How to Apply for REUs
- Kristina Gatto
- Jun 30, 2025
- 8 min read
I was accepted to two REUs.
I’m confident you can do the same.
I just finished my bachelors degree in astrophysics and completed 2 summer REU programs along the way. I discovered REUs back in my sophomore year, after doing some research on summer opportunities for STEM students. REU stands for Research Experience for Undergraduates. Typically, they’re summer-long (8-10 weeks) paid research programs at universities that have a strong department for the discipline being offered. There are tons of different REUs with all different topics such as astronomy, physics, biology, environmental science, and much more! They are fairly competitive to apply for and get accepted to, so, in this article, I’m sharing my experience from applying to astronomy REUs.
That being said, this advice can be applied to pretty much any REU. The NSF website for REUs can be found here:
In this article, I’m going to teach you my strategies for preparing yourself, and your resume, to stand out for any REU you want to apply for.
LET'S BEGIN.
#1: Identify what kind of REU you want to apply for.
In the link above, the NSF website has a ton of different topics that offer opportunities for REUs, explore that site and check out any opportunities that seem interesting to you.
Despite being a popular subject, there aren’t too many Astro-related REUs. When I applied there were less than 30 in the entire country, which is insane considering the depth of the field. Look at your options as a whole, if you have an interest in physics or chemistry as well as astronomy, by all means, apply to both to expand your chances of getting accepted.
When I started my REU search, since the amount of Astro-REUs is so small I took the time to look through each program to see what they offered. Many programs list the projects going on and even the professors who are working on them. This can give you a good idea of what kind of projects you’d be interested in working on. Personally, having done small-scale projects on exoplanets at my home institution, I sought out any programs that had projects with exoplanets, but I also included other programs with interesting projects that could broaden my horizons on the subject. After looking at the programs as a whole, including location, stipend, projects, activities, etc., I complied a list of 10–15 programs I was potentially interested in applying to. My goal was to apply to between 8–10 of them, so after creating a list of many I was interested in, I took my list to my astronomy professor and sat down with them and discussed which ones would be a good fit for me.
#2: Create a CV/Resume.
Pretty much every single research opportunity, internship, and job will ask for either a CV or a resume. For those who are unsure of what a CV is, in short, it’s essentially a resume without a page limit. It’s typically more popular in science fields and instead of just work/research experience, you can put anything relating to your academic/research career on it. Some examples are publications, posters, talks, research interests, etc. I linked below a template for a great scientific CV that I found somewhere on the internet long ago but couldn’t relocate the original source.
Overleaf CV Template
Having a good CV/resume is CRUCIAL for presenting yourself as a scientist or researcher. With that in mind, having someone review your CV/resume is definitely beneficial. Everyone has to start somewhere, so don’t feel embarrassed to reach out for help/suggestions if you’re stuck trying to write one. I had my professors and parents read over my CV to check for spelling/format errors and to look over the overall content of the document and it helped immensely to have feedback.
#3: Participate in Any Research Opportunities Available to Enhance your CV.
REU programs vary in terms of selection criteria. Some programs specifically scout out students who have never done research before in order to provide them an opportunity, and others prefer that you have some prior research experience. That being said, it's good to lean on the side of having some experience on your resume to show interest and capability.
I went to a small liberal arts college, so I understand research at your home institution can be few and far between sometimes, but, that doesn’t stop you from finding opportunities elsewhere. NASA offers a program called L’SPACE, run through Arizona State University, for students interested in working in a professional industry setting. Although online, the program was such an incredible experience and I highly recommend it. They currently have two separate academies within the program itself, both of which are 12 weeks long and can be completed alongside a normal college semester. That being said, I definitely recommend completing them over the summer, if possible, to allow yourself to be fully immersed in all the program has to offer.
NASA officials run the program and provide mentorship and seminars for professional development throughout the semester. Each program caters to a different area of the space industry and working for NASA, and if given the chance I also definitely recommend completing both. For both academies, you’ll be able to work on a project with a small group of other undergrads and present your findings and ideas at the end to receive professional feedback and advice. Not only will you meet people from across the country with the same interests and career goals as you, but you’ll also learn so many valuable skills such as time management, team leadership, working in a professional setting, and so much more. I linked the website to the program below to check out!
I was lucky enough that in addition to completing these NASA academies, my college also offered summer research opportunities with different professors. I took full advantage and participated in an astronomy project the summer after my freshman year. Always always inquire about research opportunities within your school’s department, regardless if they’re advertised or not. More likely than not, professors have their own research going on outside of their academic life, and more likely than not, they’re more than happy to provide an opportunity to work alongside them if asked.
#4: Build Relationships with your Professors.
Relationships are the most important part of any job. Getting to know the people you work with or learn from is crucial, and that starts in school. Professors are there to teach and mentor their students and so much can be learned by engaging in conversations with them outside of class. Networking is huge in nearly every career field, but it can start at the most basic level by simply getting to know your professors at school.
Personally, I have found that my professors at school are extremely open to engaging with their students and helping them succeed, so I started showing up to office hours weekly to ask questions. It doesn’t have to be more than that, but if you’re annoying like me, you’ll pop in every time you pass their office and say hello. Building those relationships with professors while you’re still an undergrad is so crucial for success.
Not only will having a connection with your professors be beneficial for research opportunities but also when it comes to applying to grad school, you’ll know someone who knows someone, and that can be huge.
You will most likely NEED recommendation letters from professors to complete your application for an REU. Wouldn’t you rather have a recommendation letter written by someone who genuinely knows you as a person and student and can attest to your character and drive, as opposed to someone who just knows you from class? By building good professional relationships with professors, they can offer you so much more than just what's in class. They can provide a much better recommendation letter for you if they genuinely know you, and in the future can even provide connections for you to get job or grad school offers.
#5: Personal Statements and Statements of Purpose.
For pretty much every application, you’ll have to write either some kind of personal statement, statement of purpose, or respond to an essay prompt. I’m not going to lie, I was not the biggest fan of them but it's part of the application process. My biggest advice would definitely be to be your most genuine self while writing about yourself and to have someone edit your writing before you submit it. Being genuine is so important, I believe. With these programs, you’ll be paired with a mentor who will guide you through your project during the summer, and by submitting your application with authenticity, they can best pair you with a mentor who matches you and your interests. Be sure to check out our other guide about the difference between personal statements and statements of purpose!
After spending hours staring at a screen, writing paragraph after paragraph about yourself, grammar tends to fall out the window. Having someone proofread your essays is something I highly recommend, especially if you’re writing a ton of them in such a short period of time.
My last piece of advice is to be positive in your writing, especially about yourself. You don’t want to portray yourself in a negative way, even if the essay prompt asks about hardships/challenges. Never put yourself down in your own writing.
#6: Create a spreadsheet.
Creating a spreadsheet is not only helpful for your own organizational purposes, but also for your recommendation letter-writer's sanity. Personally, I created a spreadsheet that included all the REUs I was applying to and organized them by deadline. From there, I included which ones needed recommendation letters, who I requested them from, and when they needed to submit them. I sent my spreadsheet to all my recommendation letter-writers so they knew exactly what I needed from them and when. As I completed the applications for each REU, I would highlight the column in green to mark it as done.
It was such a relieving feeling to highlight each REUs column that I finished applying for. Honestly, it kept me motivated to continue writing my applications to see the list get more and more green.
#7: Applying to your REUs!
Now that we’ve been preparing, we’re finally ready to apply to our REUs! Applications typically open towards the end of the year, around December 1st, and close near the beginning of February.
You definitely NEED to set a schedule for yourself with deadlines. Personally, since I was on winter break when applications were open, I took a week to just grind on applications. Each day I set a goal for myself to complete 1–2 applications and by the end of the week, they were all done and submitted on my end. It wasn’t the most exciting week but I definitely got them all done. Once you submit your applications, make sure to keep up with your professors and recommendation letter-writers to ensure they submit their material before the deadline.
#8: Thank yous.
Although a lost art, thank you cards go a LONG way. Pretty much every professor will have multiple students to write many recommendation letters for and it’s not light work. Take the time and write them a short thank you card, it definitely means more than you realize.
I did this and had one professor tell me that they’ve been teaching for a number of years and wrote dozens and dozens of recommendation letters and not once ever received a thank you. That made me so glad I took the time to write them one. Trust me, it goes a long way.
After you’ve finished all of this and your applications are submitted, all you have to do now is wait for a reply! Congratulations!! Submitting applications is no easy task, you should be proud of yourself for completing them. Typically, March 1st is when decisions come out, so it’s out of your hands until then. Now that you spent ungodly amounts of hours writing personal statements and anxiously messaging your professors to remind them to submit their letters, you can finally relax. Go treat yourself to a facial, or whatever the newest popular coffee flavor is, in a large, obviously, because you deserve it.
GOOD LUCK! I hope you get accepted!
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