Summer Training Academy for Research Success

Applicant must

• Be 18 years of age
• Be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents. AB 540 students are eligible.
• Be interested in conducting full-time research in the summer for eight weeks with no commitments such as summer school, a full/part-time job
• Demonstrate academic aptitude and achievement

•  Personal Statement (max. 500 words) addressing the following points:
  • How did you become interested in your field of study?
  • What are your educational and career goals?
  • What experiences have contributed toward your preparation for your educational and career goals?
  • What are your research interests?
  • Why are you applying to STARS?
  • How are you a “match” for STARS?
  • Consider opportunities to talk about your leadership, community involvement, and/or obstacles you may have overcome.
    
  • Do not include the faculty you want to work within this section unless you are already working with them. We will try to match you to the faculty you list in your application. But if we cannot, we may send your personal statement to other faculty within your discipline.

• CV/Resume
  • A copy of current Academic Transcripts (unofficial are OK)

• List three (3) preferred UCSD faculty mentors in your application (do not include them in your personal statement or letters of recommendation). Click here to view the list of STARS 2026 faculty mentors, which will be updated until the application closes.
• Two (2) Letters of Recommendation from a counselor, faculty member, research mentor, principal investigator, etc.
  • You will be asked who your Recommenders are in the "Recommendations" Tab of your STARS Application. Once you add Recommenders to the STARS Application portal they will be sent an email requesting a Letter of Recommendation and submission instructions. This email will be sent to your Recommender within a few minutes of being added and does not require you to submit your application.
  • Please ask your recommenders to submit their recommendations by the priority deadline of the current admissions cycle you are applying.
  • The letter should address the following questions:
    • What is your relationship to the applicant? Please include information on how long you have known the applicant and the extent of your interactions.
    • What is the applicant’s current research topic? If not actively involved in research, what are the applicant’s interests?
    • Please comment on the applicant’s academic merit including his/her aptitude for pursuing a Ph.D.
    • In your opinion, why and how would the applicant benefit from participating in STARS?
    • What is it about the applicant that leads you to recommend him/her for STARS?
    • Please ask your recommenders not to include the faculty you want to work with.

Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Competitive students will be supported by funded undergraduate research programs
• Cumulative or term GPA above 3.0
• Relevance of completed courses to research interest
• Writing skill
• Compatibility of applicant's research interest with available faculty mentor research projects
• Interest in pursuing a doctoral program
• Letters of Recommendations

Competitive participants may be funded through a variety of undergraduate research programs at their home institutions, such as:

• Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP)
• Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD)
• California Pre-Doctoral Program
• California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP)
• Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Preparation (LSAMP)
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
• Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)
• Ronald E. McNair Achievement Program (McNair Scholars)
• Research Industry Summer Experience (RISE)
• UC Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UCLEADS)

We also welcome the opportunity to collaborate with other programs not currently listed. If you are in another program that can fund your summer research, please ask your program director to email us at urstars@ucsd.edu.

Can I edit my application?
Yes, you may edit your application and save the progress. However, you will not be able to make any changes once you have submitted the completed application.

How do I choose which faculty to work with?
Before starting your application, please review the Research Projects page for examples of faculty whose work aligns with your interests. Do not contact faculty members directly. You will have the opportunity to list your preferred faculty mentors in your application, and the STARS program will reach out to them on your behalf if you are selected as a competitive candidate.

You may also explore UC San Diego Degree Programs to learn more about UC San Diego faculty and their research interests.

Can I choose a faculty member who is not on the list?
If you are part of a graduate preparation program (such as Sally Casanova, McNair, or UC LEADS) that funds your research experience and requires you to contact faculty directly to secure a placement, you may do so. Otherwise, you are welcome to list faculty members who are not on the provided list, but please do not contact faculty directly. The STARS program will conduct outreach to potential mentors on your behalf.

Can I apply as an international student?
Unfortunately, the STARS Program is not accepting international students at this time. However, if you are an international student participating in an undergraduate research program that will fund your research experience, your program director may contact urstars@ucsd.edu for eligibility information.

Can I apply if I’m a U.S. citizen living outside the country?
Yes. However, STARS can only cover domestic flight travel within the United States.

Am I guaranteed to be matched with at least one of the faculty I requested within my application?
No. Faculty matches are not guaranteed. The STARS team will make every effort to pair students with faculty whose research aligns closely with the student’s major and academic interests.

If I mention a specific faculty member in my personal statement or recommendation letter, will that increase my chances of being matched with them?
No. We do not recommend listing specific faculty in your personal statement or letters of recommendation. Instead, please include the names of faculty you are interested in under the “STARS Additional Information” tab of the STARS Application. Faculty matching is not guaranteed. 

Can I request to be matched with a faculty member whose prerequisites I do not meet but would like to learn?
No. If a faculty lists prerequisites, you are expected to already have those skills before the start of the program. These prerequisites ensure you are prepared to successfully engage in the research project.

What if I need to arrive late or leave the program early? Am I still eligible?
Students must commit to the full length of the program. Extenuating circumstances (i.e. classes beginning close to program end date) will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.