Thank you very much for your interest in our UT Austin Astronomy NSF REU program “Frontier Research and Training in Astronomy for the 21st Century” (PI: Dr. Shardha Jogee). Many NSF REU programs across the country are facing unexpected federal funding challenges. Due to the current uncertainty in NSF federal funding for our UT Austin Astronomy NSF REU program, we unfortunately have to cancel the 2025 summer program. We hope to resume the program next summer if NSF funding is provided later this year.
The UT Austin Astronomy Department is one of the top-ranked departments in the nation, and we are committed to fostering a welcoming environment in the astronomy community at large. Our REU program aims to engage the full pool of excellence in our diverse nation and to equip students with modern skills needed to succeed in the STEM landscape of the 21st century. Students in our REU program will enjoy:
- A supportive and cutting-edge astronomy research environment, where they will have the opportunity to conduct research in frontier areas of astronomy, including star formation, planetary systems science (the Solar System, exoplanets), stellar astrophysics, black holes, galaxy evolution, dark matter, dark energy, cosmology, and instrumentation.
- Research Supervision and Broad Mentorship: REU students enjoy research supervision from internationally recognized faculty, research scientists, and postdocs. The REU director also meets students regularly for broad mentorship and professional development activities. Additionally, graduate students provide informal mentorship.
- Professional Development: We provide a wide variety of professional development and mentoring activities. These typically include python coding, guidance to navigate the science landscape, science communication (posters, talks and papers), LaTeX workshops to write research notes and conference papers, an overview of STEM careers, an overview of how to apply for graduate programs, empowerment activities, and an end-of-program research symposium.
- An observational astronomy module in the Department on the UT Austin campus, followed by a fully funded observing trip to McDonald Observatory (if pandemic health and safety protocols allow a visit to the observatory).
- Access to the Texas Advanced Computing Center for modern computing techniques that drive Big Data analytics and numerical simulations.
- Financial and Logistical Support: Our REU program provides very generous financial and logistical support. We cover the cost of round-trip travel from the student's home institution or residence in the USA to the UT Austin campus, on-campus housing, background checks, gym fees, poster printing, as well as a round trip to McDonald Observatory (if pandemic health and safety protocols allow a visit to the observatory). We also provide an allowance of $800 per week (which includes the NSF stipend of $700 and an additional supplement) for ten weeks. This allowance is used to cover meals and other expenses.
- Post-REU mentorship and funding to attend a future professional meeting (e.g., the AAS meeting) to present their results.
- The vibrant and diverse city of Austin, which is home to eclectic and cosmopolitan music, art, culture, and food, and outdoor activities (e.g., hiking, cycling, rock climbing, and kayaking on Lady Bird Lake).
How to Apply
Please see our FAQs for common questions.
Eligibility: As per NSF rules, eligible applicants must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or permanent resident. Applicants must already be enrolled as an undergraduate student outside UT Austin at the time of applying to our REU program and must have a graduation date of April 2026 or later.
The application portal for the Summer 2025 Program is now closed. The application deadline was February 10, 2025.
Process: To apply follow the steps below. If you have questions, please contact the Astronomy Department REU coordinator Jennifer Pratt through utastro_reu@utlists.utexas.edu or 512-471-3000
To apply, carefully read the information below and which documents are required for your application to be considered complete.
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Complete the Interfolio application form to provide essential background information.
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Within this application, you will send electronic requests for a Confidential Letter of Recommendation to two references. At least one reference must be a Professor, Academic Advisor, or Research Supervisor /Mentor.
The references will be sent requests by first adding them as new contacts in the applications "required forms" section under the "Confidential Letters of Recommendation" category.
A link on how to send these letters of recommendation request "within application" is provided here: https://product-help.interfolio.com/managing-letters-and-requests/request-letters-of-recommendation
It is very important to send the request for Letters of Recommendation within the application or else the letters will not be attached as part of your UT Astronomy NSF REU applicaton and your applicaton will be marked incomplete and exlcuded from the review process.
On the application form, please provide the name and contact information for two references whom you are sending the electronic requests for letters of recommendation. We only require two references, but if you wish to submit a third reference, you can include their information too. Please ask your references to submit their letters of as soon as possible and no later than the application deadline as your application is not complete until we receive these letters of recommendation within your application.
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The following documents are required to submit an application. Please add these files in the appropriate category of the "required documents" section.
- Statement of Purpose (SOP): Please upload your SOP with a page limit of two pages addressing the following points. Describe why you are interested in this REU program and how you envision it will impact you. What are your research and career goals for this program and in the long term? Describe how your lived experiences, background, academic and research interests, and other relevant activities prepare and motivate you to succeed in this program. Please name your file: LastName_FirstName_SOP.pdf
- Your resume or curriculum vitae (CV). Please name your file: LastName_FirstName_CV.pdf
- Your OFFICIAL college transcript. Please name your file: LastName_FirstName_Transcript.pdf Applications without official trancripts added under the appropriate required document category will be considered incomplete and removed from the review process.
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Submit your application.
FAQs
What are the eligibility criteria? Are international students eligible?
The UT Astronomy NSF REU program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) federal funding agency and as per NSF rules, eligible applicants must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident. We are bound by federal rules and cannot make any exceptions. We recommend that international students get advice from the undergraduate advisor at their home institution on summer research opportunities available in the US and globally for international students. Our UT website lists a subset of summer programs in the US and globally and students can contact these programs directly for more information and to find out whether they accept international students.
Applicants must already be enrolled as an undergraduate student (outside UT Austin) at the time of applying to our REU program and must have a graduation date of April 2026 or later. The UT Austin Astronomy NSF REU Summer 2025 program will run for ten weeks from Saturday May 24 to Saturday, August 3 and only students who can commit to participating in person in all ten weeks of the program are eligible for admission. We especially encourage applications from students who are from institutions with limited research opportunities and/or are from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in STEM (e.g., first-generation college students, Pell grant recipients, students with disabilities, U.S. veterans, etc.)
Does the NSF REU program admit undergraduates who are already attending UT Austin?
In order to be in compliance with our proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the UT Austin Astronomy NSF REU program cannot admit and use any NSF funds to support undergraduates at UT Austin. However, we open our REU professional development seminars throughout the summer to astronomy majors at UT Austin.
Do you have a list of research projects you will be offering this summer?
We offer projects that span a wide range of research areas as specified on the REU website. During the application process on the Qualtrics form, you will specify your three preferred research areas in order of ranking. We do not know the exact projects and mentors ahead of time, but the project title and mentors will be included when making offers to applicants.
When are letters of reference due and how should they be sent?
Do you require official transcripts or will unofficial transcripts do?
Official transcripts are required. An unofficial transcript may be submitted at the time of application, but official transcripts are due on the same date as the application deadline, which is posted on the webpage.
If your school system can only send an official transcript, please have the transcript sent to yourself and then upload the official transcript.
What type of financial support does the program offer?
Our REU program provides very generous financial and logistical support. We cover the cost of round-trip travel from the student's home institution or residence in the USA to the UT Austin campus, on-campus housing, background checks, gym fees, poster printing, as well as a round trip to McDonald Observatory. We also provide an allowance of $800 per week (which includes the NSF stipend of $700 and an additional supplement) for ten weeks. This allowance is used to cover meals and other expenses. In addition, we also provide funds for REU students to attend a future professional meeting (e.g., the AAS meeting) to present their research results from our REU program.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact:
Jennifer Pratt, NSF REU coordinator at utastro_reu@utlists.utexas.edu or 512-471-3000
Professor Shardha Jogee, Director and NSF Principal Investigator