Last updated: October 2026
The Amgen Scholars Program is a paid, 8 to 10 week summer research program for US undergraduates who want a PhD or MD-PhD, run at 14 host universities including Harvard, Stanford, Caltech and Johns Hopkins. Applications for summer 2027 open November 1, 2026 and close February 1, 2027, with the same deadline at every US host. If you're reading this in October 2026, you're early: use the next two weeks to line up a recommender and a draft personal statement, because those two pieces take longest.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | amgenscholars.com/us-program, which links to each host's own application |
| Application window (summer 2027) | Opens November 1, 2026; closes February 1, 2027 at all 14 US hosts |
| Decisions | US hosts should notify applicants by the end of March 2027 |
| Who can apply | Sophomores, juniors and non-graduating seniors at accredited US four-year colleges; US citizens or permanent residents; GPA 3.2+ |
| Format | In-person, full-time lab research for 8 to 10 weeks, usually June to August |
| Pay | Stipend varies by host: Caltech paid $6,000 for 10 weeks in 2026 plus housing, dining card and travel; UCLA pays $3,000 plus housing and meals |
| Host schools | Caltech, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Howard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSF, UNC Chapel Hill, UT Southwestern, WashU, Yale |
| Class size | About 140 US scholars a year, at least 10 per host |
| Extras | A July North America Symposium in California, with travel, room and board covered |
The key detail most applicants miss: you apply to each host university separately, through that host's own application, and you can apply to as many of the 14 as you want.
Amgen Scholars is a research program, so the strongest applications show you can work through a messy data question and explain what you found. A remote Externship like the TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics Externship gives you a finished health-data project to write about in your personal statement before the February 1 deadline.
What Is the Amgen Scholars Program?
Amgen Scholars is an undergraduate research program funded by the Amgen Foundation, with Harvard University providing direction and technical help. Scholars spend a summer doing hands-on research in a faculty lab at one host school, in fields tied to the discovery, development and delivery of human therapeutics. Around the lab work, hosts add seminars, professional development and networking, and every US scholar presents at the North America Symposium in California in July. The program's stated aim is to increase the number of students who go on to advanced training and careers in the sciences, which is why it asks for an interest in a PhD or MD-PhD.
Who Can Apply to Amgen Scholars?
Eligibility is set by the US program and applies at every host:
• Class year: sophomores (with at least four quarters or three semesters of college), juniors, or non-graduating seniors returning in the fall
• School: enrolled at an accredited four-year college in the US, Puerto Rico or another US territory. You don't need to attend a host school
• Citizenship: US citizen or US permanent resident
• GPA: cumulative 3.2 or above
• Goal: an interest in pursuing a PhD or MD-PhD
• Major: any major can apply, and prior research experience isn't required
• Limits: you can be an Amgen Scholar for one summer only, and you apply in one region only
Graduating seniors and international students on a visa aren't eligible for the US program. Amgen also runs separate Europe, Asia, Canada and Australia programs with their own rules.
When Do Amgen Scholars Applications Open for Summer 2027?
The summer 2027 dates are published, not projected: applications open November 1, 2026 and close February 1, 2027, and the deadline is the same at all 14 US hosts. Host-specific program dates for summer 2027 haven't been announced yet. For reference, Caltech's summer 2026 program ran June 15 to August 21, 2026 and UCLA's ran June 21 to August 27.
Applications for summer 2027 aren't open yet. Pick the hosts you'd want, read their faculty pages, and ask a professor or research supervisor for a letter now, since recommenders need weeks.
Applications for summer 2027 open at the US hosts. Each host has its own application, so start the ones with extra steps first (Caltech asks you to develop a project with a potential mentor).
Application deadline for summer 2027 at every US host. Transcripts and your recommendation letter must be in by then too.
US hosts notify applicants.
The summer 2027 program runs for 8 to 10 weeks at your host, with the North America Symposium in California in July. Exact dates are set by each host.
How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and the employer's own postings. Treat future dates as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The program's official page is always the most current source. If it's posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.
How Do You Apply to Amgen Scholars?
There is no single Amgen Scholars application. You apply host by host:
1. Go to amgenscholars.com/us-program and open the application link for each host you want. You can apply to as many US hosts as you like.
2. Send every host at least an official transcript, one letter of recommendation and a personal statement or essay.
3. Check each host's extra requirements. Caltech, for example, models its application on grant-seeking: you develop a project with a potential mentor, and a faculty committee reviews it.
4. Submit everything by February 1, 2027, then expect a decision by the end of March.
Amgen Scholars also publishes a statement on using generative AI tools in applications. Read it before you draft your essay.
Does Amgen Scholars Lead to a Job at Amgen?
Not directly. Amgen Scholars is a research and graduate-school pipeline, not an Amgen hiring program, and it doesn't state any internship or job offer at Amgen. What it gives you is a summer of real lab research, a faculty mentor who can write your grad-school letter, and a symposium where you present your work. If you want an industry internship at Amgen itself, that's a separate track: see our Amgen internship guide for its summer 2027 timeline.
How Do You Build a Strong Amgen Scholars Application?
No research experience is required, so the application turns on three things: a personal statement that shows why you want a PhD, a recommender who knows your work, and evidence that you can handle real data. Here's how to show each one.
| What to show | Why it matters here | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| A research question you followed through | Hosts pick students who can work in a lab for 10 weeks with little hand-holding | ARCeH Health Outcomes Data Analytics |
| Comfort with health and biomedical data | Therapeutics research runs on data; showing you can clean and interpret it sets you apart | TruBridge Healthcare Data Analytics |
| Exposure to how drugs get developed | The program centers on the discovery, development and delivery of therapeutics | Pfizer Advanced: AI-Powered Document Insights |
Apply to several hosts. Each one admits around 10 scholars, so spreading applications across hosts whose faculty match your interests raises your odds more than polishing a single application.
What Similar Programs Should You Consider?
If you're applying to Amgen Scholars, these are worth a look too:
- NIHsummer research at NIH labs; a close equivalent for biomedical undergradsGuide →
- Genentechindustry research and development internships in biotechGuide →
- Regeneronresearch internships at a science-led biotechGuide →
- PfizerPfizer Futures internships across research and business tracksGuide →
- ModernamRNA research and technical internshipsGuide →
Many host schools also run their own summer research programs, such as Caltech SURF and UCLA SPUR, and NSF funds undergraduate research sites across the country. Our healthcare internships guide covers the wider field.
FAQ
When is the Amgen Scholars deadline for summer 2027?
February 1, 2027, at all 14 US host institutions. Applications open November 1, 2026. Hosts should notify applicants by the end of March 2027. Because each host has its own application, check each one for extra materials well before the deadline.
Is Amgen Scholars paid?
Yes. Stipends vary by host. Caltech paid $6,000 for its 10-week summer 2026 program, plus campus housing, a $610 dining card and travel. UCLA pays a $3,000 stipend plus housing, meals and a travel allowance of up to $500 for out-of-state students. The July symposium's travel, room and board are covered.
Can freshmen apply to Amgen Scholars?
Not in their first year. Sophomores qualify once they have four quarters or three semesters of college behind them, along with juniors and non-graduating seniors. A freshman now can apply in the 2028 cycle as a sophomore.
Can international students apply to the US program?
No. The US program requires US citizenship or US permanent residency. Amgen runs separate programs in Europe, Asia, Canada and Australia with their own eligibility rules, and you can apply in one region only.
What GPA do you need for Amgen Scholars?
A cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above is the published minimum for the US program. Any major can apply, and prior research experience isn't required, but you need an interest in pursuing a PhD or MD-PhD.
How many hosts can you apply to?
As many US hosts as you like. Each host runs its own application and selects its own scholars, usually at least 10 per host, for about 140 US scholars a year. You can only be an Amgen Scholar for one summer.
Does Amgen Scholars help you get a job at Amgen?
Not directly. The program is designed to send students into PhD and MD-PhD training, and it doesn't promise an Amgen internship or job. Amgen's own internships are a separate application; see our Amgen internship guide for that timeline.
The February 1 deadline arrives fast once the holidays hit. Spend October lining up your recommender, and if your resume is light on research, a remote Externship gives you a finished data project to write about before applications close.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
