Harvard University SHURP Program

The Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program (SHURP) is a ten-week summer research program offered by the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard Medical School.12 It is primarily designed for college students belonging to groups that are under-represented in the sciences.12

Key features of SHURP include:

1. Participants conduct paid scholarly research under the guidance of Harvard Medical School faculty.56
2. The program provides research and career development seminars, professional development workshops, and a peer-mentoring program.35
3. Students present their research at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium.46
4. SHURP offers a stipend, housing, and travel assistance to participants.34

Eligibility criteria for SHURP include:

• Current full-time enrollment in an accredited U.S. college or university
• Good academic standing with a GPA of 3.0 or better
• Strong interest in biological or biomedical research careers
• Prior research laboratory experience
• U.S. citizenship or permanent residency2

SHURP has over 600 alumni, with more than 90% continuing or planning to continue training and careers in the sciences.2 The program is part of the Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) of the Leadership Alliance, a consortium of over 30 colleges and universities dedicated to improving the participation of historically underrepresented students in graduate programs.23