Undergraduate Student Research Awards(USRA) are available for undergraduate students to undertake graduate studies and pursue a research career in the natural sciences and engineering fields at a Canadian university. These awards are funded by NSERC. To apply for this award, applicants must complete and submit their application using NSERC’s On-line System. The applicant can apply to more than one university directly where they would like to hold the award by the relevant deadline set by university.
Study Subject(s): These awards are meant to stimulate interest in research in the natural sciences and engineering.
Course Level: The scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students to undertake graduate studies and pursue a research career.
Scholarship Provider: NSERC portion
Scholarship can be taken at: Canada
User Review
( votes)Eligibility: To be eligible to apply for an award, a student must:
-be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
-be registered at the time they 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 2.67 or B- average
To be eligible to hold an award, the student must:
-have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study (or two academic terms) of their bachelor’s degree;
-have been registered in the term immediately before holding the award in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible university (students holding a USRA in the fall 2013 term do not have to be registered in the preceding summer; however, an exception to this is that a student graduating in the Spring term is NOT eligible to hold the award in the Fall term).
-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.
Scholarship Open for International Students: The students of Canada can apply for the scholarship.
Scholarship Description: These awards are meant to stimulate interest in research in the natural sciences and engineering and to
encourage undergraduate students to undertake graduate studies and pursue a research career in these fields. There will be 73 NSERC USRA awards granted to SFU undergraduate students in the 2013–14 NSERC USRA Competition. These awards can be held in Summer 2013, Fall 2013 or Spring 2014.
Duration of award(s):-The duration of the award is 16 consecutive weeks on a full-time basis
-Student may hold an award at any time during the year as permitted by their academic program.
-Tenure may start on a date acceptable to both applicants and their host institution.
What does it cover? The USRA award is derived from two sources; the NSERC portion and a Faculty supplement. The NSERC portion of a USRA is $4,500 over a minimum 16-week period. Simon Fraser University requires that all students holding USRAs receive an additional minimum supplement at the departmental level of at least $1,240 (over the 16-week period). NSERC emphasize that this mandatory supplement is a minimum value; any supplement above this level may be set at the department’s discretion.
Selection 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.
Notification: Each university will inform applicants of its award decisions after it has completed its selection process.
How to Apply: To apply for these awards, students must complete and submit their application using NSERC’s On-line System. Refer to the instructions for completing Form 202. Applicants can apply to more than one university. They must apply directly to the university where they would like to hold the award. However, please note that it is the university’s choice whether to accept candidates from other institutions.
Scholarship Application Deadline: Each eligible university sets its own deadline dates for receiving applications. For information about these dates, contact the university(ies) to which they 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.
