PEAK Program is Back for 2025-2026!
The Undergraduate Research and Fellowships office is delighted to announce that the PEAK program is back in business! After receiving feedback from faculty and student stakeholders about the historic strengths and challenges of the program, and considering our core goals of accessibility and sustainability, a few key changes have been made to the program.
Simplifying the application/compensation process
There will be a single application deadline for each PEAK cycle (Fall: Aug 15; Spring: Dec 15; Summer: March 15). Applications will open 15 days before the deadline. If they recieve a PEAK fellowship, students will receive a stipend directly from URF rather than having their PI manage an hourly salary.
Narrowing the variety of PEAK Offerings
A consistent piece of feedback we received was that it was difficult to determine which version of the PEAK program was the best match for a student. We have thus narrowed the field to four types of fellowships.
- The Base Camp Fellowship
This award is intended for early researchers, so students can only receive this fellowship once during their time at NU. Each Base Camp Fellow will receive a $1000 stipend, and students will participate in biweekly programming with URF to help them gain professional skills toward future research (time management, identifying and applying for grants, writing support, mentorship from seasoned undergraduate researchers, etc.). The final project associated with this training will be a personal statement that students can use to apply for other grants and fellowships.
The numbers—Fall: 25 fellows; Spring: 50 fellows; Summer: 25 fellows - The Summit Fellowship
This award is for mid-level researchers; students can receive a Summit fellowship once per academic year. Each Summit Fellow will receive a $2000 stipend, attend monthly professional development workshops, and have the opportunity to mentor younger students. The final project associated with the training will be to identify a nationally competitive award they plan to apply for.
The numbers—Fall: 80 fellows; Spring: 110 fellows: Summer: 35 fellows - The Trail-Blazer Fellowship
This fellowship is intended for advanced undergraduates conducting independent research over the summer. Each Trail-Blazer Fellow will receive a $6000 stipend, which is meant to cover living expenses, as they will be expected to devote themselves to research full time. Trail-Blazer Fellows will participate in weekly professional development programming with URF focused on such skills as time management, project presentation, identifying and applying to graduate programs, using library resources, and finding post-graduate opportunities in research. Besides the final outcome of their project, each student is expected to complete a draft for a post-graduate fellowship/funding opportunity by the end of the summer.
The numbers—Summer: 10 fellows - The Shout-It-Out Fellowship
Shout-It-Out awardees receive financial support to present their work at professional conferences; the amount varies depending on the student’s financial need, and each student can receive 1 Shout-It-Out per academic year. Students with demonstrated financial need (as determined by SFS) are eligible for up to $500; students without demonstrated financial need are eligible for up to $100 of support. A student does not have to have conducted their research through a PEAK program in order to receive funding. Funding will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis until the annual fund is depleted.
The numbers–$30,000 annual cap
All PEAK fellows are required to participate in RISE, Northeastern’s annual research expo.
Cohort Building and Student Engagement
As indicated above, each PEAK Fellowship will come with required participation in training and skill development. Given the challenges of composing a competitive application, PEAK offers a singular opportunity to introduce you to the possibilities and demands of a career in research.
Faculty Post-Grant Reporting
As part of the revised application, faculty and students are both required to identify three learning outcomes they hope that the program will produce. After the conclusion of the fellowship period, faculty and students will report back to URF on how those goals were met.
More information on the PEAK program and how to apply can be found on the PEAK Fellowships Overview page.