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Summer Internship Program (SIP)
Frequently Asked Questions
 
  General info
What is the purpose of this program?
Where are these training opportunities located?
Is this a paid internship?
Is summer housing provided by the NIH?
What are the start and end dates for the program?
Can this award be used for research training outside of the NIH?

Eligibility
Can I apply if I am not a citizen of the United States?
Are there any eligibility criteria in addition to citizenship?
Is the summer program limited to specific majors?
Is there a minimum GPA to participate in this program?
Are students who are U.S. citizens attending foreign institutions eligible to apply?
Is there a separate program for students currently enrolled in medical or dental school?

Application procedure
Is there a deadline for submission of applications?
When should I apply?
Can I update my application from last year?
Can you provide any advice on how to write a good application?
Who should write my letters of recommendation?
Is there a deadline for receipt of my reference letters?
What should I do if my references have not received a request for a letter of recommendation on my behalf?
Who ensures that letters of reference are received?
Can I submit more than the required two letters of reference?
To whom should I address my cover letter?
I am a high school student. What should I enter for "Total Credit Hours" and "Major"?
Should I list all the courses and grades that I have completed or only my science courses?
May I apply to a specific Institute or Center?
If I do not have access to the Internet, how can I apply?
How will I know if my application is complete?

After applying
How are applications reviewed?
How will I be notified if I am selected?
How soon can I expect to hear that I am selected?
What are my chances of receiving a position in the Summer Internship Program?
How can I improve my chances of being selected for the Summer Internship Program?
How can I get information about specific NIH investigators whom I might contact about the research that they are conducting?
Do I need to submit an official transcript even though I entered my grades into the electronic application system?
Are there other research training opportunities at the NIH that I might find of interest?
Where else might I find information on research opportunities?



   

General info

Q: What is the purpose of this program?  
A: The Summer Internship Program is designed to provide young people an opportunity to spend a summer working side-by-side with some of the most talented scientists in the world in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research.

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Q: Where are these training opportunities located?  
A: These traineeships are available only in the intramural laboratories of the NIH. Most of the laboratories are located on the main NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. Several Institutes or their laboratories that focus on particular research areas are found at other sites around the country. These include facilities of:
  • The National Cancer Institute in Frederick, MD
  • The National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, MD
  • The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Detroit, MI
  • The National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore, MD
  • The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, NC
  • The Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Phoenix, AZ, which focuses on diabetes among the Pima Indians
  • The Rocky Mountain Laboratories of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Hamilton, MT

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Q: Is this a paid internship?  
A: Yes, students who are selected receive a monthly stipend that is based on education level and experience.

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Q: Is summer housing provided by the NIH?  
A: The NIH is unable to provide housing for summer interns. Information on housing in the Bethesda, MD, area can be found at the Postbaccalaureate IRTA Committee Web site. It might help you to know that the NIH is on the Red Line of the D.C. Metro at the Medical Center stop. Getting around via Metro is generally a good choice.

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Q: What are the start and end dates for the program?  
A: Start and end dates are negotiated individually by the applicant and the NIH investigator who has selected him/her as an intern. Students selected for the program usually begin work between mid-May and the end of June. The minimum time commitment is eight weeks, 40 hours a week.

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Q: Can this award be used for research training outside of the NIH?  
A: No, this award is intended to provide support for training in the intramural research program at the NIH. It cannot be used for any other purpose.

 

Eligibility

Q: Can I apply if I am not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States?  
A: No. Only citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. are eligible to apply to this program.

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Q: Are there any eligibility criteria in addition to citizenship?  
A: Yes, you must be sixteen years of age or older when you begin the program and must either be enrolled at least half-time in high school or an accredited U.S. college or university or plan to be enrolled in the fall.

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Q: Is the summer program limited to specific majors?  
A: No. However, most summer positions are in research laboratories. You should have successfully completed courses in biology and chemistry.

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Q: Is there a minimum GPA to participate in this program?  
A: No. However, NIH investigators will clearly want to select applicants who appear likely to make the greatest research contributions to their laboratories.

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Q: Are students who are U.S. citizens attending foreign institutions eligible to apply?  
A: Our training authority is intended primarily to encourage U.S. citizens and permanent residents attending accredited U.S. institutions to consider careers in biomedical research. However, applications from students who are U.S. citizens attending institutions in foreign countries can be considered on a case-by-case basis. If this applies to you, please inquire by e-mail before submitting an application.

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Q: Is there a separate program for students currently enrolled in medical or dental school?  
A: No. All individuals interested in coming to the NIH for the summer should apply to the Summer Internship Program. If you are enrolled in medical or dental school, please state that fact in your cover letter.

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Application procedure

Q: Is there a deadline for submission of applications?  
A: Yes, the application deadline is March 1 for all participating NIH Institutes and Centers. Note: Partial applications that are not completed by the March 1 deadline will not receive further consideration. The SIP application is available online from mid-November through March 1.

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Q: When should I apply?  
A: We recommend that you apply as soon as possible after the application site becomes available, as acceptances are made on a rolling basis.

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Q: Can I update my application from last year?  
A: No. You will need to reapply and request new letters from your references.

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Q: Can you provide any advice on how to write a good application?  
A: You might wish to read "Writing Successful Applications for Biomedical Research Training Programs: Advice from the NIH Office of Intramural Training & Education." [PDF, 119 KB]

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Q: Who should write my letters of recommendation?  
A: You should select references who are able to explain why you would be a good addition to a research group. Anyone who could comment on your skills in the laboratory, creativity, problem solving abilities, motivation, ability to handle complex scientific literature and concepts, etc. would be a good choice. Recommendations from individuals with a science research background are likely to carry more weight than recommendations from those with less understanding of biomedical research. Recommendations from family members are never appropriate. Also, note that letters from "services" and letters assembled for medical/dental school applicants by the pre-professional offices of their colleges and universities will not be accepted. You may wish to provide your references some information on the program, your resume or c.v., and a description of what you hope to accomplish during the program, so that they can write a highly relevant letter.

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Q: Is there a deadline for receipt of my reference letters?  
A: We ask references to submit their letters within two weeks of our request. All letters must be received by March 15.

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Q: What should I do if my references have not received a request for a letter of recommendation on my behalf?  
A: The system-generated e-mail request for a letter of recommendation may have failed to reach your reference for any one of several reasons:
  • You may have provided an incorrect e-mail address.
  • Our e-mail server or your reference's may have malfunctioned at the time the message was being sent.
  • The message may have been blocked from reaching your reference by a Spam filter.
  • The message was undeliverable due to other circumstances beyond our control (e.g., your reference's mailbox being full).
If your reference did not receive the original message, you should:
  • Check the e-mail address that you provided for your reference and correct it if necessary, then resend the request for a letter via the Modify Application tool. This tool will remain open until March 15, the deadline for receipt of letters of recommendation.
  • Ask your reference to check the folder to which his/her Spam filter diverts suspicious messages. This folder might be called "Junk mail," "Bulk mail," or "Spam."
If your reference still cannot find the message and you suspect there is a technical problem on our end, please contact us, and we will investigate.

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Q: Who ensures that letters of reference are received?  
A: You are responsible for making certain that we receive your letters of reference. You should check to make sure your references have received our e-mail requesting a letter. After two weeks you should log in to our system and check your application using the Modify Application Tool to make certain that the letters have arrived. If not, you can either re-send the request or contact your reference directly to encourage her/him to submit the letter.

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Q: Can I submit more than the required two letters of reference?  
A: No, the online application system will only accept two reference letters.

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Q: To whom should I address my cover letter?  
A: Since your cover letter can be read by any investigator in the NIH intramural program, you may wish to use the salutation "Dear Sir/Madam."

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Q: I am a high school student. What should I enter for "Total Credit Hours" and "Major"?  
A: Please enter "0" (zero) and "NA" (not applicable), respectively.

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Q: Should I list all the courses and grades that I have completed or only my science courses?  
A: Please list all of your completed courses with grades, as well as the courses that you plan to complete by the end of the academic year.

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Q: May I apply to a specific Institute or Center?  
A: If you already know the IC in which you wish to work (for example, if you are a returning student), you may select ONE IC from the "Preferred IC" drop-down list. Note: If you want your application to be considered by investigators in more than one IC, you should leave this field blank.

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Q: If I do not have access to the Internet, how can I apply?  
A: Visit your local library to access the Web.

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Q: How will I know if my application is complete?  
A: You may, if you choose, submit a partial application initially and complete the application at a later time. Note, however, that NIH investigators have access to complete applications only. If you submit a partial application, you will receive an e-mail message containing instructions for completing the application. Once you have done so, you will receive an e-mail confirming that your application is complete. This message will contain instructions for checking to see whether your letters of reference have been received. NOTE: You must complete your application by March 1 (11:59 p.m., EST). Applications that are incomplete after the March 1 deadline will not receive further consideration.

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After applying

Q: How are applications reviewed?  
A: Investigators in the NIH intramural program have access to the database containing the electronic applications to this program. They can search for applicants with particular interests or specific GPAs or who are enrolled at selected universities. Each investigator decides to whom he/she will offer summer positions. The OITE is not involved in the selection process.

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Q: How will I be notified if I am selected?  
A: The investigator who has selected you or an administrative officer in his/her Institute or Center will contact you by phone, e-mail, or letter.

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Q: How soon can I expect to hear that I am selected?  
A: There is no definite answer to this question. You will be selected only if/when an investigator who has a position available visits the database and is impressed with your credentials. On or about May 15, those who have not been selected will be informed via e-mail. Remember, there is no central selection committee for this program.

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Q: What are my chances of receiving a position in the Summer Internship Program?  
A: Like many of the research training programs at the NIH, the Summer Internship Program is highly selective. Over the past several years, about 20% of applicants were selected for the program.

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Q: How can I improve my chances of being selected for the Summer Internship Program?  
A: After you submit your application you may want to contact investigators with whom you would like to work.

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Q: How can I get information about specific NIH investigators whom I might contact about the research that they are conducting?  
A: You can find information regarding NIH intramural research programs in the Intramural Research Sourcebook. If you have a particular research interest, you can access abstracts by going to the NIH Annual Reports and conducting text searches on the subjects that interest you. Once you identify investigators whose projects interest you, you can e-mail them to refer them to your SIP application. You can find contact information for NIH investigators in the NIH Enterprise Directory.

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Q: Do I need to submit an official transcript even though I entered my grades into the electronic application system?  
A: Yes, but only if you are accepted into the program. The grades that you enter into the electronic application are sufficient for evaluation purposes.

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Other training opportunities

Q: Are there other research training opportunities at the NIH that I might find of interest?  
A: If you are a recent college graduate, you may be eligible for the Postbaccalaureate IRTA program, the Technical IRTA program, or the NIH Academy.

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Q: Where else might I find information on research opportunities?  
A: Please visit our Virtual Career Center for a wealth of information that may be of use in your search.

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Page last revised on January 28, 2009 (sva)