NYU vs. Harvard: Which Offers Better Undergraduate Research Access?

The central tradeoff is scale and breadth versus the need to be proactive: Harvard has an unusually dense concentration of life-science labs, affiliated hospitals, and structured undergraduate research funding, while NYU offers strong biology research in a New York City setting but can require more deliberate outreach across a larger, less traditionally residential university.

At Harvard, biology students can seek positions through the Harvard College Research Program, faculty labs in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Human Evolutionary Biology, and nearby affiliates such as the Broad Institute and Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals. The undergraduate residential structure also tends to make it easier to build sustained relationships with professors, advisers, and peers who can point students toward labs. Research is not automatic, particularly in sought-after labs, but there are many pathways and a strong campus expectation that interested students can participate.

NYU has meaningful opportunities through its Biology Department, the Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, NYU Langone Health, and other New York-based research institutions. Its location can be a real advantage for students drawn to biomedical research, public health, clinical settings, or internships alongside coursework. However, students often need to initiate contact early, identify labs independently, and navigate opportunities spread among Washington Square, NYU Langone, and the wider city.

For a biology student whose priority is the broadest and most internally connected undergraduate research ecosystem, Harvard offers better access overall. NYU can be especially compelling when the student wants to use New York City’s medical and scientific network and is comfortable taking a highly self-directed approach to finding a lab.