The Tri-Agency Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) and University of Toronto Research Excellence Award (UTEA) programs are now open for 2026.

The USRA and UTEA programs provide undergraduate students with hands-on research experience in Natural Sciences & Engineering (NSE), Social Sciences & Humanities (SSH), or Health & Life Sciences (HLS) under the supervision of an eligible faculty member. For 2026, the USRA and UTEA programs have been harmonized wherever possible, including award value, duration, student GPA, and a common deadline. However, please note below the differences in supervisor eligibility.

Value

$6,000 per award (USRA or UTEA), plus a minimum $1,500 top-up from the supervisor’s other research funds, for a total of $7,500, paid as a student stipend. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to secure the minimum of $1,500.

Duration

14–16 weeks during the summer term:

  • UTEA: May 1 – September 30
  • USRA: May 1 – August 31

Start dates should not begin on a weekend or a holiday, and not before May 1, 2026.

DLSPH Instructions

Please complete this application form and indicate which award(s) your student is applying for. Application forms and unofficial transcripts should be emailed by Faculty PI-supervisors as one PDF to research.dlsph@utoronto.ca by 12 pm on March 2, 2026.

If applying for a USRA, you are not required to complete the NSERC online system (Form 202 Part 1 for Students and Form 202 Part 2 for PI supervisors) until after the Office of Research confirms your applicant has been selected. Similarly, for both competitions, PI supervisors will be asked by the DLSPH Office of Research to submit an MRA only if their applicant is selected (i.e. you are not required to have either of those items completed by the March 2 deadline).

Student Eligibility

A student applicant in either competition must have obtained a cumulative average of B- or higher. Exception letters may be considered. Graduating (i.e. 4th year) students may hold an award in the summer term immediately following the completion of their undergraduate program, as long as they have not graduated by the application deadline or started a graduate program.

For UTEA, the student must:

  1. be registered in a bachelor’s degree program at the University of Toronto at the time of application and in at least one of the two terms immediately before holding the award, and
  2. be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or international student with valid visa for the full summer term.

For USRA, the student must:

  1. be registered, as of the deadline date for applications at the institution, in a bachelor’s degree program at an eligible institution,
  2. be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (international students are not eligible), and
  3. have completed a minimum of two academic terms/semesters (first year students are not eligible).

View full eligibility criteria here.

Supervisor Eligibility

For UTEA, the supervisor must be:

  1. A full-time faculty member whose primary employer is the University of Toronto (i.e. campus-based), AND
  2. a principal investigator (PI) on an active Tri-agency grant or has a pending/recent Tri-agency application at the time of UTEA application.

Status-only faculty are not eligible for the UTEA competition. A faculty member can hold a maximum of two UTEA awards per year.

For USRA, the supervisor must be:

  1. A faculty member who holds an academic appointment at the University of Toronto (i.e. campus- or hospital-based) AND
  2. a principal investigator (PI) on an active Tri-agency grant or has a pending/recent Tri-agency application at the time of USRA application.

There is no limit on the number of USRA awards a faculty member can hold. NSERC reserves the right to verify the eligibility of those nominated to receive a USRA by the institution. Should NSERC reject an application, the supervisor must be prepared to fund that student’s stipend cost associated with this award.

View full eligibility criteria here.

Allocations

UTEA Social Sciences & Humanities (SSH) awards: DLSPH has an allocation of 3. If more than 3 applications are received, an internal DLSPH committee will choose the successful applications with priority given to early career supervisors, followed by faculty members who hold grants at DLSPH or have submitted grants through DLSPH in the past 12 months.

UTEA Health & Life Sciences (HLS) awards: DLSPH has an allocation of 5. If more than 5 applications are received, an internal DLSPH committee will choose the successful applications with priority given to early career supervisors, followed by faculty members who hold grants at DLSPH or have submitted grants through DLSPH in the past 12 months.

NSERC USRA: DLSPH has an allocation of 1 NSERC USRA. If more than 1 application is received, an internal DLSPH committee will choose the successful applications with priority given to early career supervisors, followed by faculty members who hold grants at DLSPH or have submitted grants through DLSPH in the past 12 months.

NSERC Black USRA: NSERC no longer provides an unlimited number of USRAs for students who self-identify as Black. Instead, they have placed a limit on the number that each institution can award – UofT’s allocation is 24. All NSERC applications will first be considered for the general NSERC USRA. The applications of those students who were not selected for the general NSERC USRA and who self-identified as Black will be forwarded to the UofT Research Services Office (RSO). RSO will then coordinate a VPRI-led central selection process to award additional Black Student USRA’s from the University-wide allocation.

NSERC Indigenous USRA: No limit.

CIHR/SSHRC Black USRA: UofT has an allocation of 30 CIHR and 12 SSHRC URSAs. VPRI will lead a central selection process to award these USRA’s from the University-wide allocation. 

For more information on eligibility and requirements, visit U of T’s Undergraduate Research Awards: UTEA & USRA webpage and contact research.dlsph@utoronto.ca or undergraduate.research@utoronto.ca with any questions.