Deadline:
January 02, 2026
Program Starts: June 06, 2026
Program Ends: August 08, 2026
Location(s)
Switzerland
Route de Meyrin, 1211 Geneva
Overview
The University of Michigan - CERN Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (UM-CERN REU) provides undergraduate students from around the United States an opportunity to conduct nine weeks of summer research with some of the world's leading physicists at CERN in different research fields.
The program is conducted in concert with the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program and is supported by funds from the National Science Foundation. Every year the program runs from the beginning of June (usually first week) to the beginning of August (usually second week)
Details
Our program has been highly successful in the training of future scientists; the vast majority of those selected go on to graduate study in physics, mathematics or engineering. As one example, of the 15 students participating in the 2025 summer program, all fifteen participants went to graduate schools to pursue further education at top schools including Berkeley (4), Columbia (2), Cornell (2), Harvard (2), Princeton (2), Stanford (1), UIUC (2).
The 30 students who participated in 2025/2026 have garnered an impressive number of awards: seven NSF Fellowships, four NSF honorable mentions, one DOE Fellowship, one IGERT, and one NDSEG. Also over the years several of our students have received the prestigious Churchill and Marshall Awards. In addition, USA Today recently selected one as one of the 20 outstanding Academic All-stars in the nation. The NSF recognized the UM-CERN program as exemplary, featuring it on the Web page of NSF International Programs for an extended period.
Duration, dates
Every year the program runs from the beginning of June (usually first week) to the beginning of August (usually second week). The applications usually open around October and both applications and reference letters are usually due early in January. (the 2026 application deadline will be January 02, 2026). We expect the program will run from June 6 through August 98 2026, although this has not been confirmed by CERN.
Project topics and project selection
There are new projects every summer. Projects are distributed after admission and before arrival to CERN. Examples for previous projects can be found under the previous programs page. The project assigned to the student is usually based on what the student asks for, if admitted, in the application to CERN directly. This way the student is in the CERN summer student system and can be matched with an advisor and group based off what they inquire about. More information is listed on the admitted students information.
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is the world's leading laboratory for high energy research located in Geneva Switzerland. There are ~10,000 scientists of ~600 institutions from ~100 countries currently doing their research at CERN. Experimental particle physics requires advanced particle accelerators, experiments to use the beams from the accelerators, and increasingly sophisticated computing facilities to analyze the results. Major breakthroughs in accelerator, detector and computing have been achieved at CERN since its establishment in 1954, among them the invention of the World Wide Web.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
To be eligible for this REU program you:
- must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- must be enrolled in a degree program leading to a bachelor's degree. High school graduates who have not yet enrolled and students who have received their bachelor's degrees or will receive their bachelor's degree before the program starts are not eligible. Only students who can retain the undergraudate status during the whole program period are eligible to our program.
- must be a major in physics, engineering or computer science.
- Most students admitted to the program are between their third and fourth year of undergraduate education. Occasionally, students who are between their second and third year are admitted.
Dates
Deadline: January 02, 2026
Program starts:
June 06, 2026
Program ends:
August 08, 2026
Program Starts: June 06, 2026
Program Ends: August 08, 2026
Cost/funding for participants
Students who are selected to participate in the program will:
- Participate in the CERN Summer Student Lecture program.
- Join active researchers at CERN.
- Receive a stipend (about $5000).
- Gain access to world-class research facilities.
- Receive one-on-one instruction from internationally recognized faculty.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
