Summer REU options for int'l students?

[Lavabug]

Is it common for international students to get to do summer physics REU's in the US? I am a 3rd year undergrad in Spain, although I am a legal resident of the US if that helps (no need for a visa or anything to that avail). I can get letters of recommendation from 2-3 professors one of which is in my area of interest. I would like to do something in astrophysics but I'm open to other areas as well. Do I have any chance of getting into a REU or do students studying abroad take a back seat to applicants with letters of recommendation from US professors?

 

[Stengah]

REU programs are funded by the National Science Foundation, and non-US citizens are not allowed to apply. If you are a US citizen, you might be able to apply, but I'm not sure how your application would look coming from Spain. I would just send emails to the programs you want to attend and ask them.

However, there are a couple of programs that accept international students, the funding just comes from somewhere else. Montana State University is an example. Their program is in solar physics.

 

[Lavabug]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion! That looks nice, and one of my profs is an active researcher in that area. Do you happen to know of any similar examples of non-NSF funded REUs? I'm a permanent resident (greencard holder), but I'm still a few years from being able to obtain a full citizenship.

I found a site with a list, though it was last updated 5 years ago:
http://astro.cornell.edu/academics/courses/astro334/internships.html
which has a link to
http://astro.physics.uiowa.edu/~clang/reu_info.html

I assume national laboratories are out of the question for non-citizens?

Edit: I just found out that permanent residents can still apply for NSF grants.

 

[Stengah]

That program was the only one I saw in my REU search that accepts international students. Some say they accept permanent residents, but some also say that you must attend a school in the US. And yes, national laboratories are probably out of the question. But again, it doesn't hurt to ask.