will:

• Be prepared to apply to graduate programs in educational research
• Clarify and develop their research interests
• Expand their network of faculty, graduate students, and peer scholars
• Build a proficiency in statistical methods and at least one software program
• Develop greater familiarity with the contours of the research process and academic writing

Financial benefits of the program include a stipend of $3000, up to $500 for travel expenses to/from Charlottesville, and a $500 meal stipend.

How to Apply

The application process for SURP is managed by the Leadership Alliance's Summer Research Early Identification Program. Learn more about our two-step application process here! Before applying, please read over our research opportunities for this upcoming summer to determine which ones would be the best fit for your interests.