Research Experiences for Undergraduates, known as REU, is a National Science Foundation programme that pays undergraduates to do real research at a host institution, usually over a summer. The awkward fact about applying is timing: NSF states that the vast majority of REU sites operate in the summer and set application deadlines in the January–March window. Autumn is when students who plan ahead do the groundwork, and it is the only point at which preparation still changes the outcome.
This guide deliberately does not list 2027 deadlines. Deadlines are set by each individual site, many have not been posted yet, and any table compiled now would be wrong by January. What can be stated reliably is where listings appear, who is eligible, how the shared application portal works, and what to have ready.
What an REU Is, and Who Can Apply
An REU site is a funded research programme hosted by a university, laboratory or field station. NSF describes participants as receiving competitive stipends and, in many cases, help with housing, meals and travel. Most are summer programmes; a smaller number run during the academic year or at other times.
The baseline eligibility rule, as NSF states it, is that applicants are undergraduates pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents or U.S. nationals. Individual sites can add their own restrictions, which is why every site’s own page needs reading rather than assuming the NSF baseline is the whole rule.
Where the Listings Appear
There are two places to look, and NSF says plainly that neither is complete on its own.
The Directory of REU Sites
NSF maintains a directory of funded REU sites. It is the broader of the two sources, because it lists funded sites whether or not they accept applications through NSF’s own system. Each entry points to the site’s own programme page, which is where the real deadline, eligibility rules and application instructions live.
ETAP, the Education and Training Application
ETAP is NSF’s online portal where some REU opportunities are posted and where students can apply to several of them with a single set of materials. NSF’s student guidance is explicit that not all REU opportunities are advertised there, so students should also consult the directory. A site that uses ETAP will say so on its own page; a site that does not will have its own form, email address or separate system.
How the ETAP Application Works
Participating sites describe the process consistently. A student creates an account with multi-factor authentication through NSF, then completes a one-time registration in ETAP. That registration is where the reusable materials go:
- General information — name, contact details and demographic information.
- A résumé or CV.
- A personal statement.
- Transcripts — host sites generally accept unofficial copies, but check each site’s own instructions.
- Reference contacts. The registration prompts the student to write a message to each letter writer, who is then asked to submit a recommendation.
Once registered, a student can apply to multiple ETAP-listed sites without re-entering that material. The practical consequence is that the heavy work — the statement and the recommendation requests — happens once and can be done now, rather than being compressed into a January week when several deadlines land together.
One caution: a shared portal does not mean a shared application. Some sites ask supplementary questions or request additional materials, and each site decides on its own. Treat ETAP as a delivery mechanism, not a guarantee that a single statement fits every programme.
What to Do Between October and December
- Ask for recommendations early. Faculty write many of these each winter. A request made in October, with a résumé and a short description of the programmes you are targeting, is far easier to fulfil well than one made in the week of a deadline.
- Draft the personal statement around research, not ambition. Reviewers read for evidence that a student understands what research involves: a course project, a lab skill, a question that interests you. Tailor a paragraph per site rather than rewriting the whole.
- Build a working list from the directory. Record each site’s application route and note where the 2027 deadline is not yet posted. Check back; sites tend to update pages as winter approaches.
- Create the ETAP account and finish registration. Multi-factor setup and document uploads are the tedious part. Getting them done early removes avoidable failure points.
- Check eligibility on every site page. Citizenship, class year and institution-type preferences can differ.
- Consider more than one kind of site. Applying only to the best-known universities is a common mistake; smaller institutions and field stations are worth including.
What Is Still Unknown for 2027
Which sites will run in summer 2027, what each will pay, and when each will close are all unresolved for most programmes at the time of writing. Verify every programme on its own current page before committing time to it, and treat any third-party deadline list as a pointer to check rather than a source of truth.
For students weighing REU against other routes into research, the funding side is covered in the computer science scholarships guide and the fall 2026 scholarship deadlines by field; the long-running undergraduate award with a research emphasis is explained in the Goldwater Scholarship guide.
← Back to Programs | The Goldwater Scholarship | STEM Careers →