Experiential Learning Track
Undergraduate Research (UROP)
Collaborate with MIT faculty on cutting-edge research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).
UROP lets you develop research skills within specific disciplines, form long-term connections with faculty, enhance presentation skills, and have “real-world” experiences that help inform your choice of graduate study or career.
Through UROP, students join established research projects in every MIT academic department as well as interdisciplinary labs and centers, or pursue their own ideas. Projects may be conducted for pay, academic credit, or as a volunteer and take place across the academic year and summer. Students are invited to participate at any point in their undergraduate careers.
UROP is hugely popular, with 92% of undergraduates participating and more than half our faculty members active as UROP mentors.
Need guidance in navigating the “road to UROP?”
UROP Office Staff are here to help!
Find Your ELO
The best place to start your search for a UROP is ELx . Select “Undergraduate Research (UROP)” under “Type” to see all the UROP listings.
While many faculty, labs, and other research groups post UROP opportunities on ELx, not all do. Some projects require direct outreach (“cold-emailing”). Don’t worry! MIT professors expect students to ask about UROPs, and we’ve got you covered with plenty of advice about how to approach faculty members about possible opportunities.
Upcoming Events
UROP events and workshops are offered throughout the academic year – see https://urop.mit.edu/events/ for details on current offerings.
UROP Office Hours
You can also always reach UROP staff at urop@mit.edu.
Watch, Listen, + Read
Check out this cool stuff!
Video
News
- Fifty Years of UROP Stories (MIT Technology Review)
- MIT Engineering Student Uses UROP to Navigate COVID19
- Undergraduates Ramp Up Research During Pandemic Diaspora
- MIT Undergraduates Pursue Research Opportunities Through the Pandemic
- Where will the Streets Take You? Data Narratives using the Audit the Streets Database (UROP stories from the Data + Feminism Lab)
- When she’s not analyzing data about her favorite biomolecule, senior Sherry Nyeo focuses on improving the undergraduate experience at MIT.
