Funding

Partial / Stipend

Program dates

Jul 4, 2026 – Aug 29, 2026

Research Program•USA · Bloomington

IU International Summer Undergraduate Research Program (IU-ISURP)

Indiana University Bloomington — University Graduate School

Application Deadline

Closed · January 16, 2026

Reopens ~Jan 2027

Official Page

The IU International Summer Undergraduate Research Program brings undergraduate students from outside the United States into a STEM laboratory at Indiana University Bloomington for eight weeks each summer. The University Graduate School at IU Bloomington runs it. The programme began in 2010 as a partnership with Tsinghua University and has since drawn scholars from partner universities in China, South Korea, Turkey, Kenya, Germany, France and Mexico. More than 100 scholars have taken part, and more than 23 faculty members have hosted them in their labs. The host labs work in biology, biochemistry, chemistry and medical sciences. Scholars live in campus housing for four weeks and off-campus housing for four weeks, work alongside their faculty mentor through the summer, and finish with a poster presentation and a closing ceremony.

Benefits & funding

  • Room and board for the full eight weeks: four weeks of on-campus housing, four weeks of off-campus housing, and a meal card.
  • A shuttle from Indianapolis International Airport (IND) to campus.
  • Several group meals and local excursions during the summer.
  • A waiver of the IU graduate school application fee.
  • Placement with a faculty mentor and eight weeks of hands-on laboratory research, closing with a poster presentation and ceremony.
  • J-1 scholar visa processing, started by the university once a student is admitted.
  • The official page lists no cash stipend.
  • The scholar pays for flights to Indianapolis, health insurance in the United States at roughly USD 300, and visa fees at roughly USD 300, which vary.

Eligibility

  • Undergraduate students currently attending an institution outside the United States.
  • A STEM field of study; the host labs sit in biology, biochemistry, chemistry and medical sciences.
  • The call is addressed to high-achieving students. No grade threshold, language test score or year-of-study rule is published.
  • No nationality bar is published. Scholars so far have come from partner universities in China (Tsinghua University, Peking University, Nankai University, Zhejiang University), South Korea (Sungkyunkwan University, Ewha Womans University), Turkey (Middle East Technical University, Boğaziçi University, Koç University), Kenya (Moi University, University of Nairobi), Germany (University of Hamburg), France (Paris-Sorbonne University) and Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). The page does not say whether enrolment at one of these partners is required, so applicants elsewhere should write to the programme office before applying.
  • International students already enrolled at a college or university in the United States are directed to the STEM Summer Scholars Institute instead.
  • No age limit, work-experience requirement or gender restriction is published.

Can you apply?

Worth a closer look

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We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

  1. 1
    Confirm that you are enrolled at an institution outside the United States, which is the programme’s main eligibility line.
  2. 2
    Read the faculty lab descriptions posted on the programme page; the list for a given summer goes up shortly before applications open.
  3. 3
    Choose the professor and lab that match your background and interests.
  4. 4
    Submit the online application form linked from the programme page inside the application window, naming your preferred lab. The 2026 cohort applied between 17 November 2025 and 16 January 2026.
  5. 5
    Professors review the applications and select the students they judge the best match for their own labs.
  6. 6
    Admitted students work with IU on J-1 scholar visa processing, and arrange flights, health insurance and visa fees themselves.

Program timeline

  1. 17 November 2025

    Applications open for the 2026 cohort

  2. 16 January 2026

    Application deadline for the 2026 cohort

  3. 4 July 2026

    The 2026 programme begins at IU Bloomington

  4. 29 August 2026

    The 2026 programme ends, after the poster presentation and closing ceremony

  5. The programme runs every summer. Dates for the next cohort are not yet published on the official page.