The Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) and Summer Humanities Undergraduate Research Experience (SHURE) provide funding to USC Dornsife undergraduate students for participation as a research assistant in a Dornsife faculty member’s project, either on or off campus, during the summer. The purpose of SURF/SHURE is to connect students with faculty members and their research. It allows students to be mentored one-on-one by USC Dornsife faculty, introduces students to the process of serious scholarly inquiry early in their academic careers, and fosters valuable relationships between students and faculty.

Students in good standing with a USC Dornsife major may apply for research funding up to $3,000 to supplement expenses while working on a Dornsife faculty member’s research. Students participating in an eligible USC Dornsife Problems Without Passports (PWP) research course may use these funds to offset summer tuition for the course.

Please note that we do not fund independent student research projects, including those related to 490 courses or honors theses. Students interested in pursuing independent research should apply for PURF, the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

Students interested in conducting research under the guidance of a professor during the academic year (fall and/or spring) should apply for SOAR.

To explore current faculty research projects, please visit the USC Handshake job and internship feed.

Click here to apply for SURF/SHURE

 

SURF/SHURE awards are administered consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Recipients are chosen without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited characteristic.

For Students

Click on the tabs below to learn more about SURF and SHURE.

    • The amount of funding is up to $3,000 for the summer. No independent student research projects will be funded.
    • The funding can be used to cover personal expenses or expenses directly related to a faculty-led research project or Problems without Passports (PWP) program. This commonly includes housing, meals, research materials, equipment, equipment rental, and/or travel. We cannot directly purchase travel or equipment or compensate third parties through SURF/SHURE. If you receive SURF/SHURE for a PWP course, it can go directly toward offsetting summer tuition costs for the course.
    • Students who are already receiving funding through the ExL award, Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship (PURF), Rose Hills, or other USC research funding sources may not receive a SURF/SHURE grant for the same time period. A student’s total summer award from USC research funding sources should not exceed $3,000.
    • We highly recommend that students sign up for direct deposit if they are selected to receive a SURF/SHURE award to avoid lost physical checks. Please visit Direct Deposit Stipend Instructions for guidance.
    • If the student fails to complete the project successfully or fails to meet research obligations with a professor’s project and final approval is denied by the student’s faculty mentor, the SURF/SHURE award may be rescinded and charged to the student’s university account.

    All funds will be disbursed in accordance with University policies and procedures.

  • PWPs Approved for SURF/SHURE Funding (Summer 2026):

    • Dornsife FLP: Problems Without Passports – The Biology of Health from a Global Perspective (BISC 428)
    • Dornsife FLP: Problems Without Passports – Urban Politics & Policy Through the Lens of Mexican Cities (POSC 469)
    • Dornsife FLP: Problems Without Passports – Health and Mental Health Research in Mauritius (PSYC 499)
    • Assisting a Dornsife faculty member with summer research on or off campus, e.g. working in a professor’s lab or on a book project.
    • Contributing to a team research project as part of a Dornsife faculty member’s research, e.g. the Near Crisis Project or SPEC Lab.
    • Participating in a Dornsife Problems Without Passports (PWP) course, to help fund tuition and costs.

    Again, please be reminded that the purpose of SURF/SHURE funding is to encourage faculty-student collaboration. Therefore, we only fund students who are working directly on a faculty member’s project. If you are seeking funding for an independent research project, please direct your attention to the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship (PURF).

    • Minimum 3.0 cumulative USC GPA. Spring admits are not eligible to apply until a USC GPA is calculated.
    • Declared major in USC Dornsife
    • Full-time enrollment at USC for Fall 2026-Spring 2027 (i.e., registered in at least 12 units).
    • Seniors graduating in Summer 2026 and students with 144 or more total units are not eligible to apply.
    • Students who are already receiving funding through the ExL award, Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship (PURF), Rose Hills, or other USC research funding sources may not receive a SURF/SHURE grant for the same time period. A student’s total summer award from USC research funding sources should not exceed $3,000.
    • Each student must have a Dornsife faculty mentor who meets one of the following criteria:

      1. Tenured or Tenure-Track
      2. Non-Tenure Track with a research profile
      3. Professional School faculty member with a joint appointment in USC Dornsife

                   PWP applicants: your faculty mentor is the PWP course professor.

    Faculty not listed in the application are not eligible to serve as SOAR mentors.  

  • Summer 2026 SURF/SHURE Application Period:

    Thursday March 5, 2026 to Thursday April 9, 2026

    Check the SOAR website if you are interested in applying for research funding for the fall and/or spring semesters.

     

    Summer 2026 SURF/SHURE Application Period for eligible PWP courses:

    Thursday December 4, 2025 to Thursday January 8, 2026

    Do not submit an application if you are not participating in an eligible PWP course. Course registration will be verified.

    • SURF/SHURE online application: Access the SURF/SHURE application here during the application period.
    • Research proposal: You will be asked to upload to the application a one-page research proposal. This proposal should detail the research focus of your faculty mentor’s project, as well as describe what you will be contributing to the project. Please include whether or not you have applied for other grants or fellowships, and if you will be receiving other funding (e.g., PURF, Rose Hills, BUGS, Exceptional Funding, etc.).
    • One-Page Personal Statement (PWP Applicants): Provide a personal statement (maximum one page) responding to the following prompt: Tell us about yourself and how the PWP course will enrich your studies and future goals. Share your achievements, experiences at USC, and interests, and tell us what you hope to gain from this course. Additionally, indicate whether you have applied for any other grants or fellowships to support this opportunity. 
    • PWP students, personal statements should include the PWP course number, course name, and the course research objectives.
    • SURF/SHURE faculty letter of recommendation: The application will generate an email to your faculty mentor so they can upload your recommendation letter directly to your application. The recommendation letter must be submitted by an eligible faculty member who is the same faculty member you will be working with for your SURF/SHURE project. Recommendation letters are not required for PWP courses; a copy of the class syllabus will be accepted in lieu of the recommendation letter.
    • For applicants wishing to conduct research with human subjects, your faculty mentor will be asked to provide IRB approval or exemption. If you do not know if the project requires IRB approval, please consult your faculty mentor.

  • At the conclusion of the summer, SURF/SHURE recipients are required to submit a one-page report with their faculty mentor’s signature. The report is a brief summary of your overall experience. If you fail to submit the report, your SURF/SHURE funding will be rescinded and you will become ineligible for SOAR or SURF/SHURE funding in future terms.

    The SURF/SHURE report, signed by the faculty mentor of your research project, should be submitted via the instructions indicated on the award agreement.

    Click here to access the SURF/SHURE report guidelines.

     

    SURF/SHURE Report Deadline: 

    Monday, August 3, 2026

For Faculty

Due to the large number of applicants, we limit the number of SURF/SHURE grants to up to two students per faculty member and up to two students per research project, per summer. This limit does not apply to PWP programs.

SURF/SHURE supports faculty-led projects. Please do not recommend independent student projects or research that is not affiliated with USC.  Students conducting student-driven research should consider applying for PURF, the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship.

If your project involves human subjects, you will be asked to provide a copy of your IRB approval or extension. Faculty with IRB approval should be able to add students to their existing approval.

FAQs about IRB reviews.

It is not required to participate in the SOAR and SURF programs, however, Dornsife faculty interested in posting their research may wish to sign up as employers on USC Handshake. Please add the following sentence in the position description:

If you are a Dornsife undergraduate student, you may able to apply for SOAR, SURF, or SHURE funding from USC Dornsife if you work with an eligible Dornsife faculty mentor on their research project. Visit https://dornsife.usc.edu/css/soar/ or https://dornsife.usc.edu/css/surf/ for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes, students are allowed to apply for multiple funding opportunities during the same period. However, you may only accept funding from one source for the same research period. Students awarded a full-academic year award in the fall are not eligible to apply for funds in the spring. 

    You must disclose your intent to apply for other funding sources in your SURF/SHURE application proposal. If you are offered and accept funding from another source before receiving a notification from SURF/SHURE, you are required to inform our office immediately. Your application for SURF/SHURE will automatically be closed if you accept funds from another source. Any offers from SURF/SHURE are also voided if you accept funds from other sources.

    Students who fail to disclose receiving multiple awards for research will have their SURF/SHURE awards rescinded, and will become ineligible for SOAR/SURF/SHURE/ExL funding in future terms. 

  • No, students may only receive research funding from one source during the same period. If you are receiving funding through a paid research laboratory position, you are not eligible to apply for SURF/SHURE.

  • Hours are based on an agreement between the faculty mentor and the student. Most students spend at least 10 hours per week for at least 10 weeks for fall and spring and 20 hours per week for at least 8 weeks during the summer to obtain a truly meaningful experience. SOAR and SURF are flat rate awards. We do not translate the funding into an hourly wage.

  • Please visit Direct Deposit Stipend Instructions for guidance. It is highly recommended that you sign up for direct deposit to avoid lost checks.

    Be advised that your stipend may arrive as a check mailed to your local home address. Students should always keep all addresses (both current address and permanent address) updated in OASIS.

  • No. For a research project to be eligible for SOAR or SURF, you must have support from a Dornsife faculty mentor who meets one of the following criteria:

    • Tenured or Tenure-Track
    • Non-Tenure Track with a research profile
    • Professional School faculty member with a joint appointment in Dornsife

  • SURF/SHURE provides funds to students who have already secured a research project and a faculty mentor. You will be required to list the project and faculty mentor on your application. A letter of recommendation from that mentor is also required.

  • If you are unable to acquire a signature on your report, please attach an email approval to your report and upload through the link that was provided in your agreement.

  • The one page report doesn’t require explicit details of your research and results. Avoid including figures, data or references. We want you to share a summary of the research project and what you got out of the experience.

    Click here to access guidelines for the SURF/SHURE report.

     

    Please do not submit formal research reports. Refer to the guidelines and example provided.

  • SURF/SHURE reports should be uploaded through the link provided in your agreement.

  • Yes, your report must be one-page. You are only required to briefly describe the research. These reports often go to donors who are interested in your contribution and your overall personal experience.

  • No. Recipients of SOAR/SURF cannot be considered for an ExL award for the same time period.

  • The report should be single spaced.

  • No. It is your responsibility to make sure the mentor follows through with your request.

  • SOAR and SURF are only offered to Dornsife majors. If you are a Dornsife major, try clearing out your cookies or use a different browser.

  • No. All projects require IRB approval before applying for funding.

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USC Dornsife Admission and Student Success

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