Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Application Timeline and Process:
SURF applications for Summer 2025 will become available in the Spring 2025 semester.
Simply follow the link, then sign on to the platform by clicking on “University of Central Florida Single Sign On (SSO)“. Then log in with your NID and NID password.
From there, you will be able to access the application and the details of the program and requirements. After you submit your application, your faculty mentor will receive an email to endorse your proposal. Your application will then be checked by a staff member for completion and eligibility before sending it to reviewers. Once reviews are received, funding decisions will be finalized. Students will be informed of their funding award, although they can view the funding status on InfoReady.
SURF Fellows
Publishing Fellows
Program Benefits
- $2,000 academic scholarship for summer courses (Summer A or C only)
- Professional development workshops, including several exclusive sessions for SURF Fellows
- Opportunity to present in the Summer Undergraduate Research Poster Showcase (required for SURF Fellows, optional for Publishing Fellows)
Program Eligibility & Application Process
All applicants, regardless of which track they are applying to, will need to meet these eligibility requirements and prepare these common application components. The program will run from roughly mid May to Mid July. SURF 2025 exact dates are forthcoming.
Proposal Elements:
Proposals for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) require the following components:
- A research project proposal
- A cover letter
- A 1-page resume
- An endorsement from your faculty mentor (a reference letter in which the request will be sent directly to your faculty mentor after applying)
Program Eligibility:
- There is NOT a GPA requirement, however, students on academic probation will not be considered for this research opportunity.
- All applicants must have a UCF faculty mentor to receive a SURF Fellowship offer. Students should work closely with their mentors while drafting their proposal.
- Applicants cannot graduate at the end of the summer semester in which they are SURF Fellows.
- Participants must enroll in Summer A or C courses. (Students may enroll Summer B course in addition to Summer A or C if they choose.)
- Be able to fulfill the program requirements in full (listed below).
Get Support Writing Your Proposal:
SURF Fellowships are competitive, but there are several resources that you can take advantage of to strengthen your proposal:
- Meet with an OUR staff member to learn how to make improvements to your application
- Attend one of our workshops on submitting a strong proposal
- Visit UCF Career Services for a resume critique
- Utilize the resources on the UCF University Writing Center’s website for cover letter support or schedule a consultation for support with your whole proposal
SURF Fellows: Requirements
Summer Participation Requirements:
- Attend the kick-off event in May
- Attend four SURF workshops throughout the summer. Topics covered include poster preparation, creating a research portfolio, how to be successful at conferences, etc.
- Present a poster of your research at the end of the summer at our UCF Summer Research Showcase.
*See further details (including program dates) on the application page.
Post-Summer Participation Requirements:
- Present during UCF’s Student Research Week event the following spring semester.
Publishing Fellows: Requirements
Pre-Summer Requirement:
Complete your research or creative work, so that you can spend the summer writing.
Summer Participation Requirements:
- Attend the kick-off event in May
- Attend mandatory meetings with the SURF Track 2 cohort and the editors of The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal where sections of the manuscript will be discussed and peer reviewed.
*See further details (including program dates) on the application page.
Post-Summer Participation Requirements:
- Submit your manuscript to a journal by December.
- Present during UCF’s Student Research Week event the following spring semester