Summer Research Fellowship

The application is available in November 2025. Application instructions are also posted on our website.

The online application and the supplemental materials are due on February 2, 2026.

No. This program is geared towards undergraduates in their junior year of college (defined as your third year of college and not by the number of credits earned). Seniors applying into medical school in the current cycle and college graduates enrolled in a pre-medical post-baccalaureate program are also eligible to apply. We encourage freshmen and sophomores to work on fulfilling the requirements so they can apply when they are in their third year of college.

As a student currently enrolled in a degree program that will confer an M.D. degree, you are not eligible to apply for the summer program.

You are eligible to apply if you are enrolled in a post-baccalaureate, pre-medical program and are not starting a medical school program in Fall 2026.

Yes, you are eligible to apply if you are not starting a medical school program in the Fall 2026.

No, we encourage applicants with limited (<250 hours) research experience to apply.

The following documents will need to be uploaded to the appropriate application portals:

Submitted on the application website: 

• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• One-page essay outlining how you developed an interest in a medical career and your interest in working with underserved populations.
• Proof of U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident Visa Status
• U.S. Citizenship - A copy of your birth certificate or U.S. Passport (a copy of your State ID, Driver's License, or Social Security card will not be accepted)
• Permanent Resident Visa status - a copy of your Permanent Resident Visa Card
   

Submitted on the transcript and verification of enrollment website: 

Transcript

• Official transcript(s) from every college or university you have attended (including summer courses)
• If the Registrar’s Office will be submitting the transcript on your behalf, they can submit it via the transcript and verification of enrollment survey or they can email it to the srf@med.cornell.edu

Verification Letter of Enrollment in Undergraduate Education

• Provide a letter of enrollment on letterhead from your University's Registrar's Office that will confirm that you are:
• Currently enrolled at your university
• Seeking a degree/diploma if you are an undergraduate student or certificate if you are in a post-baccalaureate premedical program
• Includes anticipated graduation date
• If the Registrar’s Office will be submitting the transcript on your behalf, they can submit it via the transcript and verification of enrollment survey or they can email it to the srf@med.cornell.edu.

Submitted on the Letter of Recommendation website by your recommenders: 

• Letter of Recommendation (LOR) #1 - A letter from your college premedical advisor or from one of your faculty members/professors of a science course who can speak to your academic acumen, motivation, and potential student of foundational medical science.
• Letter of Recommendation (LOR) #2 - A letter of recommendation from a source outside of your college that can speak to your work with and commitment to underserved minority or financially disadvantaged populations within the USA.

Yes, we need to see all grades from all colleges attended including the current Fall 2024 semester grades.

Yes, all transcripts from all schools must be included as we will need to see all course grades.

No. Only completed applications will be reviewed so please be sure to upload all documents and complete all sections of the application and submit your application and transcript(s) by the deadline, February 2. Please make sure that your letter writers are aware of the deadline.

The personal statement should be no more than one page.

Letters of recommendation are due by February 2 along with the application. Your application can be submitted prior to submission of LOR’s.

Only U.S. citizens and those with permanent resident visa status in the United States are eligible to apply to the program.

Unfortunately, at this time we cannot accept DACA recipients.

Only a copy of a birth certificate or passport can be submitted for proof of U.S. citizenship. For proof of permanent residency, a copy of the permanent resident visa card is required.

All applicants will be notified by via email by late March.

Program participants must be available at the start of the program (June 15, 2026) and through its completion (August 1, 2026).

The Summer Research Fellowship Program will run from June 15, 2026 – August 1, 2026.

The amount of the stipend is $3,000 for the summer.

The frequency of stipend disbursements is generally biweekly but will be confirmed in Spring 2026.

A variety of factors are considered in making the mentor/mentee pairings including the alignment of participant interests and faculty research projects/ expertise. We do our best to oblige student preference for topic as well as locus of research (bench vs. clinical vs. translational) but cannot guarantee desired alignment for all participants. We do believe that the experience will add value and enhance participant readiness for medical school even in the absence of ideal alignment.

No. The SRF Program is comprised of full-time research work as well as a didactic curriculum. Students are required to focus solely on the program activities for the entire seven weeks. Employment or outside coursework are not permitted.

Yes, you must complete the full seven weeks.

You will be housed in one of the dormitories on the Weill Cornell Medicine campus in New York City.

No. While there are some catered events throughout the summer, meals are generally the responsibility of the individual student.

Travel expenses are subsidized for students living beyond the NY/NJ/CT tri state area.