The Department of Physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign hosts a 10-week National Science Foundation (NSF)–sponsored summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Offered since 1993, the REU provides undergraduates the opportunity to conduct research under the supervision of our world-class researchers.

​

Students participating in this program will spend the summer,  May-August(10 weeks), on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus working directly with senior physics faculty on challenging, meaningful projects. The summer experience is aimed at developing students' research literacy skills and exposing them to the wide diversity of physics subfields using experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches:

​

Astrophysics, Relativity, and Cosmology

Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics

Biological Physics

Condensed Matter Physics

High Energy Physics

Nuclear Physics

Physics Education Research

Quantum Information Science

The NSF-funded REU program can only support citizens or permanent residents (including Green Card holders) of the United States, but the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Physics is excited to host at least one international student each summer.

​

All students must be enrolled at institutions other than the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Students must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program at a two-year or four-year institution (recently graduated seniors are not eligible for the program).
• Students must be a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States.
• Note: The NSF-funded REU program can only support citizens or  permanent residents (including Green Card holders) of the United States, but the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Physics is excited to host at least one international student each summer.
• Students are best prepared if they have completed their sophomore year by May 2024 with at least 4 semesters of physics and having an average technical (math/physics) grade point average of 3.0/4.0.
  
• Note: This requirement does not apply to community college students. Interested community college students who have completed one year of studies are very much encouraged to apply to our program.
• Some research topics recommend more prior preparation than others. To review the research topics, check out the Projects tab, or click here.
• Students must be majoring in physics or a related field.
• Applications are not accepted from currently enrolled students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.