Insights and Tips for CERN’s Summer Programs

I’d like to share some experiences and insights about CERN’s summer programs, along with tips for the application process.

Info

First, a key point to note: most opportunities at CERN are primarily open to individuals from Member States and Associate Member States. You can check out the full list of these countries here.

Unfortunately, as of 2024, Egypt isn’t yet part of either category (I hope we get there soon 😊). The good news, however, is that this restriction doesn’t apply to the summer programs I’ll be discussing here. These programs are open to all students of all nationalities.

Each year, CERN offers three main programs for students:

1. CERN OpenLab Summer Student Programme
2. CERN Summer Student Programme
3. Short-Term Internship

I personally participated in the OpenLab program, so most of what I’ll share is based on my experience there. However, since I have met amazing friends from the other programs, I’ll also include some insights about them to give you a fuller picture.

The OpenLab program is tailored for students in computer science and related domains. Each year, it takes about 30 students from around the globe. In this program, you’re assigned a project based on your preferences stated in the application. Alongside the project, you’ll participate in a training program with sessions on various technical topics and their applications at CERN. The primary focus in this program is your project, but the training sessions are equally important and are very benefitical and insightful. The lectures from my program last summer are recorded and publicly available here.

The Summer Student Program, on the other hand, is primarily aimed at physics students. Last summer, over 350 students participated in this program. Like OpenLab, participants are assigned a project. However, this program places a stronger emphasis on lectures, offering an intensive schedule with a wide range of physics topics covered in some depth. These lectures are also publicly available, and I highly recommend checking them out—even if physics isn’t your primary field of interest. Many of the sessions are incredibly insightful and I personally enjoyed them. You can find the recordings here.

For the Short-Term Internship, I don’t have much information about it other than its existence, so I encourage you to check it out.

Application Process

The application process is simple. You’ll need:

• Your CV
• Official transcripts
• One recommendation letter (two are preferred but not mandatory).

The current application deadline is January 26, 2025, 11:59 PM CET. After submitting your application, there’s typically no interview required for the summer programs, although a few of my friends did receive interview requests (this is more the exception than the rule). Decisions are usually announced by the end of March.

I hope this guide helps you navigate CERN’s summer programs and make the most out of the application process. Best of luck!