CURIS Summer Internship Program
Program Overview
The CURIS summer program is for Stanford undergraduates only. Students work with a faculty member in the CS department, joining their group for an entire summer working on a project of mutual interest. Students receive a one-time stipend or salary for the summer. The roadmap for prospective CURIS participants is as follows:
  • Winter Quarter: Students apply to and get matched to projects.
  • Spring Quarter: Students prepare for their internships with their mentors. This may involve taking a class, reading papers, participating in group meetings, etc.
  • Summer Quarter: Students perform research for 10 weeks (40 hours / week). Each student receives $8,000 for this period. Students who qualify for the need-based supplement will receive an additional $1,500  as determined by VPUE's Stipend Guidelines.   Student are usually eligible to purchase on-campus room and board on campus. More information on summer housing can be found here.
  • End of summer: Students present their work at a poster session with other CURIS participants.
Program Requirements
The summer CURIS program requires students to:
  • Do research on campus for a full 10 weeks over summer. We strongly recommend that these ten weeks be the official ten week timeline below. However, if you need to be away for part of the official CURIS session, your faculty mentor and the CURIS staff can approve up to four weeks of vacation on the condition that you you begin your internship early or end your internship late to make up any missed days before the start of fall quarter. Please email Yesenia Gallegos, ygallego@stanford.edu for details.
  • Participate in the poster session at the end of the summer.
  • Fill out a progress report in the middle and at the end of the summer.
  • Not engage in other major activities that create a conflict of commitment with CURIS: CURIS is a full-time position. If you want to take a course or part-time position (e.g., section leading, summer RAship), email both your CURIS faculty advisor and Yesenia Gallegos, ygallego@stanford.edu, for approval. If you are taking courses during the summer while participating in CURIS, and if are on financial aid for that enrollment, your summer CURIS stipend may be reduced by the Financial Aid office—contact the Financial Aid office for details.
How To Apply
The Summer CURIS program uses a formal matching process, where students create a profile and rank the projects they are interested in. Faculty and graduate students rank applicants for each project. CURIS assigns students to projects using the  Gale-Shapley matching algorithm, with student ranking of projects receiving priority over project ranking of students. To be considered for Summer 2025 CURIS, you must follow these deadlines.
  • January 6 - January 31: Project entry
    • Faculty members enter project descriptions on the CURIS site. The project listings must specify times for open office hours.
  • February 3: Projects released to students
    • Students view and apply for projects on the CURIS site. This involves completing their profile (which includes a resume and unofficial transcript) and submitting a brief project-specific statement of interest. Students can rank their interest in projects on the site.
  • February 3 - February 17: Project office hours
    • During this period, projects host office hours where students can learn more and ask questions.
  • February 17: Student applications due
    • Student applications and project rankings are due by 2/17, 11:59pm PT.
  • February 18 - March 3: Faculty review applications
    • During this period, faculty review student applications. Some projects may reach out to students to conduct interviews.
  • March 3: Faculty rankings due
    • Faculty rankings for applicants are due by 3/3, 11:59pm PT.
  • March 7: Project matching results released
    • Students and faculty members will be notified about project matching results. Students who do not receive an initial match may be placed on a waitlist.
  • March 24: Student decisions due
    • Students must accept their internship offer by 3/24, 11:59pm PT.
Key Application Dates (Summer 2025)
FOR STUDENTS
  • February 3: Projects released
  • February 3 - 17: Project office hours
  • February 17: Project applications and rankings due 11:59pm PT
  • February 18 - March 3: Project interviews
  • March 7: Project matches released
FOR FACULTY
  • January 31: Projects due
  • February 3 - 17: Project office hours
  • February 18 - March 3: Project interviews
  • March 3: Applicant rankings due 11:59pm PT
  • March 7: Project matches released
Summer 2025 Program Schedule
The tentative schedule for Summer CURIS in 2025 is as follows:
  • June 23: First day of Summer CURIS
  • July 4: University holiday.
  • August 29: Final poster session.
  • August 29: Last day of Summer CURIS.
Who’s Eligible
To be eligible for CURIS, a student must maintain undergraduate status through the summer. Students who are not Stanford undergraduates are not eligible for CURIS.

You need to be selected by some faculty to join their project. It helps if you've taken one or more relevant classes, and/or have some relevant experience. If you don't think you have enough experience this year, it's still worth trying, as different projects have different requirements.
CURIS Pay and Taxes
Most summer CURIS students are paid via stipend (one payment through Axess as Financial Aid) and will not receive a W-2 form from Stanford. You can print out the record from Axess to use as backup for your tax return. If you were paid twice a month throughout the summer, you were paid via the Payroll system, and should receive a W-2 form. Both the stipend and payroll checks are tax-reportable income. Students paid via stipend may want to consult a tax advisor to see if they need to make estimated quarterly tax payments.
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