Which is better for undergraduate psychology research: Arizona State or Brandeis?

The biggest practical tradeoff is scale versus access: Arizona State has a much larger psychology research ecosystem and a wider range of labs, while Brandeis’s smaller undergraduate population can make it easier to build sustained relationships with professors and research mentors. At ASU, students can explore psychology alongside neuroscience, behavioral health, developmental science, social psychology, cognition, and related work across a major research university. At Brandeis, psychology students benefit from a more intimate academic setting and strong connections between psychology, neuroscience, and the Volen National Center for Complex Systems.

ASU may offer more total entry points, including labs with graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and large ongoing projects. That breadth is especially useful if you are still deciding among subfields or want access to research involving large datasets, community partnerships, health, or technology. The tradeoff is that joining a particular lab can require more initiative, and faculty may have less individual contact with undergraduates in very large courses.

At Brandeis, faculty-led research can feel more accessible earlier, particularly for a student who actively attends office hours and reaches out after taking an introductory course. Its smaller classes and undergraduate-centered environment can make it more realistic to earn a substantive role, a close recommendation, or eventually an independent project. The number of labs is smaller, so fit depends more heavily on whether its faculty interests align with yours.

For undergraduate psychology research specifically, Brandeis has the edge for close faculty mentorship and a potentially more personal lab experience. Arizona State is the stronger pick if you value a larger menu of research areas and are prepared to be proactive in seeking out opportunities.