NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) and Science Undergraduate Research Award (SURA)

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics is now accepting “pre-applications” from 2nd, 3rd and 4th year Mathematics and Statistics students for the 2019-2020 NSERC competition for Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) and the 2019 Science Undergraduate Research Awards (SURA). Students submitting pre-applications will be given first priority for our quota of awards and assignment of a project supervisor should that be required.

IMPORTANT - DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS PROCEDURES:*Mathematics and Statistics USRA/SURA application procedures may differ from other Faculty of Science Department procedures, therefore, please review the instructions below very carefully.


Award Information:
The USRA program is designed for undergraduate students who wish to carry out a research project during the summer under the supervision of an NSERC-funded Faculty Member at UVic (September 2019 and January 2020 starting dates may also be available). Please follow the Instructions above if you are interested in applying. You can read more about the eligibility and program requirements by visiting http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/UG-PC/USRA-BRPC_eng.asp.

To be eligible to apply for the USRA award, you must:

  • be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada as of the deadline date for applications at the university;
  • be registered, at the time you apply, in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible university;
  • have obtained, over the previous years of study, a cumulative average of at least second class (a grade of "B" or "B-," if applicable) as defined by your university.


A second and parallel program is the Science Undergraduate Research Awards (SURA) funded by the Faculty of Science at UVic. The SURA are research awards that apply only in the summer, with program requirements and financial aspects that differ slightly from that of the USRA. Please follow the instructions above if you are interested in applying. You can read more about the eligibility and program details by visiting https://www.uvic.ca/science/assets/docs/SURA-application.pdf.

To be eligible for a SURA, a student, at the time of application, must:

  • be registered as a full-time student (12 units or higher) for a bachelor's degree in the Faculty of Science at the University of Victoria in the current Winter Session
  • have completed at least 30 units of course credits toward a B.Sc. degree by the end of the Fall term prior to submitting an application
  • intend to continue full-time undergraduate studies in the term immediately following the research project.
  • have a cumulative GPA of 6.0 or higher for all courses completed at the time of application

Instructions for both award applications:
These undergraduate research opportunities are an excellent way to get introduced to research in mathematics and statistics, and are a natural precursor to graduate studies. If you are interested in either of the above awards, please run off and fill in the attached "Pre-Application Form" and return it to Amy in DTB A425 no later than Friday, January 18, 2019. This is the first step to the application. Provided the Department approves your pre-application, and matches you with a supervisor (if you did not arrange this beforehand) you will be invited to submit a formal USRA/SURA application. If this is the case, I will be contacting you by Monday, January 28, 2019 at the latest to start the official application process. Official applications are due to Amy in DTB A425 by Wednesday, February 13, 2019 for processing.


*Again, keep in mind, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has a pre-application process.