Applications for the next cycle of SURF are due by 12PM NOON on Friday, March 13, 2026.
The application portal for SURF L&S 2026 will go live on Monday, March 2nd.
When the portal goes live, you will be able to submit your application on this page. In the meantime, please use the SURF L&S Application Worksheet, posted below, to begin preparing your application and research proposal. N.B. Applicants are now required to either attend an application workshop or schedule an individual research consultation with a SURF Mentor OR Program Advisor in advance of submitting an application.
When you are ready to submit an application, and the portal link becomes active, you will enter your responses into the application form. The application must be complete in a single session, so to avoid losing any data it is important to have drafted your responses using the worksheet provided below.
Please Note: To access the application materials (both the portal and worksheets), you must login from a bMail (berkeley.edu) account. Students external to UC Berkeley are ineligible for these programs and will not be granted access to the worksheets or application materials.
Application Portal
The SURF L&S Application Portal will launch in early March.
Application Worksheet
Prepare your responses to the application in advance and draft your research proposal using this worksheet.
2026 SURF L&S Application Worksheet
Application Checklist
- Attend an application workshop or schedule a one-on-one research consultation with a SURF mentor or OURS program advisor.
- Review the eligibility criteria (see the program main page linked here)
- Prepare a draft of the application, using a the research proposal worksheet linked above.
- Although it is not required, applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a ‘How to Write a Research Proposal’ (slides linked here) in January or February.
- Send a draft of your proposal to your faculty mentor; once you have submitted your application, please let them know to expect a communication from the SURF program, verifying their intent to mentor your research.
- Sign up for the OURS newsletter to receive timely program updates and updates about the workshop offerings.
- Submit your application via the Application Portal by 12:00PM NOON (Pacific Time) on March 13, 2026. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
Faculty Mentors
- Faculty are no longer required to write full letters of recommendation. Instead, the SURF program will send a confirmation request directly to the faculty mentor who is indicated on the SURF application, asking them to verify that they have agreed to serve as the applicant’s research supervisor. Please be sure to discuss your proposed research project with your faculty mentor and share a full draft of your proposal with them before submitting your application.