2025 NSERC USRA and UTEA AWARDS
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award Program (USRA) and the University of Toronto Excellence Awards (UTEA) fund a student to do 16 weeks of research with a professor over the summer. This is a competitive process.
The awards will be decided on after we have all the applications and have matched students with supervisors; we expect to send the results by the end of February.
Duration: 16 consecutive weeks (typically May 1 – August 31)
Value: $7500 (including NSERC/UofT and advisor's contributions)
Eligibility: USRA and UTEA awards are open to second-year or higher full-time students who have a cumulative average of at least B+. USRA awards are open exclusively to Canadian citizens or permanent residents. UTEA awards are open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents, as well as foreign student with valid student visa for the full summer work term. Click here for full eligibility requirements. Students who have submitted an application for the NSERC USRA will automatically be considered for the UTEA and do not need to submit a second application. International students are eligible for UTEA and should submit the UTEA application only.
Application Process
NSERC USRA
Information including process and dates for our 2025 program coming this winter.
This is a competitive process and there is no guarantee that your application will be selected.
To submit an application, follow these steps:
Consult the list of available projects.
Register for an account at NSERC's online system.
Read the application instructions and fill out Form 202 Part I. NSERC also provides a useful video tutorial that illustrates this process.
Please adhere to NSERC's General Presentation Guidelines. Any application not following these guidelines will be sent back to you.
IMPORTANT: At this stage, DO NOT submit your application using NSERC online system. Instead, save a completed electronic Form 202 Part I as a PDF document. You will submit it for review using the link provided in step 6 of this page.
Click here to submit the following documents and to indicate your project preferences:
PDF version of Form 202 Part I (with only Part I completed)
PDF version of your unofficial transcript from ACORN that includes your full name
PDF version of your cover page and resume saved as separate files describing your interest in research.
UTEA
Information including process and dates for our 2025 program coming this winter.
This is a competitive two stage process that involves an initial selection step at the Departmental level followed by a final decision step at the Faculty level. There is no guarantee that your application will be selected.
Students who have submitted an application for the NSERC USRA will automatically be considered for the UTEA and do not need to submit a second application. Note that international students are eligible for UTEA and should submit the UTEA application only.
Selected applications will be forwarded to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for competition. Final results will be announced in April.
To submit an application, follow these steps:
Consult the list of available projects.
Complete Part 1 of the UTEA application form. You do not need to sign the form at this stage.
Click here to submit the following documents and to indicate your project preferences:
PDF version of UTEA application form.
PDF version of your unofficial transcript from ACORN that includes your full name
PDF version of your cover page and resume as separate files describing your interest in research