The 2027 application opens October 1 and closes December 1
Salk’s 2027 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship runs June 7–August 6, 2027. The first week is virtual SURF Immersion training, followed by eight weeks of in-person research and mentorship at the Salk Institute.
| Question | Current published answer |
|---|---|
| Application | October 1–December 1, 2026; 11:59 p.m. closing time, timezone not stated |
| Program | June 7–August 6, 2027; first week virtual, followed by eight weeks in person |
| Student stage | Rising junior or senior, or community-college student in the transfer year |
| Academic threshold | STEM or related degree; at least 3.0 overall GPA and 2.5 science GPA |
| Other gates | At least 18 by June 7, U.S. work eligibility, and full-program availability |
| Required uploads | Résumé and unofficial transcript; recommendation letters are not accepted |
Applications open October 1, 2026. The FAQ says all application materials are due December 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.; it does not specify a timezone, so submit earlier rather than guessing the closing timezone.
The transfer-student route is explicit
Applicants must be at least 18 by the program start, pursuing a STEM or related degree, meet both GPA thresholds, be eligible to work in the United States, and be available for the full program.
Salk explicitly includes community-college students who are in the year they transfer into a bachelor’s program. That is a separate route alongside rising juniors and seniors; do not convert it into a broader class-year rule.
You need evidence, not a recommendation letter
Salk says research experience at any level is encouraged, but the current application does not require recommendation letters. The required uploads are a résumé and unofficial transcript.
If your strongest evidence is a class laboratory, describe the question, your responsibility, a check you performed and what remained uncertain. Do not relabel a teaching exercise as independent research. Prepare one example each of careful observation, learning an unfamiliar method and responding to an inconclusive result.
Housing and travel help still require a moving plan
The program publishes an hourly wage, domestic round-trip travel support and local housing when needed. The overview does not publish a numeric hourly rate, so do not import a number from another Salk program or an older cycle.
The FAQ describes the housing sequence and makes students responsible for daily commuting. Before accepting, map the virtual week, arrival, housing moves and transportation costs together rather than comparing offers on one headline benefit.