Undergraduate Summer Research Opportunities

The Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA) program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to obtain research experience during the SUMMER semester. Students must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply to the URA program:

1. Must be a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
2. Must be currently registered in an undergraduate degree program.
3. Must have a cumulative average of at least 70%, however departments may have additional academic criteria above this minimum. This condition may be waived at the discretion of the hiring faculty member.
4. Must have a complete and error-free full-time OSAP (or applicable provincial/territory student assistance program) application on file at the time of application.
5. Must have demonstrated financial need as determined by the submission of the URA Financial Need Assessment Form.
6. Must return to study at the University of Guelph in a bachelor program in the fall semester immediately after the employment term (students cannot be registered in their last semester of their bachelor degree program at the time of application).
7. Must be engaged in full-time research during the tenure of the position. However, a student may register as a part-time student (up to 1.0 credits) during the award period at the discretion of the supervisor.

*Other restrictions may apply

Students who wish to apply for a URA must first complete a URA Financial Need Assessment Form. Please refer to the Schedule of Dates for the dates that the form will be available from Student Financial Services. Student Financial Services will assess each student’s financial need and send them a confirmation email notifying them of their eligibility to participate in the URA program.

Once approved, apply through the On Campus Employment section of Experience Guelph by:

• Logging into the Student section of the Experience Guelph website.
• Selecting “On Campus Jobs and Opportunities” from the left-hand menu.
• Selecting “Summer Research Assistantships” from Quick Search menu in the main window.
• Choosing to sort the list by title, division or type (URA or USRA).
• Clicking the title of a position to view details.
• Clicking “Apply” at the top of the posting and submitting all required application documents.
  • Note: You will not see the apply button until 24 hours after you have received your URA confirmation email from Student Financial Services. It is advised to apply for approval as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Application packages for URA positions must include:

• A cover letter addressed to the project supervisor and a resume or CV that indicates:
  • Your full name, telephone number, email address and student ID.
  • A brief description of your background including any previous training, awards received and your interest in the particular project.
• An unofficial transcript.
• A copy of your URA approval email from Student Financial Services.
• Any additional documents you feel may be relevant to your application (e.g., immunization or health and safety certificates). Note that the system will only allow four files to be uploaded (cover letter, resume, URA approval email and unofficial transcript). To include an additional document, attach it in the same file as your resume.

General Procedure

1. Each eligible department/unit receives an allocation for URAs made by the Associate Vice President (Academic) in consultation with the Student Awards & Financial Aid Manager, Student Financial Services.
2. Deans will allocate Undergraduate Research Assistantships (URA) among their departments and schools based on the total allocation provided to them by the AVPA. Chairs and Directors will be responsible for selecting faculty projects to be funded, transmitting those projects to Student Financial Services, coordinating competitions within their units, and issuing letters of appointment to the URAs selected.
3. Only one job submission per allocation will be allowed. Departments will submit the jobs using Form 1 provided by Student Financial Services in MS Word format. Departments must also post the URA positions on Experience Guelph (see Form 1 for instructions).
4. Substitution of job submissions will be allowed, i.e. if a department removes one for lack of student interest, the position could be replaced with another on the approval of the chair as long as the change occurs within the published deadline dates.
5. The selection of candidates will be made by departments/units. An individual faculty member may have students in the USRA and URA programs. There is no limit on the number of students that a particular faculty member can supervise, however, it is expected that there is sufficient time available for faculty to provide adequate levels of supervision and guidance of students.
6. Students who wish to apply for URAs will have to complete a URA Financial Need Assessment Form.
7. Student Financial Services will assess student eligibility for financial need and will send an email to the student with a decision.
8. Student Financial Services advertises and posts the approved research proposals for URA summer positions in conjunction with the Experiential Learning team. Departments/faculty/staff are encouraged to advertise their positions internally as well.

Supervisor's Eligibility and Responsibility

1. Faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and senior professional staff may supervise students on URAs.
2. Faculty must submit Form 1 (Project Proposal) to the Chair/Director of the department for approval. The approved Form 1 must be sent to Student Financial Services and the job description must be submitted to Experience Guelph (see Form 1 for instructions) by the posted deadline date. See the Schedule of Dates for the submission deadline.
3. Departments should forward Form 3 (URA Confirmation of Employment) to Student Financial Services no later than the deadline posted on the Schedule of Dates. Job offers cannot be made until the date posted on the Schedule of Dates.
4. Departments pay the students during their employment through the University's payroll process. URAs are paid employment and should be treated as such.
5. In September, departments must submit Form 4 (URA Reimbursement and Student Feedback) to Student Financial Services. Reimbursements will not be made without this form.

Value of a URA Award

The minimum salary paid to the students is $10,020, however, it can be supplemented by the supervisor/department. The University, through the tuition set-aside program, will provide the total costs for the URA program including benefits (11%) to a maximum of $11,120. Students should be guaranteed a full-time research position at $17.20/hour for 35 hours each week for 16 weeks. Students can begin their URA any time after the completion of winter exams, however, most positions begin May 1. As long as the student works 35 hours/week for 16 weeks, the start and end dates of the employment contract can be negotiated between supervisor and student.

Completion of Forms

All applications, decision forms, requests for funding, and reports must be submitted on the forms provided. Approved forms and documents from departments must be submitted electronically, in MS Word format, to awards@uoguelph.ca and experience@uoguelph.ca.  It is not necessary to forward the original form to Student Financial Services.

The International Student Undergraduate Research Assistantship (ISURA) program provides undergraduate students the opportunity to obtain research experience during the SUMMER semester. Students must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply to the ISURA program:

1. Must be an international student (NOT a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada or a Protected Person in Canada (not a Convention Refugee))
2. Must be currently registered in an undergraduate degree program.
3. Must have a cumulative average of at least 70%, however departments may have additional academic criteria above this minimum. This condition may be waived at the discretion of the hiring faculty member.
4. Must return to study at the University of Guelph in a bachelor program in the fall semester immediately after the employment term (students cannot be registered in their last semester of their bachelor degree program at the time of application).
5. Must be engaged in full-time research during the tenure of the position. However, a student may register as a part-time student (up to 1.0 credits) during the award period at the discretion of the supervisor.

*Other restrictions may apply

Students must apply for ISURA positions through the On Campus Employment section of Experience Guelph by:

• Logging into the Student section of the Experience Guelph website.
• Selecting “On Campus Jobs and Opportunities” from the left-hand menu.
• Selecting “Summer Research Assistantships” from Quick Search menu in the main window.
• Choosing to sort the list by title, division or type (ISURA).
• Clicking the title of a position to view details.
• Clicking “Apply” at the top of the posting and submitting all required application documents. 

Application packages for ISURA positions must include:

• A cover letter addressed to the project supervisor and a resume or CV that indicates:
  • Your full name, telephone number, email address and student ID.
  • A brief description of your background including any previous training, awards received and your interest in the particular project.
• An unofficial transcript.
• Any additional documents you feel may be relevant to your application (e.g., immunization or health and safety certificates). Note that the system will only allow four files to be uploaded (cover letter, resume, URA approval email and unofficial transcript). To include an additional document, attach it in the same file as your resume.

Students must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for and hold an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA). NSERC encourages qualified Indigenous and Black students to apply for these awards.

In addition to the information provided herein, please consult NSERC’s Program Guide for Students and Fellows and the Frequently Asked Questions for Applicants and Proposed Research Supervisors.

To be eligible to apply for a USRA, you must:

1. be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada as of the deadline date for applications set by the university.
2. be registered at the time of application, in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible university (including Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students).
3. have obtained a cumulative average of at least a 'B-' standing (>=70%) during the course of undergraduate study to-date.
4. may not exceed 3 URSAs throughout undergraduate career (regardless of granting agency).
5. have not held a previous USRA in this fiscal year. Can only hold one USRA during this fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
6. have been registered in at least one of the two terms immediately before holding the award in a bachelor's degree program at an eligible university. Note: students registered in co-op placements over these terms are eligible.

Note:

• You may only hold a maximum of three (3) university USRAs throughout your undergraduate university career. Experience Awards do not count toward this limit.
• If you already hold a bachelor's degree and are studying toward a second bachelor's degree in the natural sciences or engineering, you may still apply for this award.
• There are no conditions of financial need.

To hold a USRA, you must:

1. have completed all the course requirements of at least the first year of university study (or two academic terms) of your bachelor's degree and have obtained the required cumulative average as stated in 3 above.
2. not have started a program of graduate studies in the natural sciences or engineering at any time.
3. not have registered for more than two (2) courses while holding the USRA. If the courses are during normal working hours, special arrangements with the supervisor must be made to make up the time spent on the course. The USRA may be held concurrently with a co-op placement.
4. be engaged on a full-time basis in research and development activities in the natural sciences or engineering during the tenure of the award. USRA holders are not permitted to do thesis research during the term of the award.
5. Remote work is acceptable with supervision expected on a frequent basis.

How to Apply for a USRA

• Confirm you are eligible to apply for a USRA in the Student Eligibility section and read the NSERC USRA guidelines.
• University of Guelph students can view the available USRA positions on Experience Guelph by:
  1. Logging into the Student section of the Experience Guelph website.
  2. Selecting “On Campus Jobs and Opportunities” from the left-hand menu.
  3. Selecting “Summer Research Assistantships” from Quick Search menu in the main window.
  4. Choosing to sort the list by title, division, or type (URA, USRA, General).
  5. Clicking the title of a position to view details.
  • Applicants from other universities can view available positions on the USRA Job/Projects webpage.
• University of Guelph students should submit the documents below through the job posting on Experience Guelph.
• Applicants from other universities should forward the documents below as a single PDF directly to the department/unit contact person listed on the USRA job posting.
  • A cover letter addressed to the project supervisor and a resume or CV that indicates:
    - Your full name, telephone number, email address and student ID.
    - Your USRA Reference number, if known (obtained from the NSERC portal if previously registered).
    - A brief description of your background including any previous training, awards and scholarships received, and your interest in the particular project.
  • A copy of your official transcript (an unofficial transcript can be used as a placeholder until an official transcript is received).
  • Any additional documents you feel may be relevant to your application (e.g., immunization or health and safety certificates). It is encouraged to check in with departments to see if any other documents are requested.

Free official transcripts are available for USRA applicants. To obtain a free transcript from the University's Office of Registrarial Services, students must email transcript@uoguelph.ca and indicate that the official transcript is to be used for an "NSERC Scholarship Application". This will indicate that the official transcript is to be free of charge. Please include the name of the scholarship you are applying to in the Subject line of the email. Students must also include their name and student ID number. If they’re requesting that the transcript be mailed, the student must provide the full mailing address including recipient name. Students may request a digital transcript, but it can only be sent to their University of Guelph email account.

Note: There is a five-day turn-around time from the initial ordering of the transcript, so please order your transcript well in advance of the application deadline. If you require the transcript prior to the standard five days, you will need to pay the current transcript fee plus the current rush fee. RUSH orders will not be accepted by email. Please request a RUSH copy through the online transcript request form.

Criteria for Transcripts to be Considered Official

For more information, please visit the NSERC website or contact Research Support Services at research.services@uoguelph.ca.

Supervisor's Eligibility

Please review NSERC’s rules for Supervision of the student at the university. 

NSERC no longer requires professors to hold an active grant when applying to supervise a USRA student. NSERC considers anyone who is authorized by their university to independently supervise students to be an eligible supervisor. The suitability of the supervision will be evaluated by the college/department as part of their award selection process. 

Form 202 Part II was updated to include a section titled “Expected Quality of the Training to be Received”. This section will now need to be completed before the form can be submitted. 

NSERC recommends that USRA applications be assessed on the following three criteria: 

• Academic record
• Research aptitude, and
• Expected quality of the training to be received. 

The suitability of the supervision and research environment can be evaluated as part of the “expected quality of the training to be received” criterion. This change gives students access to a wider variety of research labs and training environments so they can choose the one that is best suited to their interests and strengths. This will also allow a greater number of early career researchers to host USRA students as they work to establish their careers. 

Administration of the Application Process

1. Research Support Services (RSS) receives the university quota of awards from NSERC and notifies the Colleges and Student Financial Services of the applicable department award allocations. ONLY ONE RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMISSION PER ALLOCATION IS ALLOWED. Departments are responsible for verifying their assigned allocations with their College Research Manager to ensure the institutional quotas set by the agencies are not exceeded.
2. Eligible departments are invited to complete Form 1 (Project Proposal) and submit them to the deans, directors and the chairs of the department. The approved Form 1 must be sent to Student Financial Services and the job description must be submitted to Experience Guelph (see Form 1 for instructions) by the posted deadline. See the Schedule of Dates for the submission deadline.
3. The proposals will be collated and posted on Experience Guelph and the Student Financial Services Job/Project Listing page. They may be posted in the departments/colleges late January each year.
4. Substitution of research project submissions is allowed. For example, if a department removes an opportunity for lack of student interest, the project could be replaced provided approval of the chair and administrative obligations are undertaken within the deadlines.
5. Students can apply to the departments for posted USRA positions. See the Schedule of Dates for the application deadline.
6. The selection of eligible, successful and appropriate candidates will be made by departments/units. An individual faculty member may have students in the USRA and URA programs. There is no limit on the number of students that a particular faculty member can supervise; however, it is expected that there is sufficient time available for faculty to provide adequate levels of supervision and guidance.
7. NSERC encourages qualified Indigenous and Black students to apply for USRAs. NSERC provides institutions with a set number of supplementary allocations for additional awards for Black student researchers. Institutions may also recommend applications from Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) to the USRA competition beyond their assigned institutional quota. As such, any faculty that qualifies to hold a USRA may propose a research position that is open only to First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Black applicants. Proposals submitted in this way must follow the same process as other USRA positions, including being approved by the Department Chair and following the specified recruitment timeline. Position responsibilities do not need to be Indigenous or Black focused. Jobs posted in this way should select “USRA+ (Indigenous and Black students)” as the job type when posting in Experience Guelph. Only applicants that identify as First Nations, Inuit, Métis, or Black can be hired into these positions. Students will be asked to self-identify using a pre-screening question as part of the application process. The response to this question will be viewable to the hiring contact. It’s important to note that Indigenous and Black students can also be hired into other open USRA positions.
8. Upon receiving the USRA applications, RSS will confirm the eligibility of each supervisor and student.
9. Colleges are responsible for reporting unused quota to RSS as soon as possible to ensure it may be re-allocated if necessary.

Supervisor's Responsibilities at the Time of Award

1. Student’s supervisor or department administrator verify the student has uploaded an official, up-to-date transcript to Form 202 Part 1 and verify the application according to the published instructions.
2. Once the student has completed and validated the form online, they must provide the supervisor with the “reference number” provided by the system. Supervisors will not be able to complete Part II of Form 202 online if they have not received the reference number. Please note that the reference number is NOT a PIN number.

Instructions for Completing an Application – NSERC online Form 202

NSERC Form 202 Part II (to be completed by supervisor) is available from NSERC in "For Professors" under PDF Forms and Instructions.

Supervisor logs on to the Online System using the same account you use when applying for NSERC grants and completes Form 202 Part II:

1. “Grant application no.”: is no longer required
2. Be sure to indicate the correct start date indicating the day, month and year (after April 1st for summer competition only). Must be entered.
3. Provide complete address and contact information of supervisor.
4. Supervisor to ensure that student has uploaded their "official" transcript to Form 202 Part I.
5. Supervisor then goes back to the My Portfolio page and selects “Verify” to ensure all required information has been entered. Status of application now shows “Completed”.
6. Supervisor must hit “Submit to LO” on NSERC website.
7. Submitted Form 202 Part 1 & II will be reviewed and forwarded to NSERC by RSS.

Information on NSERC Research Codes

NSERC Research Codes information is required to complete NSERC Form 202 Part II.

Online Services Helpdesk (For Technical Assistance & Inquiries)

Tel.: 613-995-4273
E-mail: webapp@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

Department Administrators

Application submission to RSS

Department administrators must confirm their final selection and allocation usage with their College Research Manager before submitting a final list of students to RSS. The Department administrator forwards the following information in an email to research.services@uoguelph.ca:

• A list of USRA faculty supervisors and their USRA students as the applications are verified by the supervisors on the NSERC portal.
• Please ensure the USRA applications are complete and "submitted" on the NSERC portal before forwarding the list of USRA applications.
• There is no need for the department administrators to prepare a department submission package of Forms 202 Parts I and II along with official transcripts.
• RSS will pull the USRA applications from the NSERC portal.
• Please note that OR-5’s are not required.
• Please contact RSS (research.services@uoguelph.ca) if an extension is required to fill a position, you are unable to fill a quota, or if a position will be deferred to the Fall semester.
• If a student is Indigenous and has self-identified, these Indigenous-only USRA applications are not counted towards the quota. Thus, the department may send another application in addition to this one.

Reporting

In September each year, after the awards are completed, departments will submit a claim form to Research Financial Services (RFS) for USRAs. This form will be distributed by the RFS, to departments towards the end of the summer.