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SURA - Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship

Application deadline: May 8, 2026

IMPORTANT information for SURA 2026 participants:

• Both in-person and remote work are permissible, depending on the nature of the research and guidance of the faculty research mentor. 
• Regardless of modality, students are required to complete the virtual SURA workshops, and adhere to all timelines and due dates.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship (SURA) course awards university-funded elective credit to undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon for existing faculty projects focused on undergraduate research or creative inquiry under the direction of a Carnegie Mellon research mentor. Students are responsible for finding a mentor who is willing and able to supervise them over the summer. SURA mentors can be faculty, post-docs, or advanced graduate students.  

SURA is a variable unit course with units awarded commensurate with hours worked as follows:

Important Dates:

• Student SURA Application Deadline: May 8, 2026
• Research mentor deadline to approve student SURA application: May 11, 2026
• Earliest possible research start date: May 11, 2026
• Deadline to change number of units: May 11, 2026
• Latest possible research end date: July 30, 2026
• Mentors send letter grades to OURSD by July 31, 2026
• OURSD submits grades by August 4, 2026

Course enrollment requires permission from our staff through the .  You cannot register on your own for the course.  

Housing is not provided with the apprenticeship.  Information on summer housing is available here.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Currently enrolled undergraduate students at Carnegie Mellon who have not yet participated in SURA or SURF. 
• Baccalaureate degree in progress.
• Little or no previous experience in research or creative inquiry at Carnegie Mellon. 
• If you are on a leave of absence the semester in which you are applying for SURA (Spring 2026),  or are planning to be on leave during the semester after (Fall 2026), please contact our office.
• Students are limited to one SURA experience over the course of their undergraduate career.
• Students cannot combine SURA with SURF in the same summer.

 Requirements for enrolled students:

• Attend the workshop modules. These modules will be virtual and asynchronous, with the exception of the first orientation session, which will be virtual and synchronous.  Please see dates in the SURA Workshop Dates box.  
• Based on the recommendation of your research mentor, either present your work at or attend the Meeting of the Minds Undergraduate Research Symposium
• Follow human subjects research guidelines where applicable

How to Apply

• Locate a research mentor who will supervise your SURA.  Suggested steps:
  • Review the bios of researchers to see what kind of research they are doing and what might interest you
  • Meet with your academic advisor and let them know your interest; come prepared with specific names and general research areas of interest
  • Meet with a prospective research mentor you know through a course or one with whom you have a similar area of interest
  • Check our Getting Started in Research page for a list of faculty-led projects that are seeking SURA researchers.
• Decide with your research mentor the weeks you will work to complete the necessary research hours
• Once you have a confirmed commitment, complete and submit the required . Once submitted, the form will be sent to your faculty mentor for their approval.

Application Instructions

Please complete the .  In addition to your personal information, you will need:

• Project Description (up to 1400 characters maximum)
• Number of hours per week that you will work on the research
• Start and end dates of your research
• Number of units (see above chart)
• Your history of participation in OURSD programs
• Research mentor's AndrewID (please make sure you have the correct AndrewID as per the CMU Directory). If working with a non-CMU mentor, you will need the email address of the individual.

All forms must be submitted by May 8, 2026.