APA Summer Undergraduate Psychology Experience in Research (SUPER) Fellowships
The American Psychological Association will offer up to 25 fellowships to support college students with a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion to conduct summer research in a psychological science laboratory. The purpose of this fellowship program is to promote access and equity among psychology undergraduates considering research as a career by expanding opportunities to laboratory training and mentorship to those who have not had the opportunity to access research experiences.
Projects must be student-driven and supervised by a faculty member with sufficient resources to support the proposed work, although collaboration with postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other research staff is encouraged. Participating faculty are expected to meet regularly with students to discuss research goals and progress and offer academic and career guidance. The applicant and mentor should work together to develop a research plan, and students are expected to spend at least nine weeks in the laboratory at a minimum of 20 hours/week.
APA will pay a stipend of $4,000 directly to the student and $1,000 directly to the student’s summer faculty host. Stipends are intended to defray personal expenses (e.g., housing, travel) and APA will not provide funds for study expenses, indirect costs, or overhead. This stipend may be stacked with summer research funding from other sources. APA will issue IRS Form 1099 to recipients at the end of the year for tax purposes.
Funding and deliverables
Funds will be released in three stages:
- $2,000 to the student upon submission of required program paperwork and confirmation of IRB/IACUC submission is received; and
- $2,000 to the student and $1,000 to the advisor after summer requirements are met and approved.
Fellowship requirements include:
- participation in regular fellowship check-ins and career development webinars via Zoom;
- final reflection and presentation with thoughts on the research process, laboratory engagement, lessons learned, and career aspirations;
- research abstract in the form of a poster proposal;
- verification of participation from faculty advisor; and
- brief follow-up surveys to be completed in summer 2026 and summer 2027.
APA reserves the right to use project deliverables (e.g., reflections, slide decks) at its discretion for promotional and marketing purposes.
Students who are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and in good academic standing at an accredited U.S. or Canadian undergraduate degree-granting institutions located in the U.S. or Canada are eligible to apply. Students must be enrolled full-time at the time of application, and they must have at least one semester remaining in their degree program following the summer fellowship. A psychology major is not required, but the student’s field of study and the faculty host’s research program should include psychological science as a major focus. Students need not be enrolled at the same institution as their faculty host, but they must spend the entire nine weeks working on-site in the faculty host’s laboratory, which must be at an accredited U.S. or Canadian undergraduate degree-granting institution. Previous SUPER fellows are ineligible.
Applications for the 2025 super Fellowship are due by 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on March 1, 2025. The fellowship is highly competitive, so students should plan in advance, discuss proposal ideas and any IRB/IACUC requirements with their faculty advisor, and devote ample time preparing the application. Required materials include:
- online application
- undergraduate transcript(s) (unofficial accepted)
- project proposal (1200 words maximum)
- personal statement (350 words maximum)
- letter of support from faculty host certifying student’s participation
For more information about the program and how to apply please refer to the FAQ document (PDF, 233KB). Additionally, watch this video to hear former SUPER fellows discuss their application and fellowship experience.
Review of applications
Applications for the fellowship will be reviewed by APA staff. Criteria for evaluation will include the following:
- scientific quality
- project feasibility
- faculty host recommendation
- professionalism
Students will be notified by the end of April 2025.
For any questions, please email the APA Science Directorate.