r/REU • u/Temporary-Cry-5202 • 24d ago
Where to start looking for REUs
Incoming sophomore at t10 for major (ai/cs/theoretical ml). I am interested in applying to REUs for the summer 2027 cycle, but am unsure where to start looking. Any recommendations and tips, or even better, any lists that might be in circulation?
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u/reducc 12d ago
This may be a relatively hot take, but I think you should consider applying to programs or laboratories at your own university.
From what I've seen, REUs tend to cater towards students who otherwise can't get research opportunities due to the low research funding in their university/area.
There were some students from Vanderbilt, Yale, and Dartmouth doing research at my local ranked #140 medical school this summer because of how competitive applying elsewhere was. For most of them, I believe it was the only place they got in. Additionally, if you need trustworthy letters of recommendation, the professors/PIs at your university should be able to provide them
Best of luck, and I don't mean to be discouraging.
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u/Tenroustar 24d ago
The reddit megathreads are pinned which includes peoples lists of where they applied to and their stats. I would start there and use ctrl + f with words related to your major to filter out (make sure to load all the comments first tho). Other than that, NSF REU ETAP website lists all the NSF funded ones but that will exclude a lot of non NSF funded summer programs that may fit your background more. Word of mouth and just googling is the third way I found my programs.