Undergraduate Student Research Awards Program

What are these awards for?

Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are meant to stimulate your interest in research in the natural sciences and engineering. They are also meant to encourage you to undertake graduate studies and pursue a research career in these fields. If you would like to gain research work experience that complements your studies in an academic setting, these awards can provide you with financial support through your host university. NSERC encourages qualified Aboriginal students to apply to this program.

Are you eligible for an award?

To be eligible to apply for an award, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
• be registered, at the time you apply, in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible university; and
• have obtained, over the previous years of study, a cumulative average of at least second class (a grade of "B" or "B-," if applicable) as defined by your university.

In addition...

• If you already hold a bachelor's degree and are studying toward a second bachelor's degree, you may still apply to this program.
• You may hold only one USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
• You may hold a maximum of three USRAs throughout your university career.

To hold an award, you must:

• have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study (or two academic terms) of your bachelor's degree;
• have been registered in the term immediately before holding the award in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible university;
• not have started a program of graduate studies in the natural sciences or engineering; and
• be engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities in the natural sciences or engineering during the tenure of the award.

Who is not eligible?

You are not eligible for an Undergraduate Student Research Award if:

• you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional degree program in the health sciences (e.g., MD, DDS, BScN); or
• you hold higher degrees in the natural sciences or engineering.

Value of awards

• These awards have a value of $4,500 for a full 16-week period.
• Universities are required to supplement the amount of the award by at least 25 percent of its value using other sources, such as university funds, NSERC grants, or any other research funds. Universities may also provide fringe benefits.
• A travel allowance may also be granted if you take up the award at a university other than the one at which you are currently registered (see Travel allowances for more information).

NSERC will not reimburse the university for any period during which you worked part time. No payment will be approved for any vacation leave you take during tenure of the award.

Duration of awards

• The duration of the award is 16 consecutive weeks on a full-time basis.
• You may hold an award at any time during the year as permitted by your academic program.
• Tenure may start on a date acceptable to both you and your host institution.

Where can you hold your award?

Once NSERC has approved your USRA for tenure at one particular institution, you may not transfer it to another institution.

You must work under the supervision of a faculty member who holds an active NSERC research grant (e.g., Discovery, CREATE, Strategic, Research Partnerships), either at the time you submit the application or when you hold the award.

Faculty members whose research grants terminated on March 31, 2012, but who received an extension to use up the remaining funds from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013, will be eligible to supervise a USRA student in the summer or fall of 2013 or the winter of 2014.

In addition, faculty members whose research grants terminated on March 31, 2013, but who received an extension to use up the remaining funds from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014, will be eligible to supervise a USRA student in the summer or fall of 2014, or the winter of 2015.

Please consult the USRA Liaison Officer of the university at which you would like to hold the award to find out about eligible supervisors.

Note: In the case of small universities that are having difficulty allocating all of their USRAs to a limited number of NSERC grant holders, supervision of the remaining USRAs by natural sciences and engineering faculty members without NSERC funding may be considered. The university will need to obtain prior approval from NSERC by submitting a request (maximum of two pages) that includes:

• a brief c.v. of the proposed supervisor, his/her research interests and a brief history of applying for/receiving NSERC support;
• a description of the lab environment, including equipment, other team members in the lab, access to NSERC grant holders, etc.; and
• a brief description of the student’s proposed research project.

Applicants requesting an exception must pursue a research program with the intention of obtaining NSERC research funding in the near future. Ongoing collaborations, particularly with NSERC-funded faculty at the same institution or elsewhere, recent refereed publications, a consistent supervisory record, and recent applications for funding from sources other than NSERC are all evidence of this intention.

A faculty member at a small institution who does not hold NSERC research funding may be approved as a USRA supervisor up to three times until they secure NSERC research funding.

For this purpose, small universities denote Canadian universities that received $3.5 million or less in NSERC scholarships and grants during the most recent fiscal year for which data is available. For further information, consult the table entitled Grants & Scholarships Expenditures by University/College.

How do you apply?

To apply for these awards, you must complete and submit your application using NSERC’s On-line System. Refer to the instructions for completing Form 202.

You can apply to more than one university. You must apply directly to the university where you would like to hold the award. However, please note that it is the university's choice whether to accept candidates from other institutions.

How are students selected for awards?

NSERC allocates a quota of awards to each eligible university and delegates the selection process to the university. All application and review processes are internal to the institution. It is the university's responsibility to establish its own selection criteria within the broad guidelines that NSERC provides, and it may choose to apply stricter criteria. When selecting students for awards, the university will assess the merit of each application on the basis of the student's academic record and research aptitude. In doing this, it will take into account the objectives of the USRA program.

For university selection procedures and criteria, refer to the USRA Liaison Officer at the university where you would like to hold the award.

Application deadlines

Each eligible university sets its own deadline dates for receiving applications. For information about these dates, contact the university(ies) to which you are applying.

Although awards may be held in either the summer, fall or winter term, each university will determine the number of selection processes it holds each year.

Award decisions

Each university will inform applicants of its award decisions after it has completed its selection process. To find out if you have received an award, contact the USRA Liaison Officer at your university.

Payment of awards

You will receive your payment from the university. The university will issue payments to you for the total value of the award in accordance with its pay procedures. It will also issue a T4 or T4A slip (Statement of Income) to you at the end of the calendar year.

NSERC will pay its contribution directly to the university.

Travel allowances

You may qualify for a travel allowance for the actual costs you incur to get to your host university if it is different from the one you are attending at the time of the award. The allowance is based on the economy airfare between the cities where the universities are located. Please note that travel allowances are taxable.

To request a travel allowance, apply to your host university upon arrival.

In addition...

• NSERC will pay the return travel costs only if the actual period of tenure is 12 weeks or more.
• NSERC will not provide a travel allowance for your spouse or children.
• This allowance is not intended to offset your daily commuting costs to and from the host university.
• NSERC will provide an allowance (as deemed reasonable by NSERC’s Finance Division) for ground transportation costs to and from your residence and your point of departure (e.g., airport, train station, bus station). Original receipts must be provided to the university.
• NSERC will not provide an allowance for the cost of transporting excess baggage or removing household effects.
• Travel claims must be submitted no more than one month after the completion of the USRA work term.

Note: Frequent flyer points will not be reimbursed.