NSERC/SSHRC/CIHR Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) Summer 2026

Research Admin Offices:

ROADS
HRS

Funding Type:

Grant

Opportunity Type:

Grant

Value:

USRAs are supplements provided to supervisors for hiring undergraduate students for research projects within NSERC, CIHR, and SSHRC domains.
These awards have a value of $6,000 (plus a top-up from the contributing supervisor/department, based on minimum wage of $17.60/hr (as of October 2025).
The duration of the award is 14 to 16 weeks on a full-time basis.
Effective fiscal year 2026-2027, the following updates have been incorporated into the USRA program description.

Award duration

The agencies expect institutions to make all efforts to offer USRAs to qualified applicants able to hold the awards for 14 to 16 weeks on a full-time basis. In exceptional circumstances, shorter work terms and part-time arrangements may be considered. Contact NSERC well ahead of the application deadline to request these accommodations.
Award value: Once a student is awarded a USRA, the agencies will not prorate their financial contribution, even if the work term is shortened. The institution can decide how they adjust their contribution, if necessary, in accordance with the terms of their agreement with the USRA recipient.
Transcripts: Students must confirm directly with the institution about its policy on official transcripts whether unofficial transcripts will be accepted as part of its internal review process. For the agencies’ review process, applications submitted by institutions with unofficial transcripts will not be rejected.

Award allocations

For NSERC USRAs:

Institutions may continue to recommend applications from self-identified Indigenous students beyond their allocation of awards.
Black student researchers: NSERC provides supplementary allocations for additional awards for Black student researchers. The supplementary allocation for Black student researchers is not a limit. There is no limit on the number of Black student researchers that can be offered an award within an institution’s allocation. NSERC expects institutions to use their allocations of awards to support applicants from all underrepresented groups, including Black student researchers.

For CIHR and SSHRC USRAs:

CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are currently available only to Black student researchers. Institutions are assigned a separate allocation of awards to offer from each agency. Institutions must respect the agency-specific allocation of awards. Refer to the Undergraduate Student Research Awards allocations web page for a list of allocations by institution and by agency.
Note: Unused CIHR and SSHRC allocations from review process 2025-2026 have been reallocated to institutions for the 2026-2027 review process.

Disciplines:

DeGroote School of Business
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Sciences
Health Sciences

Sponsors:

Deadlines:

Internal Deadline:

April 2, 2026

Sponsor Deadline:

May 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, CIHR and SSHRC USRAs are exclusively for Black student researchers. Institutions are assigned a specific allocation for these 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 (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. No payment will be approved for any vacation leave you take during tenure of the award.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply for a Summer 2026 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 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).

Additional eligibility requirements for SSHRC USRAs:

must self-identify as Black on the application form; and
cannot be currently enrolled in an undergraduate professional degree program in the health sciences (e.g., MD, DDS, BScN).

Eligibility to hold an award

To be eligible to hold a Summer 2026 NSERC or SSHRC USRA, a student:

must have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of study (or two academic terms) of their bachelor’s degree;
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;
must be employed full time (35 hrs/wk, e.g. co-op placement) in eligible research and development activities in their proposed field of research during tenure of the award; and
cannot be registered in a graduate program.

Notes:

A student may hold an award during the spring/summer term as permitted by their academic program.
Tenure may start on a date acceptable to both the awardee and their host institution.

Application/Nomination Process:

Applications for the USRA program must be completed and submitted through NSERC’s online system. More information about the application process can be found at Instructions for completing an Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) application – form 202.

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.

For more information about the NSERC-USRA Program, please visit the NSERC website to consult the program guidelines.

Resources:

Application Instructions

More resources

Contact:

For researchers with project ideas who are searching for eligible students, please contact your Faculty for assistance.

Please Note: If you are interested in a USRA position, please contact the Administrators listed below directly.

Department	Contact Person	Deadline
Faculty of Business	Pina Del Monte ; Leslie Dema	March 1, 2026
Faculty of Engineering	Samantha Mahoney	February 2, 2026
Faculty of Science	Sunita Nadella	See Department Deadlines
Faculty of Health Sciences	Tamara Fuciarelli	February 12, 2026
Faculty of Social Sciences	Nourhan Wassim	February 16, 2026
Faculty of Humanities	Annamaria Skrtic	March 1, 2026

If you are applying from the Faculty of Health Sciences, please visit the USRA in the Faculty of Health Sciences page for more information.