Who can apply?
- Visiting students must be continuing undergraduates eligible to return in the fall, have completed at least a second semester or third quarter, and hold at least a 2.5 GPA.
- Caltech students follow their institution-specific rules; freshmen may participate. Seniors must still be returning to undergraduate study afterward.
- SURF at Caltech and SURF@JPL have different citizenship and project rules; this guide covers the Caltech-campus route.
Finding a willing mentor is part of this application process; applying without that project agreement is not the normal route.
Dates, pay & program timing
SURF work is ten weeks, in person, and cannot be combined with classes or another job. The 2026 award was $8,110. Caltech describes March 1 as the annual application date; verify the next cycle before planning around it.
View the deadline calendarThese details reflect the sources at the review date. An overview is not a live job offer. Check the official page for today's application status and the selected opening's written terms.
How to apply to Caltech
- Confirm the Caltech-student or visiting-student eligibility route that applies to you.
- Contact potential mentors and develop an agreed project before writing the proposal.
- Submit the application, proposal, transcript, and two confidential references under the current instructions.
You leave FirstInternships to apply. We do not accept applications, offer referrals, or represent the employer.
Our editorial advice · not employer requirements
How to prepare a stronger application
A useful mentor message names a specific research connection and a realistic question; it does not ask a professor to design an entire application for you.
Write the proposal so a scientist outside the narrow specialty can follow the question, method, expected learning, and feasible ten-week scope.
Your preparation, on this device
Make it a plan.
Checking an item saves this program. These are planning prompts, not a substitute for the employer's full requirements.
Add a stage & next actionOfficial sources & update notes
We reviewed these publisher pages on . They establish the program facts above; our preparation suggestions are independent editorial guidance.
- Caltech SURF format and published award
- Caltech SURF eligibility
- Caltech SURF application information
We do not infer deadlines, remote eligibility, or guaranteed offers from older recruiting cycles. Read our editorial process.