University of Toronto
Summer Psychology Research Initiative
SPRINT 2025 Applications have Closed. Stay tuned for upcoming news!
University of Toronto
Summer Psychology Research Initiative
The University of Toronto (U of T) Summer Psychology Research Initiative (SPRINT) is an annual outreach and access program for high school students in Ontario, Canada to learn about a broad range of psychology topics, gain hands-on research experience, and connect with peers and psychology researchers at the University of Toronto.
The free ten-day program is organized and led by a group of graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, with the support of undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral volunteers, faculty, staff, librarians, and community advocates within and beyond the University of Toronto.
SPRINT usually runs every summer in the last two weeks of July, Mondays to Fridays at the University of Toronto, St. George campus. Students will be selected into one of two program streams based on interests, goals, and program capacity. Lecture Stream participants will be introduced to psychology as a scientific research discipline, whereas Research Stream participants will build upon the knowledge and develop a group research proposal under the guidance of undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral mentors in various fields of psychology.
As SPRINT was launched as an anti-racist initiative to support Indigenous, Black, and racialized (IBR) students, with a focus on countering anti-Black racism and colonialism, upper-year high school students who identify as IBR are prioritized in the application selection process.
In 2024, SPRINT also began prioritizing applicants from other historically underrepresented groups in psychology and higher education, such as gender-minority and first-generation university students, to more comprehensively address the issues of equity, diversity, and inclusivity in Canada. Visit the Apply page for the full application selection process.
Applications for SPRINT 2025 have now closed, and we received a record high of 662 applications!
See News for more details on this year's selection process.
Check back in April or May for SPRINT 2026 applications.
When? July 15 - 26, 2024, Mondays to Fridays.
Where? University of Toronto, St. George Campus.
Who? 54 high school participants (40 Research Stream and 14 Lecture Stream), 34 graduate students and post-docs, 13 undergraduate students, and 7 faculty and staff members.
What? 18 lectures and data blitz presentations, 7 tutorials, 4 panels, and 9 research project meetings to develop and deliver 8 university-level research proposals and presentations.
See Past Projects for the 8 research presentations by our 40 Research Stream participants, and learn the names of our SPRINT 2024 Team on Team!
Thoughts from past SPRINT students
"I really enjoyed the in-depth lectures and all the information that was very well taught. I learned many useful concepts and skills."
"Everyone was so enthusiastic and this positive environment simply increased my motivation to learn more about areas in psychology."
"I liked being able to work with people who were interested in the same topics. I also liked the relationship with the mentors, being able to talk and ask questions."
"If I could do it all over again, I would 100 times over. This was an excellent program and I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here."
Special Thanks to our volunteers, faculty and staff at the Department of Psychology, family and friends of all SPRINT participants, and our funders!
SPRINT 2024 was funded by the University of Toronto Department of Psychology.
Past funders: Graduate Education Innovation Fund (GEIF), Pedagogical Innovation and Experimentation (PIE) Fund, University of Toronto Department of Psychology.
Thank you to the University of Toronto Bookstore and the Art Gallery of Ontario for their generous contributions to past SPRINTs.
The organization and delivery of SPRINT rely on the help of undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral volunteers from the University of Toronto. Volunteers with different levels and areas of expertise in and related to psychology are always welcome to join the team! Available roles include executive members, lecturers, tutorial leaders, panelists, mentors, and session supporters. If you are interested, please apply during our recruitment period or contact us at uoftpsycomm@gmail.com.