Winter Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) for Black and Indigenous Scholars

Research Admin Offices:

ROADS

Funding Type:

Award

Opportunity Type:

Award

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).

Disciplines:

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

Sponsors:

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Deadlines:

Internal Deadline:

December 19, 2025

Sponsor Deadline:

January 15, 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.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply for a Winter 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 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).

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).

Application/Nomination Process:

Applications for the USRA program must be completed and submitted to the Canadian institution where the applicant wishes to hold the award 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.

Contact:

Faculty of Business	Pina Del Monte ; Kaitlyn Wynia
Faculty of Engineering	Samantha Mahoney
Faculty of Science	Sunita Nadella
Faculty of Health Sciences	Julie Croskill
Faculty of Social Sciences	Nour Wassim
Faculty of Humanities	Annamaria Skrtic

For more information about the USRA program, please contact Corinne Vernon, Research Administration Specialist, ROADS.