Undergraduate Student Opportunities

Feature photo by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

ORNL undergraduate research opportunities address ORNL’s scientific mission: materials, neutron sciences, energy, high-performance computing, systems biology, and national security. All internships come with a stipend. Explore the opportunities and apply today for a high-impact internship experience!

Application deadlines vary by program. Click on the program name to learn more about each opportunity.

US Department of Energy Programs

Program
Eligibility
Commitment & Duration

DOE Community College Internships (CCI)

Summer 2024 applications due January 9, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET

  • Community college student
  • US citizen/Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks 
  • Fall/spring: part-time 16 weeks 
DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI)

Summer 2024 applications due January 9, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET

  • Undergraduate students or recent Associate and Bachelor graduates (within 2 years of graduation).
  • US citizen/LPR
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
  • Fall/spring: full-time 16 weeks
Hub & Spoke Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Summer 2023 application window closed
  • Current undergraduate in sophomore or junior year
  •  US citizen/LPR
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
  • Undergraduate or graduate student
  • US citizen/LPR
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks

ORNL Programs

Program
Eligibility
Commitment & Duration
Pathways to Computing Internship Program (PCIP)
Summer 2024 applications due January 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET
  • Undergraduate student
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • Summer: full-time 10 weeks
UT-ORII SMaRT Internships Program (SMaRT) 
Now accepting student applications for Summer 2024!
  • Undergraduate student 
  • US citizen/LPR
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • Summer: full-time 9-10 weeks
Undergraduate Research Student Internship Program (URSI) 
Summer 2024 applications due: February 22, 2024 at 11:59 P.M. ET.
  • Undergraduate student 
  • Recent associate or bachelor’s graduate
  • Recently separated veteran
  • US citizen/LPR
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • Summer: full-time 10-12 weeks
  • Fall/spring: full-time or part-time 16-20 weeks
Technical and Professional Internship Program (TPI)
Summer 2024 applications due: February 22, 2024 at 11:59 P.M. ET.
  • Undergraduate student or
  • Recent associate or bachelor’s graduate or
  • Recently separated veteran
  • US citizen/LPR
  • 3.0+ GPA
  • Summer: full-time 10-12 weeks
  • Fall/spring: full-time or part-time 16-20 weeks

JUMP into STEM

JUMP (Join the discussion, Unveil innovation, Make connections, Promote tech-to-market) into STEM is an online, nationwide, building science competition for undergraduate and graduate students at US colleges and universities, supported by the DOE Building Technologies Office and co-managed by ORNL and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with internship support from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). JUMP into STEM aims to attract bright students from a variety of majors (computer science, mathematics, economics, policy, engineering, engineering education, architecture) to building science. The initiative seeks to inspire the next generation of building scientists, focusing on creative ideation and diversity in the building science field. Through the embedded diversity objective, JUMP into STEM focuses on the inclusion of an interdisciplinary mix of majors and students underrepresented in the building science field. In 2020, JUMP into STEM drew 48 technical solution ideas from 29 schools around the nation. New challenges will be published in August 2021 and submittals will be due on November 12, 2021, with the final event to be hosted at ORNL on January 27–28, 2022.

For more information about undergraduate opportunities, please email [email protected].