Closing date: May 1, 2025
Student type: Domestic and International students are eligible for this scholarship program.
Level of study: Undergraduate
Study area: health, natural sciences and engineering, or social sciences and humanities
Scholarship value: $6,000 plus host institution contribution
Description: The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) program supports more than 3,000 students annually and is administered jointly by Canada’s three granting agencies: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
USRAs are meant to nurture students’ interest in—and fully develop their potential for a research career in—health, natural sciences and engineering, or social sciences and humanities. These awards are also meant to encourage graduate studies in these fields. They provide financial support to students through the host institution to help them gain research work experience that complements their studies in an academic setting.Presently, CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for Black student researchers. Institutions are assigned a separate allocation of awards to offer from each agency. Institutions must respect the agency-specific allocation.
Eligibility:
Ensure that the applicant:
- provided a complete application
- is registered in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible institution as of the institution’s deadline date for applications
- has not held a previous USRA in the current fiscal year or more than three previous USRAs throughout their undergraduate career (regardless of the agency)
- has completed all course requirements for at least the first year of study (or two academic terms) of the bachelor’s degree
- is 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 institution’s deadline
- has obtained, over the previous years of study, a satisfactory cumulative average (normally at least a B–, if applicable) as defined by the institution
- has indicated a start date after April 1 (for summer term only)
- meets all the eligibility criteria described in the USRA program description
- has selected the agency whose mandate aligns most closely with their research and that the institution has an allocation for the selected agency (for further details, refer to the following web pages: Selecting the appropriate federal granting agency, Undergraduate Student Research Awards allocations, and Addendum to the guidelines for the eligibility of applications related to health)
- has completed the self-identification statement and provided consent, if relevant (for Indigenous and Black student researchers)
- will, during tenure of the award, have been registered in at least one of the two immediately preceding terms in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible institution.
How to apply: apply online
More info:https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/UG-PC/USRA-BRPC_eng.asp