Undergraduate US citizens or US permanent residents are eligible for this program. Women and students from underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply. The participants are expected to devote their time fully to this summer research program, and they should not simultaneously be engaged in any other academic coursework or jobs during the program.

The primary funding for our REU summer program comes from the National Science Foundation. According to the NSF eligibility criteria:

"Undergraduate student participants supported with NSF funds in either REU Supplements or REU Sites must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. An undergraduate student is a student who is enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree. Students who are transferring from one college or university to another and are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer may participate. High school graduates who have been accepted at an undergraduate institution but who have not yet started their undergraduate study are also eligible to participate. Students who have received their bachelor's degrees and are no longer enrolled as undergraduates are generally not eligible to participate."