NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs)

Overview  

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is Canada’s largest supporter of discovery and innovation. It looks to fund innovative scientific and technical breakthroughs that will benefit Canada and will help our research community thrive.

As an undergraduate student, you will be applying for Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs) in the NSERC Discovery grant stream.  

Eligibility 

You must be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person under subsection 95(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) as of the deadline date for applications at the institution.

You must commit to work — consecutively — the full 16 weeks in the summer. NSERC considers USRAs it to be full-time work, and there’s no provision for vacation time or other interruptions.

You may hold only one USRA per year and are allowed maximum of three USRAs throughout your undergraduate career.

Year of study 

At a minimum, you must have completed two academic terms at the time of applying, which would be in February or March.

Currently registered second- and third-year students are given priority for NSERC USRAs.

Fourth-year students who will complete their graduation requirements immediately before the USRA begins — that is, who apply during their last term of fourth year — are eligible, provided that they do not begin graduate studies while holding the USRA. They will be considered for an award after second- and third-year applicants.

PEY Co-op students can also apply for the award if they are able to begin full-time USRA research by the May start date.

Academic standing and credits 

You must have a cumulative average of at least second class (B-, or 2.7).

You are permitted to take up to two courses during your USRA (i.e., 0.5 FCE in each summer term) — but only if your USRA supervisor agrees. If your classes are during USRA working hours, you will need to arrange to make up the time. (The USRA should be the priority. If the workload becomes unmanageable, you will need to drop the course.)

You will not receive academic credits for your USRA project.

How to apply  

To apply for an NSERC USRA, you must first provide preliminary information on the NSERC website. Follow NSERC’s instructions.

The application for this program (Form 202) consists of two parts. Students must complete Part I, and Part II must be completed by the proposed research supervisor

Form 202, Parts I and II, should be completed online on the NSERC web page. Follow the instructions provided by NSERC.

Use the NSERC USRA Application Checklist (doc) to make sure you’ve checked off all the steps for a completed application.

1.    Complete Form 202, Part I (Application for an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)) in the NSERC online system. If you have previously applied for a USRA, you cannot create a new Form 202. Instead, you must update Part I of the application previously submitted and upload new transcripts.

• • Log in to the online system. If you are a first-time user, please register. The process will bring you to the eConsole page.
  • Select Forms — Student from the list under Forms management.
  • Select Form 202, Part I.
  • Complete the required modules. Please refer to the USRA Instructions Webpage for detailed instructions.
  • NOTE: If you self-identify as Indigenous or Black, please select the appropriate field under Form 202, Part I.

• Attach your most recent academic transcript, in PDF. You may provide an e-transcript or academic history report generated directly from ACORN. If you are external to U of T, you must provide an official transcript, or transcripts that have been verified by your Undergraduate Office. Additional information can be found here.
• Submit Part I of your application.
  • Once you have completed all modules, go to the Portfolio page and select Verify to ensure that all required information has been entered.
  • Download the Part I form as a PDF and send it to your supervisor so they have the information they need to complete Part II.

2.    Form 202, Part II is then completed and submitted electronically by the proposed research supervisor. Application status will change to “Complete”.

3.    Your supervisor should send Form 202, Part II back to you.

4.    Combine all the relevant files in your application package as one single PDF (file size under 10 MB only), with the following naming convention: "LastName, FirstName – [AGENCY] USRA", where AGENCY is NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR.
Please include:

• Your completed Form 202 (Part I [student application] and Part II [supervisor application])
• Unofficial ACORN Academic History (with your name visible on the print-out)

Your application will only be considered once all three required documents have been submitted.

5.    Following this step, complete the Application Submission Form by Monday, March 3, 2025. Please upload your entire application package from step 4.

• NOTE: If you self-identify as Indigenous or Black, please indicate this in the Form upon submission.

Students who self-identify as Black or Indigenous but do not meet the NSERC minimum GPA are still encouraged to apply as long as they have an acceptable supervisor.

Applications for the USRA are strongly encouraged for domestic students only. Students may apply for the UTEA regardless of their immigration status.

Helpful resources 

• NSERC USRA Application Checklist (doc)
• 2025 NSERC USRA FAQs (doc) 
• NSERC Initial registration for new users
• NSERC PDF Forms and Instructions
• NSERC USRA Page
• NSERC Research Subject Codes (for supervisor reference)
• NSERC Video: How to Apply