FAQ

The 2025 program schedule will run from June 16th through July 25th.

Applicants will be notified by email by the end of March. Due to the volume of applicants, we cannot give individual confirmation for application materials received.  We appreciate applicants' patience as we make our final decisions. If you have not heard from us yet, no decision has been made on your application.

Applicants can expect to hear a decision by the end of March.

The program is specific to current juniors. Fortunately, it is an ongoing program, so we encourage you to apply in the future!

You must be a current junior attending a high school in the state of Michigan to be eligible. 

No! 

The Aspirnaut internship program is open to young scholars of all experience levels. There is no expectation of any prior research experience. 

Aspirnaut interns will be expected to do work “at the bench” within their host laboratory. The exact nature of the experiments being performed will depend on which laboratory the Aspirnaut is placed into. 

Our staff works closely with the host laboratories to ensure that there is a clearly defined project to be worked on and that the techniques are suitable for all skill levels. 

Yes, you are eligible! The SAT is not a requirement to apply or participate in the program. 

Yes you should submit your application once you have finished your portion. Your recommenders can submit their letters through interfolio even after you have submitted your application so long as they do so by the application deadline. 

The program is in-person, on the UM Ann Arbor Campus. Students stay in the Alice Lloyd Residence Hall during the duration of the program and work in an on-campus laboratory. 

Outside of the lab, interns will participate in professional development and enrichment opportunities. With that being said, students are required to be on campus during the entire duration of the program, aside from any health or emergency related absences.

Students must be available and ready to commit their time to the program, in-person, for the entire 6 weeks.

Aspirnaut is an in-person program, where you stay in a dorm on the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor campus. You do hands-on, laboratory research with a research mentor Monday-Friday, and on the weekends you get to participate in social events, professional development, and free time to explore Ann Arbor and rest.

No, students are not allowed to take classes during the duration of the program. 

Participation in the Aspirnaut program is completely free, which includes housing, a meal plan, lab materials, and more. We actually pay interns a monthly stipend for their participation as well!

We accept anywhere between 5-10 interns each year. 

Any area of science which investigates questions regarding living organisms can be considered life sciences – from Anatomy to Zoology.

At the Life Sciences Institute we house laboratories from several different departments within the University of Michigan. Our labs do work focused on Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, and Genetics. However, often the questions these laboratories are seeking to answer span the intersection of several individual areas of study.

We don't have a specific list of faculty researchers, as they differ from year to year. We consistently work with scientists in the Life Sciences Institute, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB), and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB).  You can get a sense of the types of research you would be working on by looking at the research on their websites.

Before the program begins, our staff creates a list of potential laboratories to host an Aspirnaut. These are laboratories both within the LSI as well as labs whose work intersects with the life sciences. 

Once an Aspirnaut is accepted into the program our staff goes to work identifying what research topics most align with the Aspirnaut’s scientific interest and place them accordingly.

Your high school counselor or financial aid office should be able to tell you if you qualify for federal disadvantaged aid. 

International students are eligible if they are attending a high school in the state of Michigan and are either US Citizens or non-US citizens with employment authorization documentation (EAD)