SURF Application Form

If you have already started an application

To continue working on your existing application, please select the year for which you are applying, then enter the five-digit application number and the password you chose for your application.

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SURF Application Instructions

Before filling out this form:

Please read all of the following instructions before beginning your application.

To create an application, scroll down and enter a unique password under 'Student Information'. Be sure to choose a password that you will remember. Once you begin the application process, you will be able to save your application and complete it later. Your application number will be generated when you save the application for the first time. Your password along with your application number will allow you to access your application from this site at a later date.

When you submit your application, you will be presented with a printable preview. At this point, you can edit your information, print it, or continue by submitting the final version to the SURF office. Once submitted, you will no longer be able to make changes to your application (except for your project choices), but you will be able to view and print it. If you wish to make changes to your project choices, you can revise them until Dec 13, 2023 . Please do not submit a new application.

When the final submission is complete, the following emails will be sent:

  • A message to you with the URL for your application
  • A message to your Purdue faculty member (if you specified one) asking them to complete the Project Information & Recommendation Form for you
  • A message to the Engineering Undergraduate Research Office indicating your submission

To complete the application process, you'll need to submit a resume, letter of interest, and your unofficial university transcript. Your unofficial transcript should include all grades and coursework through the current session. Purdue students can order a transcript online through MyPurdue.

Non-Purdue students should contact their student services office to obtain a transcript. If an online order system is not available, request the transcript be emailed directly to the Engineering Undergraduate Research Office (eur@purdue.edu) before the application deadline.

Non-Purdue students will also need a letter of recommendation from a professor or professional with whom they have worked. When you submit your application you will receive an email containing a link to an upload form. Give that link to the recommender; they should upload their letter using that form.

The SURF program is very competitive. Qualified applicants should take the application process seriously by fully answering all questions and providing all required documents by the deadline.

Application Form

All bold questions marked with an asterisk (*) are required, and must be completed before submitting the application.

Student Information

Current Address

Email and Phone

Participation and Eligibility

Demographic information:

(First-generation students are defined as those students who come from families where their parents or guardians did not complete a four-year college degree.)

Academic Background

Purdue students should use the autocomplete to select their college. (e.g. College of Engineering, College of Polytechnic, College of Science etc. For instance, Biological Engineering is the department name and the relevant college is College of Engineering.) Non-Purdue students can simply enter their college name.
Purdue students should use the autocomplete to select their major; non-Purdue students can enter their major name.
Students should continue to be enrolled in an undergraduate program for at least 1 quarter or semester after the end of the SURF program.
Count only semesters in full-time student status—i.e. the number of Fall and Spring semesters. (3 quarters = 2 semesters)

Research Interests and Background

Previous Research Mentor (if applicable)

(If you have had multiple undergraduate research experiences as of December 31, 2023, please give details of your most recent one.)

Supporting Documents

You need to enter a password and save your application at least once before you can add files to it. After that you'll be able to upload the following documents:

  • Resume
  • Transcript

Documents can be replaced with updated versions as long as you haven't submitted the completed application.


Non-Purdue students will also need a letter of recommendation from a professor or professional with whom they have worked. When you submit your application you will receive an email containing a link to an upload form. Give that link to the recommender; they should upload their letter using that form.

Statement of Purpose

Faculty Advisor and Research Project

If you have already identified a Purdue faculty member who has agreed to work with you if accepted into SURF, fill in ALL fields below.

Purdue Summer SURF Program - 2024


If you have not yet identified a faculty member and project, you may want to browse the list of available on-campus research projects and select up to three projects that interest you below. New projects will continue to be posted during the open application period, and some projects may not be available to you due to citizenship requirements or the campus where the research will be conducted.
Use the autocomplete to select a major.