Bridge Undergraduate Science Jr. Program (BUGS Jr.)
The Application Portal for the 2026 Bridge UnderGraduate Science Jr. (BUGS) Summer Research Program is now CLOSED
Final admission decisions have been sent to all applicants via email. If you submitted an application and have not received a decision, please check your spam or junk folder. If you are still unable to locate the email, please contact our office for assistance.
Thank you for your interest in the BUGS Jr. Summer Research Program.
The 2026 BUGS Jr Program is Now CLOSED
Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Bridge Undergraduate Science Jr. (BUGS Jr.) Summer Research Program.
APPLY NOW
PREVIEW QUESTIONS HERE
2026 BUGS JR Program application portal is NOW OPEN
Before opening or completing the 2026 BUGS Program application through Qualtrics, please preview the questions to prepare your materials/answers.
Important Note: For any letters of recommendations please make sure to upload them on the portal or please have them submitted directly to bugsprogram@usc.edu. Students should obtain the letter from their recommender and submit it to us themselves. Recommendation letters should be no longer than one page and submitted in PDF format.
If you have any questions please email us at bugsprogram@usc.edu.
HANDS-ON RESEARCH
The BUGS Jr Program runs concurrently each summer with a parallel program for undergraduates, Bridge Undergraduate Science Program, known as BUGS for short. Students in the BUGS Jr Program pair with a USC Faculty Member and the members of their laboratory, often graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, to perform hands-on research in state-of-the-art research labs at USC.
Students also benefit from weekly BUGS Jr Program activities, including campus tours, journal clubs, career symposia, technical panels and Bridge-sponsored peer community-building activities such as research seminars and multi-disciplinary social mixers.
Curious to learn the kind of research our previous BUGS have done? Get to know a few of our alumni in the BUGS Jr Alumni Focus, or peruse our list of alumni to see some of the people who participated before and the projects they worked on.
EXPLORE DISCIPLINES
BUGS Jr is one of a few immersive U.S. programs that allows students to explore across scientific disciplines. A unique highlight of the program is the summer finale symposium (the Saturday in August) where BUGS Jrs present their work to their scientific mentors, peers and family, as well as the university community in dynamic poster sessions that allow them to showcase their efforts from the summer research program.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
If you are currently a high school student, or will be an incoming freshman during the upcoming school year, you are eligible to participate in the BUGS Jr Program. Students who will graduate from high school in Spring 2026 should apply to this BUGS Jr Program.
[updated 4/9/2026] Only U.S. Citizens, permanent residents and students already in the U.S. on in a valid immigration status are eligible to participate in the BUGS Jr Program. BUGS Jr is not registered or able to sponsor student visas for participation in the summer research program.
There is no GPA requirement to participate in the
BUGS Jr Program.
PROGRAM DATES
Interested in working together or have an idea to share?
Bridge Undergraduate Science Program
(BUGS and BUGS Jr. programs)