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Undergraduate Student Research Awards
Science and Applied Science Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA)
The Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to participate in a paid research project in their field of interest, supervised by a university professor.
Undergraduate students have the opportunity to work for a period of 16 weeks (one semester) in a graduate level research capacity. Research must be done under the guidance of a supervisor. There are two opportunities available to students researching in the Sciences and Applied Sciences, NSERC and VPRI Sciences USRAs. NSERC USRAs are administered through the Tri-Agencies and are open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents. VPRI Sciences USRAs are available to registered SFU students, both domestic and international.
Award Value and Duration
NSERC & VPRI SCIENCES USRAs
Duration: 16 weeks, 35 hours per week
Award Portion: $6,000
This USRA is derived from two sources; the 'award' portion and a Faculty supplement. The award portion and the faculty supplement that you receive, before benefit deductions, will not be less than minimum wage.
USRA payments are considered employment income. Visit this page for more information.
Award Eligibility
NSERC USRA Eligibility
- Be reigistered in a Bachelor's degree program at an eligible instituition
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Have obtained a GPA of at least 2.67 or a B- average
- Have completed at least two academic terms of a bachelor's degree
- Will not be enrolled in a thesis course during the USRA term
- Will have been registered in at least one of the two terms immediately before the term they will hold the award
- Have not completed their undergraduate degree
- Have not started a graduate studies program, including a concurrent program
- Have not held more than two USRAs (note: only one USRA is allowed per fiscal year April 1-March 31)
| Citizenship | Eligibility | ||
| CDN/PR | International | SFU Student | Non SFU Student |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
VPRI USRA Eligibility
- Be reigistered in a Bachelor's degree program at SFU. Both domestic and international students are eligible to apply
- Have obtained a GPA of at least 2.67 or a B- average
- Have completed at least two academic terms of a bachelor's degree
- Will not be enrolled in a thesis course during the USRA term
- Will have been registered in at least one of the two terms immediately before the term they will hold the award
- Have not completed their undergraduate degree
- Have not started a graduate studies program, including a concurrent program
- Have not held more than two USRAs (note: only one USRA is allowed per fiscal year April 1-March 31)
| Citizenship | Eligibility | ||
| CDN/PR | International | SFU Student | Non SFU Student |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Application Procedures
Eligible students submit one application for both NSERC and VPRI USRAs to their departments. Please note that application procedures vary by department. This is meant to provide an overview of the process. Please contact your department representative for further details on application procedures. View list of department contacts
NSERC USRA Application Procedure
- Contact your department representative for specific application details
- Create an NSERC E-console account
- Complete form 202 on the econsole
- Submit current transcripts on the econsole
VPRI USRA Application Procedure
- Contact your department representative for specific application details
- Complete the VPRI USRA application form and submit to department
- Submit current transcripts to department
Note: There is no seperate application process for donor/departmental USRAs. Departments nominate students for these awards within their regular competition process.
For more information
If you have any questions about the USRAs, please contact the undergraduate research coordinator ugradres@sfu.ca.
Please note that this website provides an overview of the processs but departments have varying processes for USRA applications. Please reach out to your department contact for details on departmental deadlines and procedures.