<p>I understand that MIT has a well regarded undergraduate research program. Like Caltech’s SURF, this allows for potential researchers to earn stipends while conducting research. How much can one earn at UROP vs SURF’s $6000? Does it depends on the hours?</p>
<p>If you’re being funded by the UROP office, it goes by hour, and you earn more money when you rise in year. If you’re being funded by the lab, it can be whatever they want :)</p>
<p>@tutydau,
Your figures for the SURF program are not correct.</p>
<p>”SURF Fellows are considered Caltech student employees and will receive $600/week.” Caltech’s schedule indicates that the program runs for 8 weeks, so a student could earn a total of $4,800.
Source: [Summer</a> Undergraduate Research Fellowships … S U R F … <caltech> …](<a href=“http://www.surf.caltech.edu/applicants/index.html]Summer”>http://www.surf.caltech.edu/applicants/index.html)</caltech></p>
<p>MIT’s UROP participants receive an hourly wage, ranging from around $9.50/hour to $12.00 and higher for undergraduates, depending on the role, experience, and so on. The hourly wage can be higher, but assuming this range, working 40 hours per week over the summer would pay between $360 and $480/week. At MIT, students can begin working on a UROP the first week of June and continue right up until classes begin, through August. Thus, it’s possible to work for 12 weeks (and sometimes more). Thus, a student working over the summer in a UROP position could earn somewhere between $4,320 and $5,760. </p>
<p>Also, as I pointed out, it’s possible for upper-class students (juniors and seniors) to earn a higher wage, depending on their experience, the nature of the project, and so on. Admittedly, my evidence for this is anecdotal, drawn from my daugher’s experience in physics UROPs over the past 3 years. And come to think of it, now that I’ve read Piper’s post, it may be that my daughter’s position this year is funded by a research grant through the lab.</p>
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Huh? The fixed hourly rate and semesterly maximum aren’t dependent on year…</p>
<p>
Currently, pay directly from the UROP office is $9.25/hr, up to $1300 for each semester and $4400 for the summer. (Details are at <a href=“http://web.mit.edu/urop/guides/mitguides.html#pay[/url]”>http://web.mit.edu/urop/guides/mitguides.html#pay</a>.) Like was mentioned previously, you can be paid more by your supervisors if they wish. I made $5000 once with supervisor funding, over IAP + Spring, when the UROP office would otherwise have only paid me $2600.</p>
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<p>My mistake! I was confusing direct funding with how CSAIL’s funding works.</p>
<p>“SURF Fellows are considered Caltech student employees and will receive $600/week.” Caltech’s schedule indicates that the program runs for 8 weeks, so a student could earn a total of $4,800.”
Really, based on the brochure Caltech gave me from the admission office, it says SURF gives $6,000 for a 10 week period. I really think your info is outdated.</p>
<p>Did you click CalAlum’s link? It’s the info on the website.</p>
<p>I’m currently doing my third SURF at Caltech this summer. It’s definitely 10 weeks and $6000. Also, I clicked CalAlum’s link, and it says 10 weeks in multiple places, so I’m not sure where anyone read 8 weeks.</p>
<p>On a more relevant note, I wouldn’t make any choice between MIT and Caltech (research, undergrad, or otherwise) based on the pay rates of UROP vs SURF. Other factors are far more important. But I guess you didn’t technically ask that question.</p>
<p>^ You’re right; my bad. I looked at the calendar, which has links to 8 weeks’ of activities.
To get back to the original question then, a summer UROP at MIT, if funded directly from the UROP office, pays less than $6,000 over the summer. But a UROP can also be funded by the research supervisor for more than $9.25 per hour, and in such cases, a UROP might pay somewhat more. UROPs are also available fall and spring semester and during IAP.</p>
<p>I will note that SURF is summer-only and open to not-Caltech students. I have an MIT friend doing SURF right now :)</p>
<p>UROPs, on the other hand, can be acquired for summer or during term, and are MIT-only.</p>
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Seconded, emphatically.</p>
<p>Why do you want to talk about money here, tutydau? You sleep with at least 5 bags of gold under your bed. :D</p>
<p>^Why do you have to make such an useless post?</p>