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 of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Applications for the USRA program must be completed and submitted to the Canadian institution where you wish to hold the award through NSERC’s online system. Selected applications are submitted to NSERC by institutions. No USRA applications may be submitted directly to the agencies.

Presently, CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for Black student researchers. Institutions are assigned a specific allocation for these awards, as outlined in the Undergraduate Student Research Awards allocations web page.

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for an award

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 be registered, as of the deadline date for applications at the institution, in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible institution
you must have obtained, over the previous years of study, a satisfactory cumulative average (normally at least B-; check with your institution)
you cannot be currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional degree program in the health sciences (e.g., MD, DDS, BScN) (does not apply for CIHR USRAs)
you cannot be currently registered or have been previously registered, at any time, in a graduate program in the same field of study
you cannot have completed all your degree requirements

CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are, at the present time, exclusively for Black student researchers. To be considered, you must self-identify as Black (see the Black student researchers section for more details).

In addition

if you already hold a bachelor’s degree and are studying toward a second bachelor’s degree, you may still apply for this award
you may hold only one USRA per fiscal year (April 1 to March 31)
you may hold a maximum of three USRAs throughout your undergraduate career (regardless of the granting agency)
To hold an award

you must have completed all course requirements for at least the first year of study (or two academic terms) of your bachelor’s degree
you must have been registered in a bachelor’s degree program at the time of application and in at least one of the two terms immediately before holding the award
you must be working full time in eligible research and development activities in your proposed field of research during tenure of the award
you cannot be registered in a graduate program
Notes:

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.
Value and duration of awards
USRAs have a value of $6,000, and the host institution is required to supplement the award.
The duration of the award is 14 to 16 weeks on a full-time basis.
The activities conducted during the tenure of the USRA are governed by the agreements, including employment agreements (if applicable), you have with the host institution and the relevant terms and conditions of awards.
The agency’s contribution is paid directly to the host institution and is included in the funds that you receive.
The USRA program makes no provision for sick leave or vacation, or for other types of interruptions. Should a USRA be interrupted or terminated early for any reason, the agencies must be informed immediately.