Research Admin Offices:
Funding Type:
Award
Opportunity Type:
Value:
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 (35 hrs/wk, e.g. co-op placement).
The agency’s contribution is paid directly to the host institution and is included in the funds that awardees receive.
The granting agencies will not reimburse the institution for any period during which you worked part time. No payment will be approved for any vacation leave awardees take during tenure of the award.
Disciplines:
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Social Sciences
Sponsors:
Deadlines:
Internal Deadline:
September 1, 2026
Sponsor Deadline:
October 1, 2026
Description:
Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRAs) are meant to nurture interest and fully develop the potential of undergraduate students for a research career in health, natural sciences, engineering, social sciences or humanities. These awards are also meant to encourage undergraduate students to undertake graduate studies by providing research work experience that complements their studies in an academic setting.
You are permitted to hold a USRA during a co-op placement.
The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) program supports more than 3,000 students annually and is administered jointly by Canada’s three research 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 of Canada (SSHRC).
At the present time, Fall 2026 NSERC USRAs are available to student researchers at McMaster who self-identify as Indigenous on the application form, while Fall 2026 CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for student researchers who self-identify as Black on the application form.
Additional Program Information:
There is no limit on the number of NSERC USRAs for Indigenous student researchers at McMaster. For Fall 2026, the remaining number of SSHRC USRAs available for Black student researchers at McMaster is two (2). The remaining number of CIHR USRAs available for Black student researchers is four (4).
If the number of applications for SSHRC or CIHR USRAs submitted by Black student researchers at McMaster exceeds the remaining available allocation, an internal selection committee will be established. The committee will select the awardees based on academic excellence, research potential, and expected quality of the training and mentorship to be received.
Eligibility:
To be eligible to apply for a Fall 2026 CIHR, NSERC or SSHRC USRA, a student:
- 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 (September 1);
- must be registered, as of the deadline date for applications at the institution (September 1), in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible institution;
- must have obtained, over the previous years of study, a satisfactory cumulative average (normally at least B-);
- cannot be currently registered or have been previously registered, at any time, in a graduate program in the same field of study;
- cannot have completed all degree requirements. However, applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree and are studying toward a second bachelor’s degree are eligible to apply;
- must not have already been awarded a USRA since April 1, 2025; and
- must not have already been awarded three USRAs throughout their undergraduate career.
Additional eligibility requirements for CIHR USRAs:
- must self-identify as Black on the application form.
Additional eligibility requirements for NSERC USRAs:
- must self-identify as Black and/or Indigenous on the application form; and
- cannot be currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional degree program in the health sciences (e.g., MD, DDS, BScN).
Application/Nomination Process:
A student can apply to more than one institution. However, please note that it is the institution’s choice whether to accept candidates from other institutions.
The NSERC USRA Program is administered internally through each eligible faculty/department at McMaster in conjunction with the Research Office for Administration, Development & Support (ROADS).
Interested undergraduate students should apply to the department in which their research supervisor is appointed, which may not be the student’s home department. Please keep in mind that each department sets its own application deadline. Specific questions regarding the internal application process/requirements should be directed to the specific department contact.
Resources:
Additional details.
Contact:
For researchers with project ideas who are searching for eligible students, please contact your Faculty for assistance.
Below is the list of the faculty contacts
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Faculty of Business
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Faculty of Engineering
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Faculty of Science
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Faculty of Health Sciences
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Faculty of Social Sciences
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Faculty of Humanities
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For more information about the USRA program, please contact
Corinne Vernon at ROADS.