iSTAR Scholars

The iSTAR Scholars program is an international summer research experience for students that occurs during the summer between their first and second years as Drexel undergraduate students. Through this program, students participate in faculty-mentored research or scholarly projects at an international partner institution.

iSTAR Scholars are provided with a $3,000 scholarship, round-trip transportation between Drexel University and the host institution, and housing at the host institution in order to facilitate their participation in the program. All students will be expected to write and abstract and create a research poster and present their work as part of the on-campus STAR Scholars Summer Showcase at the end of Summer Term.

To be eligible for the iSTAR Scholars program, students must:

Be accepted into the STAR Scholars program
Have a valid passport with an expiration date in 2026 or later, and at least 2 blank pages available for a visa
Meet all visa eligibility requirements for the country to which they will be traveling
For students who are not US citizens or permanent residents: Confirm with ISSS that your US visa will permit you to return to campus in time for Fall Term

Please note: Specific iSTAR locations and projects may have additional eligibility requirements related to major and academic background.

Summer 2026 iSTAR Locations

The iSTAR Scholars Program is paused for Summer 2026.

iSTAR Scholars FAQs

iSTAR locations are selected in partnership with Drexel Global and Drexel faculty, with the aim of building on existing research collaborations. Each year, we will review and publish updated lists of specific iSTAR Scholar locations.

In summers during which iSTAR locations are available, eligible students can apply for the iSTAR Scholars program upon acceptance into the STAR Scholars program. Students’ applications will be reviewed by Drexel faculty and staff, as well as faculty at our partner locations. Students will then be selected for interviews with our faculty partners, who will make final decisions on our iSTAR Scholars each year.

Students accepted into an iSTAR Scholar location are provided a scholarship of $3,000 to enable participation in the program, in addition to round-trip transportation between Drexel University and the host institution at the start and end of the program and on-site housing at the host institution. The scholarship provided to iSTAR Scholars will be disbursed by Financial Aid.

No. Because iSTAR Scholar locations are established based on existing research collaborations, we do not allow students to create their own iSTAR Scholar positions. Students are only eligible to participate in those research experiences provided by the iSTAR Scholars program in a given year.

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iSTAR Scholars

Summer 2026 iSTAR Locations

iSTAR Scholars FAQs

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