STEP-UP: Short-Term Research Experience Program to Unlock Potential

Application Deadline: February 15th

Why apply to STEP-UP? Hands-on lab work. Do real research in a genuine lab setting. Wide range of research choices. From engineering to health — and almost everything in between. Get paid. Receive up to a $2,500 stipend HS and $5,500 stipend undergraduate^† for your efforts. Career inroads. Expand your job and post-graduate network through program contacts.

Inclusion at its Heart. Designed with a focus on underrepresented students. Flexible Location. Close to home or far away — almost anywhere in the US. Mentor-Guided Support. Work side-by-side with experienced researchers.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility Requirements for High School & Undergraduate Students

NIH encourages institutions to increase diversity in their student and faculty populations. To promote diversity and equity for students, and access to science, STEP-UP strives to increase research and educational opportunities for individuals who are underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences fields.

When applying to STEP-UP, applicants must meet all of the general and academic requirements at time of application submission, and one or more of the diversity and equity requirements.

Please read the eligibility requirements carefully, as they may differ from other NIH-funded programs.

General Requirements

• Be a U.S. Citizen, non-citizen national, or legal permanent resident
• Be 16 years of age or older
• Give proof of personal medical/health insurance coverage throughout the duration of the program. Exceptions will be made for students residing in the following U.S. territories: Marshall Island, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Saipan, and Guam.
• Commit to completing the program

Academic Requirements

• Be enrolled in a high school or an accredited U.S. college or university, or plan to be enrolled in the fall
  • High school students should be in their junior or senior year of high school during the application period
  • Undergraduate students should currently be enrolled as a full-time student at a U.S. accredited two-year or four-year college or university. Graduating college seniors are not eligible for the program.
• Have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale), although exceptions may be granted

Diversity and Equity Requirements

• Be or identify with one of the following racial and ethnic groups: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders.
  Underrepresentation can vary from setting to setting; individuals from racial or ethnic groups that can be demonstrated convincingly to be underrepresented by the grantee institution should be encouraged to participate in NIH programs to enhance diversity.
  For more information on racial and ethnic categories and definitions, see the OMB Revisions to the Standards for Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. External link
• Have a disability, defined as those with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. View NSF data External link (PDF, 57.9 KB) .
• Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, defined as those who meet two or more of the following criteria:
  1. Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act External link;
  2. Were or currently are in the foster care system External link, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families;
  3. Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years (view Lunch Program Eligibility External link);
  4. Have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree (Read about First-Generation and Continuing Generation College Students External link (PDF, 976 KB) );
  5. Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants (view Pell Grant Eligibility External link);
  6. Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child (view WIC Eligibility Requirements External link);
  7. Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer External link, or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas External link (qualifying zip codes are included in the file). Only one of the two possibilities in #7 can be used as a criterion for the disadvantaged background definition.