There are two types of awards listed below. The first list is awards you need to apply for. The second list is awards automatically given to students based on academic achievement and financial need. If you have questions, contact your discipline's Academic Advisor.
Finding an Undergraduate Research Project Supervisor
The first list of awards requires a student to have a project supervisor. It is the student’s responsibility to find a supervisor for an undergraduate research award. If you are new to the process and not sure where to start, review the tips below.
- Consider professors that taught you in an interesting CSC, MAT or STA course. If you got to know them and/or attended office hours regularly and earned a high grade in the course, you could consider reaching out to them to discuss a research award.
- Identify the research area you are in interested in and focus on faculty in that area. Use the Research section of the MCS Website.
- Speak with Teaching Assistants or upper-year students who applied for research awards.
- You may also consider contacting either the CSC, MAT or STA Associate Chair. Their contact information can be found here.
- Before you contact a potential supervisor, learn about their research, publications and view their website. Faculty information can be found here.
- Review the “Connecting With Faculty” section of the U of T Undergraduate Research Hub - Identifying Research Areas page.
- Visit the Students page of the U of T Undergraduate Research Hub.
References & other resources:
- U of T Undergraduate Research Hub – Students “What is Research?”
- LMP Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program (SURE)
- University of Alberta - Getting Started in Undergraduate Research: How to find a supervisor
- Thompson Rivers University, Canadian Undergraduate Research Network - How to Pick a Research Supervisor
We strongly encourage students who meet the minimum eligibility to consider applying for the three awards below (NSERC USRA, UTEA and UTM Undergraduate Research Grants).
The departmental deadline for 2025: March 5, 2025
The Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences will be participating in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) Program for this upcoming summer session. If you are interested in pursuing graduate studies in MCS at the University of Toronto, you should seriously consider submitting an application. This program gives undergraduates the opportunity to work on a project with a clear research goal, under the supervision of a professor who is active at the forefront of their field. It is an excellent introduction to research in MCS and gives undergraduates the opportunity to interact directly with professors, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Award Purpose: To provide research experience that complements the degree program which will encourage students to consider graduate studies and pursue careers in the natural sciences and engineering.
Award Value: $6,000, plus a minimum 25% supplement ($1,500) provided by the supervisor.
Award Duration: 14 to 16 full consecutive weeks.
Award Term: University of Toronto administers this program in the summer term only, between May 1 and September 1 of each year.
Award Administration: Research Services Office, Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, University of Toronto.
Important Note: it is the student's responsibility to find a supervisor before completing/submitting the application. If you are interested in applying, please start by carefully reviewing the 2025 USRA Program Guidelines to understand eligibility and the process involved. Additional information can be found on the NSERC USRA website.
Applications MUST be completed by the student and their supervisor in the NSERC Online System.
Submit the PDF documents listed below to your discipline's academic advisor. For Computer Science, submit to Yvette Ye (yvette.ye@utoronto.ca); for Mathematical Sciences or Applied Statistics submit to Laura Ferlito (laura.ferlito@utoronto.ca).
- Form 202, Part 1 - Application for an Undergraduate Student Research Award (to be completed by the applicant/student)
- Form 202, Part 2 - Application for an Undergraduate Student Research Award (to be completed by the proposed research supervisor)
- Student's electronic academic record or transcript.
Other opportunities can be found at U of T Research Funding Opportunities Database. After applications have been reviewed by the department, only supervisors of the final nominees will be asked to complete an MRA online.
Last updated 24-Feb-25
The departmental deadline for 2025: March 5, 2025
UTEA provides opportunities for research experience at the undergraduate level in the natural sciences and engineering (NSE), social sciences and humanities (SSH), or health and life sciences (HLS); to augment the formal research courses offered by the University of Toronto; to provide undergraduate students opportunities to gain direct research experience on a faculty-led project; to help students learn and appreciate the investigative methodologies of areas of particular interest; and to foster interest in and knowledge of careers in research.
For the 2025 cycle, UTM will award up to FIFTEEN (15) UTEA in Natural Sciences and Engineering (NSE), NINETEEN (19) UTEA in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and EIGHT (8) UTEA in Health & Life Sciences (HLS).
Award value - UTEA-NSE: a minimum of $7,500 funded from two sources: (a) $5250 (maximum) from the central University, and (b) at least $2250 from the supervisor.
Award Duration: 14 full weeks during the summer term, beginning no earlier than May 1, 2025, and ending no later than September 30, 2025.
** Important notes on Faculty eligibility for UTEA:
- The supervisor of a UTEA-NSE recipient must be a faculty member holding an active tri-agency grant or have a pending tri-agency grant at the start date of UTEA (May 1) as a principal investigator (PI).
- Supervisors must be campus-based (i.e. primary appointment at the University of Toronto).
Important Note: it is the student's responsibility to find a supervisor before completing/submitting the application. Please visit the UTM Office of the Vice-Principal, Research UTEA website for more details and eligibility. If you are interested in applying, please start by carefully reviewing the UTEA 2025 Guidelines to understand eligibility and the process involved.
Submit the documents listed below to your discipline's academic advisor. For Computer Science, submit to Yvette Ye (yvette.ye@utoronto.ca); for Mathematical Sciences or Applied Statistics submit to Laura Ferlito (laura.ferlito@utoronto.ca).
- UTEA 2025 Application Form (Part I to be completed by the student, Part II to be completed by the proposed supervisor)
- Student's electronic academic record or transcript.
Contact your discipline's academic advisor or Rong Wu (rong.wu@utoronto.ca) with any questions you may have regarding this award opportunity.
Last updated 24-Feb-25
The UTM Undergraduate Research Grants provide financial support — on a competitive basis — for undergraduate research projects connected to students' degree programs. All projects require a UTM faculty supervisor.
If you want to apply or for more information, visit the UTM Office of the Vice-Principal Academic and Dean Undergraduate Research Grants website.
Last updated 20-Feb-25
Recipients will be automatically be selected for the ten scholarships or awards below (Anne Holden, Doris Geddes, Elizabeth and William Star, June Scott, Ken Sevcik, MCS Prize in CSC, Olga Fraser, Peter Fantham, Tom Hull and Trenwith).
This scholarship was endowed by the family and friends of Anne Holden. Anne, a graduate of the University of Toronto Mississauga and a long-time lecturer and instructor, was deeply interested in and supportive of the academic progress of her students, particularly those who struggled with Calculus but had a strong desire to master its intricacies.
As a result, in her memory, two Anne Holden Memorial Scholarships are awarded annually to a male and a female student, who have shown the greatest improvement in a first-year calculus course at UTM. This scholarship was instituted in 2003 and the first award was made in 2004.
This award was originally established by colleagues, family and friends of Doris Geddes who was a Mathematics Instructor at the University of Toronto when she retired in 1996.
It is awarded annually, upon departmental recommendation, to the student with the highest achievement in a first-year mathematics course.
This scholarship is awarded annually to a student registered full-time in a Mathematical and Computational Sciences program, who has completed their second year of study, and has an average of at least 75 percent. Financial need is considered. The value of the award is $2,000.
This award was originally established in 1990 by faculty, staff and students at U of T to honour June Scott's retirement in 1989. She taught at the University of Toronto Mississauga (formerly Erindale College) for 19 years.
Awarded annually to the University of Toronto Mississauga student with the highest mark in STA256H5, the student must otherwise be in good standing.
This bursary was established in memory of Kenneth Sevick, a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto.
It is awarded annually to students in the Specialist or Major program in Computer Science. Financial need and academic merit are considered. This award is open to students from the St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough campuses.
To be awarded annually to a UTM undergraduate Computer Science student in memory of Professor Avner Magen.
Academic merit will be considered, with particular weight given to achievements in theoretical computer science including performance in CSC363H5/CSC373H5 and relevant research courses. Participation in co-curricular activities [e.g., Math and Computer Science Society (MCSS), the Hack Lab, and facilitated study groups (FSG)] will also be considered.
This award honours the achievements of Avner Magen, formerly an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. Prof. Magen was an expert in the theory of metric embeddings, computational geometry and approximation algorithms. He was a brilliant researcher in addition to being a devoted instructor.
Olga Fraser is a Senior Lecturer of Statistics in the Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences at the Mississauga Campus.
Established in 2002 by Olga Fraser with her friends and colleagues to honour scholars, it is awarded annually to the University of Toronto Mississauga student with the highest standing in STA220H5. The student must otherwise be in good standing.
This award was established in 1993 by Professor Elaine Fantham to honour her husband who taught at the University of Toronto Mississauga for 24 years before he passed away in 1992. Professor Peter Fantham loved the U of T Mississauga (formerly Erindale College) and was well liked by the students, staff and faculty.
It is awarded annually, upon departmental recommendation, to an outstanding student, completing the third year (the student must return the following September in the fourth year), of a Mathematics program.
The Tom Hull Scholarship in Computer Science is awarded annually in memory of Professor Tom Hull. It is awarded by Admissions and Awards on the recommendation of the department.
The scholarship is awarded annually to undergraduate or graduate students in computer science (who study either full-time or part-time). The award will be based on financial need and will also take academic merit into account. This award is open to students from St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough campuses.
The Trenwith Computer Science Awards are awarded annually based on academic merit and financial need to three undergraduate students — one each to students entering second, third and fourth year. This award is open to students from the St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough campuses.
If you have any questions about fees or financial aid, please visit the Office of the Registrar Finances website.
Last updated 4-Mar-25