Undergraduate Student Research Awards (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC)

About the awards

The information on this page applies to both UBC Okanagan and Vancouver students.

Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) are opportunities for undergraduate students to consider graduate studies and/or a research career by providing research work experience that complements their studies in an academic setting. Through these awards, eligible professors receive a subsidy to hire students to work on interesting research-related jobs and projects.

These awards are administered by Canada’s 3 research granting agencies:

  1. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
  2. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
  3. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

All UBC Vancouver and Okanagan undergraduate students who are Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents can apply to the NSERC awards. CIHR and SSHRC USRA are exclusively offered to Canadian Black students only through the Black student researchers pathway.

Learn more about the research areas for each of the above agencies on the Government of Canada website. Be sure your research proposal follows the application guidelines of the agency you are applying to.

Where to hold your award

An Undergraduate Student Research Award can be held at any eligible Canadian university and can allow you to expand your background training at other universities. You must apply online at the institution where you would like to hold the USRA and must comply with the internal selection criteria of that institution and be selected by that university to hold one of their quotas of awards. Once NSERC has approved your award for tenure at one particular institution, you may not transfer to another institution.

Selected applications are submitted to NSERC by institutions through NSERC’s online system. You cannot submit your USRA application directly to the agencies. Currently, CIHR and SSHRC are exclusively for Black student researchers.

Pathways to USRA

Before you apply

How to apply

  1. Review the Information for Students Handout (pdf) to understand the application process.
  2. The NSERC USRA program is administered and coordinated through the Faculty/School USRA Coordinators. Each faculty establishes procedures for identifying and ranking applicants and setting deadlines. Make sure you are aware of your faculty’s deadlines before applying.
  3. Read through the online instructions for how to complete the forms. The forms can be found on the NSERC USRA website. View additional resources:
  4. Once you have found an eligible professor, you must submit Part 1 of the NSERC USRA application Form 202 in the online application system.
    • If you’re a first-time user, register an account.
    • Forward your reference number to your supervisor so they can include it in their part of the application.
  5. Your supervisor must submit Part II in the online application system with your reference number.
  6. You must also upload a copy of your official transcript with the back page legend as part of your application. 
  7. Once you submit your application, you must submit a copy of both your Part I and Part II forms, as well as your transcript, to your Faculty, School, or Department USRA Coordinator for review.
    • Your Faculty, School, or Department USRA Coordinator will be in touch with your proposed project supervisor about the outcome of the application.
    • NSERC will not accept hardcopy forms so the official application must be completed and submitted electronically. The copies sent to the Faculty, School, or Department USRA Coordinator are only necessary for the internal review process.

You can watch a video tutorial for the NSERC application process. If you experience any technical issues with the NSERC online portal, please contact NSERC.

Important dates

NSERC USRA application period

In January, students and supervisors must register or log into the NSERC online system to complete Form 202 Part I (student application) and Form 202 Part II (supervisor application). Find internal application deadlines for your faculty, school, or department.

UBC holds one annual competition a year for Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and Winter 2025 terms. Applications for all terms (from May 2024 to April 2025) must be submitted during this period.

USRA placements

Term

Dates

Work deadline

Summer Term

May 1 to Aug 31, 2024

The latest you can start working on your award is May 13, 2024

Fall Term

Sep 1 to Dec 31, 2024

The latest you can start working on your award is Sep 4, 2024

Winter Term

Jan 1 to Apr 30, 2025

The latest you can start working on your award is Jan 9, 2025

NSERC award notification

Award letters will be available to students in the following months:

For NSERC and SSHRC award holders, award letters will be available on NSERC’s SharePoint platform, while CIHR award holders will receive their award letters by email. Since NSERC emails may go to your junk email folder, please check it regularly.

  • Summer term: July
  • Fall term: November
  • Winter term: February

Award details

The minimum normal duration of the award is 14 to 16 consecutive weeks of full-time work. Learn more about work hours, the value of an award, and the work payments and benefits that come with a research position.

Get details

Undergraduate Research Awards office hours

From Jan 8 to Feb 29, 2024, drop into the Career Centre at Brock Hall from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm every Monday and Tuesday to talk to a Career Educator about the award or how to apply.

Let the front desk know you’re there for USRA office hours when you arrive.
 

How to contact professors

You are encouraged to create your own research opportunity by contacting eligible professors you would like to work with and tell them about this program. Many professors will be happy to talk to you about the opportunity to hire you at a subsidized wage. If you find an interested professor, ask them to contact their USRA Coordinator for more information.

Below are some tips for contacting professors:

  • Keep your emails short and to-the-point. Read helpful tips (pdf) on approaching a professor, and browse the list of faculty supervisors and research areas.
  • Know what you are going to say. Be prepared to talk about your interests, knowledge areas, and lab or volunteer experience. Familiarize yourself with the professor's research subject so you can ask informed questions about it. This will show that you are genuinely interested in helping with the research.
  • Bring a copy of your resume.
  • Read the NSERC program rules for supervisors. Make sure you understand these rules and application procedures.
  • Regardless of whether you get the position or not, thank the professor for their time with a thank-you email.

If you have questions

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