Opportunities

Throughout the year, there are always many opportunities available to undergraduates to enhance your knowledge and experience in the field of Economics.  Below are different types of opportunities currently available.

The Ec Department runs an Economics Research Assistant Program (RAP), which pairs students with faculty for semester-long RA positions. Please check out details on our website (and make sure you are signed up on our listserv to hear when RAP is accepting applications).

Types of Opportunities:

Jobs, Research Analysts or Assistantships, Internships  For Seniors  Funding Opportunities  Other Interesting Opportunities

Jobs, Research Analysts or Assistantships, Internships

• Summer Analyst: The Summer Analyst Program at Cornerstone Research is an eight-week experience that takes place during the summer between junior and senior year of university designed to introduce students to the world of economic consulting and the culture of Cornerstone Research. Deadline: 9/27/2026 (posted 9/5/2026)
• Walmart Economics Internship: Walmart seeks students graduating between December 2027 and August 2028 for an internship over an 11-week period during the summer of 2027. The paid internship will prepare associates for a career with Walmart Economics team. Deadline: 9/20/2026 (posted 9/2/2026)
• Summer Internship: The Federal Reserve Board's Internship Program is designed to provide valuable work experience for undergraduate and graduate students. The internship program is a paid full-time summer internship lasting 10-12 weeks. Deadline: varies (posted 8/21/2026)
• Various Research Assistantships at the National Bureau of Economic Research
• Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers (PREDOC): A one-stop place where undergraduate students from any backgrounds can find all the information they need, including available RA job positions around the country, educational material to prepare for e.g. data tests, guidance on courses to take, testimonials, and more.

For Seniors

• Predoctoral Research Specialist: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania seeks a full-time Predoctoral Research Specialist to work with Patrick Adams, Lu Liu, and Huan Tang on research projects in household finance, FinTech, and other exciting topics starting in July 2027. Deadline: 10/4/2026 (posted 9/28/2026)
• Research Professional: The Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago seeks full-time Research Professionals (predocs) to work on development economics projects, starting in July 2027. This role is suited to students with strong training in economics and/or mathematics who are considering doctoral programs in the field. Deadline: Round 1 will review applications submitted by October 4, 2026; Round 2 will review those submitted between October 5 and December 13, 2026. posted (9/28/2026)
• Statistician: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now accepting applications for Statisticians in the Bureau of Economics. The ideal candidate for this position has a strong interest in and aptitude for applied microeconomics, data analysis, and computer programming. Deadline: 10/24/2026 (posted 9/24/2026)
• Statistician: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now accepting applications for Statisticians in the Bureau of Economics. The ideal candidate for this position has a strong interest in and intuition for applied microeconomics. Deadline: 10/24/2026 (posted 9/24/2026)
• Predoc Research and Communications Coordinator: The Behavior Change for Good (BCFG) Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, led by Professors Katherine Milkman and Angela Duckworth, seeks candidates to work closely with BCFG leadership on the conducting of behavior change interventions across a wide variety of settings and managing the initiative's communications efforts. Deadline: none given (posted 9/17/2026)
• Predoc Research Coordinator: The Behavior Change for Good (BCFG) Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, led by Professors Katherine Milkman and Angela Duckworth, seeks candidates to work closely with the BCFG team on the development and evaluation of behavior change interventions across a wide variety of settings and manage and coordinate significant multi-site research projects for BCFG and for Professor Milkman's lab. Deadline: none given (posted 9/17/2026)
• Pre-Doctoral Fellowship: Economics professors David Laibson (Harvard University), James Choi (Yale University), and John Beshears (Harvard Business School) seek a full‐time predoctoral fellow to start in mid-June 2027 until mid-July 2028, with a potential second-year renewal, involving work on theoretical and empirical research related to behavioral economics, decision making, and household finance. Deadline: rolling basis (posted 8/28/2026)
• Research Assistants: The Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution seeks several full-time research assistant positions beginning in summer 2027. These are two-year appointments for recent graduates interested in economic and public policy research. Deadline: 10/16/2026 (posted 8/28/2026)
• Research Assistant, The Hamilton Project: The Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution seeks a research assistant to help develop and execute an overall policy agenda and policy strategy as a member of The Hamilton Project team. Deadline: rolling basis (8/28/2026)
• Research Professional: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business seeks Research Professionals to work with faculty to collect data, maintain databases, conduct statistical analysis, and provide other support associated with faculty research. This position is expected to last one year with the possibility of a second. Deadline: none given (posted 8/28/2026)
• Research Assistants: The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System seeks a new cohort of Research Assistants (RAs) to work alongside PhD economists, assist with original economic research, and provide critical support for policy analysis. The RA position is a two-year program. Deadline: 10/15/2026 (posted 8/21/2026)
• Research Fellow: Stanford Law School seeks full-time pre-doctoral research fellows to assist Stanford Law School faculty, including economist Dr. John J. Donohue, in conducting policy-relevant empirical social science research. Fellowships begin in Summer 2027. Deadline: 10/23/2026 (posted 8/20/2026)
• Pre-Doctoral Researcher: MIT Professor Amy Finkelstein is looking to hire highly skilled and motivated full-time predoctoral researchers to begin in the spring or summer of 2027 and to work for two years as part of her research team. The position will entail close collaboration and assistance with all stages of empirical research in health economics. Deadline: rolling (posted 8/20/2026)
• Pre-Doctoral Researcher: Nathaniel Hendren is recruiting a Predoctoral Researcher based at MIT in Cambridge, MA to conduct economic analysis starting in summer 2027. The Predoctoral Researcher will work directly with Professor Hendren on research topics in applied micro-economics and empirical welfare analysis. Deadline: 10/4/2026 (posted 8/20/2026)
• Analyst: Greenmantle seeks a full-time Analyst to analyze global macroeconomic trends and commodity markets. The analyst will support Greenmantle’s different research teams that cover individual countries and markets across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. The ideal candidate will have strong data analysis skills and a keen interest in macroeconomics and history. Deadline: rolling (posted 8/20/2026)
• Economics Consulting Analyst/Associate: Charles River Associates seek Bachelor’s or Master’s degree candidates graduating December 2026/Summer 2027 with an academic focus on quantitative research for a variety of positions. Deadline: none given (posted 7/14/2026)
• Junior Data Scientist: Opportunity Insights is hiring a Data Scientist.  This work will support the development of new policies and financial models to invest in successful programs, potentially including Opportunity Capital, a new investment fund that deploys private capital to scale programs that increase economic mobility launched in 2026 by Harvard Professor Raj Chetty. Deadline: none given (posted 6/8/2026)
• Research Analyst Program (RAP): The International Monetary Fund (IMF) seeks students who have recently completed their undergraduate studies with a superior academic record and who would like to gain useful work experience before pursuing graduate studies. Deadline: none given (posted 10/6/2025)
• Compilation of job opportunities for graduating seniors interested in research-based careers​.
• NBER RA page. Aggregates RA searches by NBER fellows. 

Funding Opportunities

• Wall Street Guide Fellowship: This fall, WSG is running a full-ride scholarship competition. The winner will receive a $19,900 scholarship to the WSG Career Accelerator program. Applications are open to all college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors interested in a career in finance or consulting. Deadline: 10/2/2026
• URAF: The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (URAF) calendar includes information sessions and opportunities. Many URAF programs who have historically had applications through CARAT are now operating through the Harvard University Funding Portal (HUFP).
• Harvard Culture Lab Innovation Fund: Funding opportunities for advancing diversity, inclusion, and belonging through technology driven solutions. All Harvard students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and academic personnel are eligible to apply.
• All Harvard Fellowships from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship
• Harvard College Funding Sources Database
• Harvard University CARAT (Common Application for Funding and Travel)
• Harvard College: A Guide to Finding Funding
• Various links for funding opportunities in economics
• Echoing Green Fellowships for funding opportunities social entrepreneurship
• Frank N. Newman Undergraduate Research Fund in Economics, rolling acceptance
• The Davis Center for research related to Russia and Eurasia.
• Ec Dept Undergraduate Research and Travel Fund, rolling acceptance (thesis writers only)

Other Interesting Opportunities

• Seminars, Workshops, Conferences, etc:
  • BOOK TALK: How To Find and Keep Talent in a Forever-Tight Labor Market: Join the Project on Workforce for an in-person book talk with Jerry Rubin, HPoW Senior Advisor, Foundation Fellow at the Eastern Bank Foundation, and co-author of Help Wanted: How To Find and Keep Talent in a Forever-Tight Labor Market; and Gerald Chertavian, Founder of Year Up United and Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. The first 25 attendees will receive a free book copy. Takes place October 2nd. Details and registration at the linked google form. 
  • CID Student Seminars: The Harvard Center for International Development (CID) offer non-credit CID Student Seminars which meet regularly during the semester to connect students with leading international development practitioners who navigate critical, cross-cutting topics within their fields.
  • Events with URAF Research Ambassadors: Have you ever wanted to talk to a classmate about their research journey? The Research Ambassadors are here for you. These four Harvard College juniors and seniors provide peer-to-peer mentoring, advising, and workshops to any undergraduate. They have all done research in different areas and bring a wide range of experience navigating Harvard’s research opportunities.
  • Zotero Workshops:  Attend a Zotero class to learn how to easily save references, organize PDFs, create in-text citations & footnotes, and create bibliographies automatically.
  • MATLAB Boot Camp: The primary objective is to familiarize students with the MATLAB computational environment.  This boot camp does not suppose any prior experience with MATLAB or computation.
  • Python Boot Camp: The Python Boot Camp is designed to provide an introduction to coding in Python. It assumes zero prior knowledge of Python or programming in general.
  • Qualitative Research Workshops: Harvard Library workshops for students interested in using qualitative data and doing interview-based research.
• Student Groups:
  • HUEA is back: The Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association is the main student-led home for undergrads to connect with the Department of Economics and with each other over our shared love of the subject. Alongside what the department offers, we run events to bring students together with faculty and peers, as well as two competitions for high schoolers. Join our mailing list to hear about what we're doing—and see how to get involved—at our website thehuea.org. Also, find us at the Student Involvement Fair on Sep 4 and follow @harvardundergradecon on Instagram. Questions: contact@thehuea.org
  • HUEA Mentorship Program: The Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association, in coordination with the Economics Department, matches small groups of undergrads with PhD student mentors (Harvard/MIT/BU) for monthly chats about courses, research, careers, grad school, and life, with  coffee/meals on us. All years and concentrations are welcome. Sign up using this form by Sunday, September 27 for first-round matching (rolling after). Questions: mentorship@thehuea.org
  • The Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association: HUEA is a forum for all students concentrating or interested in economics providing academic, professional, and social support through student mixers and intercollegiate networking events, career and internship panels, and topical discussions with faculty and professional economists.
  • Harvard Undergrads for Inclusion in Economics  (HUIE) has in past semesters worked directly with the Harvard Economics Department to create a more diverse and inclusive community within the field. The club is currently inactive, but if you would like to revive it, you can reach out to alebrun@fas.harvard.edu
• Study Abroad:
  • LSE Info Session: LSE is hosting their annual info session on September 18th from 10:30-11:30am.
  • Interested in Study Abroad? Meet with Office of International Education (OIE) staff and student advisers during drop-ins Monday-Thursdays, 2-4pm to chat about the vast range of academic opportunities.
  • Sophomores interested in spending junior spring at Oxford or Cambridge, applications are due in January and February.
  • Enjoy coffee on the OIE with one of your fellow Economics concentrators or any of the OIE Student Advisor team members! Reach out to schedule a time to connect.
  • It’s never too early to start planning. Summer and fall term applications are due in early spring and spring term applications are due in early fall.
  • Hear from fellow Economics Concentrators who are willing to share their study abroad experiences with you.
  • Follow the Instagram stories of students abroad this term at HarvardOIE!
  • Feel free to reach out to the OIE team (oie@fas.harvard.edu) and Nicole Garcia (ngarcia@fas.harvard.edu) with any questions or concerns.
• Other:
  • Mentor at Project Access: Project Access Program offers one-on-one mentoring between less privileged applicants and current top university students. Mentors give advice on choosing universities and courses, personal statements, references, interviews, and other aspects of the application process. Deadline: none given (posted 7/23/2024)
  • Interested in Development?  Kiran Gajwani, part of our Ec Advising Team, is starting a casual discussion group for undergrads interested in issues facing lower-income countries.  Kiran is a development economist and hopes to use this group to foster connections between development-interested students within the economics concentration and across the College more broadly.  If you're interested, please fill out this super quick form! https://forms.gle/E9UpuHniH4qcJmNL7
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts seeks volunteers for their site based mentoring program. Volunteer a few hours a month on campus, at a local school, or out in the community.
• Journal Calls for Undergrad Papers:
  • Amherst College Law Review: The Amherst College Law Review Journal invites undergraduate students to submit articles for consideration in our 2026-2027 publication. The submission deadline is end of day January 22nd, 2027, and they publish on a first-come, first-served basis. Articles should range between fifteen and forty pages, excluding title page and bibliography. 
  • Colombia Economic Review: The Columbia Economic Review (CER) seeks research papers for their upcoming issue, welcoming both original research and past coursework, including seminar papers and theses (including those from recent graduates). Deadline: 10/4/2026 
  • Ceteris Paribus: Ceteris Paribus, the undergraduate journal of economics at UNC-Chapel Hill, seeks submissions including undergraduate theses, summer research papers, outstanding term papers, and other independent research in economics. Deadline: 10/2/2026
  • The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal: THURJ is Harvard's sole peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal publishing a broad spectrum of research across various disciplines, allowing students to share their work with their peers; this work can include their senior theses or other significant research manuscripts. Their manuscript submissions are rolling.
• Competitions and Prizes:
  • Harvard Prize Office Prize Descriptions, for student achievements (esp. great for thesis writers: if you need to send thesis comments, contact econundergrad@fas.harvard.edu)
• Career Panels and Advice:
  • Econ RA Guide: Offers a community resource based off of current and former RAs in Economics.
• Graduate School Advertisements
  • Dual Masters in Applied Economics (CUHK) and Social and Economic Policy (Northwestern)
  • Master of Finance at MIT Sloan: Throughout the fall, MIT Sloan is hosting a series of in-person and virtual events to connect with interested students. These events are intended for seniors applying for 2027 entry, but we welcome all interested students. 
  • Master of Business Administration at MIT Sloan
  • CERGE-EI PhD in Economics and Master in Economic Research. CERGE-EI (Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute) is a joint workplace of Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
  • Master of Science in Project Management program at Columbia University
  • Decision, Risk, and Operations (DRO) PhD at Colombia Business School
  • Master’s programs in Economics, Finance, and Data Science at Barcelona School of Economics
  • Master’s Program of the Department of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis
  • PhD in Economics at Texas A&M University
  • Master of Actuarial and Quantitative Risk Management (MAQRM) at Ohio State University
  • Ph.D. in Population Studies and Ph.D. in Population Studies and Social Policy at Princeton University
  • Master of Health Science (MHS) in Global Health Economics
  • Ph.D. in Demography from the University of Pennsylvania
  • MSPH in Health Systems and MHS in Global Health Economics at Johns Hopkins
  • PhD in Insurance Economics and Actuarial Analytics at University of Wisconsin School of Business
  • PhD in Political Economy at the University of Chicago
  • Teaching and Teacher Leadership:  The Teaching and Teacher Leadership (TTL) master’s program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE)
  • MSc in Applied Economics, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore)
  • Master of Research in Economics, European University Institute
  • MS program in Quantitative Economics at New York University
  • Kellogg Future Leaders. MBA deferred enrollment program. This program is for undergraduate seniors and master’s students with no work experience who can apply (and be accepted) before they finish their degree.
  • PhD in Operations Management, NYU Stern School of Business
  • MA programs at the George Washington University that focus on applied economics and international economic policy
  • The New School : MA/MS Degree Programs in International Affairs
  • Silver Scholars Program, Yale School of Management
  • PhD in Economics at the University of Florida
  • Master in Finance at Princeton University
  • McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown
  • School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan
  • Systems Engineering, Cornell 
     
• Blogs:
  • Top Econ Blogs
  • Greg Mankiw's Blog
  • The FRED Blog Visit the blog to learn more about FRED’s database, and get tips and lessons in data literacy.