Important dates
| Important Dates | Winter 2024 | Spring 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Supervisor List | It is continually updated | It is continually updated |
| Period to Submit Applications | December 1, 2023 - January 26, 2024 | April 1, 2024 - May 31, 2024 |
| Official Application Deadline |
January 26, 2024 |
May 31, 2024 |
| First Pay Installment | February 23, 2024 | June 30, 2024 |
| Second Pay Installment | March 29, 2024 | July 28, 2024 |
| Third Pay Installment | April 26, 2024 | August 25, 2024 |
WHAT IS A URA?
The Undergraduate Research Assistantship(URA) program is a paid experiential opportunity for undergraduate Engineering students, who are interested in gaining research experience with a UW faculty member.
What are the requirements?
To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:
- Registered in an undergraduate Engineering degree program.
- Entering into a 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, or 4B academic term.
- Approved for supervision by a faculty member.
- GPA of at least 80% in previous academic term.
WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT?
The URA program is a 6-hour, per week, time commitment and the position should last for about 10 weeks. Exact dates and times must be arranged with the Faculty member/supervisor.
HOW MUCH DO I GET PAID?
A URA pays $1000 in total with payments processed through Workday equally over the course of the term.
Each eligible faculty member will be allowed to claim one Dean's top up per term. The Dean's Top-up of $350 is only availableto the first 60 qualified applicants who are working with a supervisor in Engineering. After all the spaces have been filled, it is the responsibility of the faculty member, as the student's supervisor, to fund the full $1000 remuneration.
Those who collect the President’s Research Award will only receive $1500 from the Office of the VP, Academic and Provost.
HOW DO I APPLY?
If you are interested, contact a faculty member or researcher asking to participate. Some information on research subjects and projects are posted on the URA web page. Once an arrangement has been made, complete a URA Application Form (PDF) and submit via email to doe.admin@uwaterloo.ca
WHEN DO I APPLY?
URA applications can be submitted starting four weeks before the beginning of a new term. Deadlines to submit applications will be posted.
*See Important Dates above.
HOW DO I FIND A SUPERVISOR?
Each term a URA Supervisor List is posted online. Read the descriptions and requirements of each research project and then if you are interested, contact the faculty member or researcher directly, asking to participate.
Please note, the list only provides information on some projects where faculty members are actively recruiting. However, any UW faculty member can support a URA, so feel free to contact other faculty members you are interested in working with but are not listed.
AM I ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE THE PRESIDENT'S RESEARCH AWARD?
The President’s Research Award is only available for students who have been awarded with the President’s Scholarship of Distinction.
Students can only claim two awards during their studies. These can either be two research awards, a research and an international experience award, or two international experience awards.
For more information, visit Engineering President’s Research Award or the President's Scholarships.
IF I RECEIVE THE PRESIDENT'S RESEARCH AWARD, CAN I ALSO COLLECT THE $1000 FROM THE URA?
A student who is eligible to receive the President’s Research Award cannot also receive the $1000 URA payment. The student will only receive the $1500 award from the Office of the VP, Academic and Provost.
WHY DO I NEED TO PROVIDE MY SOCIAL INSURANCE NUMBER (SIN)?
To receive the URA payment, Human Resources requires a student's Social Insurance Number (SIN), in order to process the payment.
The University of Waterloo has a legal obligation to request, examine and record the SIN for individuals who are paid through the Payroll department.
If you are applying for the President’s Research Award, you will not have to provide your SIN, as the award is funded through a student's QUEST account.
DO I RECEIVE A COURSE CREDIT FOR A URA?
The URA is a paid undergraduate research position and a student will not receive a course credit for their participation.
I AM NEW TO CANADA, HOW DO I APPLY FOR A SIN?
To apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN), please visit the University of Waterloo's Human Resources’ page for obtaining a Social Insurance Number.
WHEN DOES THE PAYMENT GO OUT?
In accordance with the Human Resources Casual Employee Pay Schedule, you will receive 50% of your payment at the end of the second month of the term. The remaining 50% is split between the end of the third and forth months on the term.
For specific dates, check out the Important Dates section.
WHAT IF I AM INTERESTED IN DOING RESEARCH, BUT I DON'T FIT THE URA REQUIREMENTS. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
There are other opportunities to get involved with undergraduate research. If you are not eligible to do a URA, you can still contact a faculty member or researcher, and request participation.
However, this arrangement will not be recognized by the URA program or the Dean's Office. Instead, the faculty member can hire the student as a casual earnings staff.
For more information on hiring a casual employee, visit: Paying Casual Employees.
WHAT IF I MEET THE URA REQUIREMENTS BUT I AM NOT ON AN ACADEMIC TERM, COULD I STILL DO A URA?
You can only participate in the URA program during an academic term.
There are other programs in place for students to do research during a non-academic term, such as the URI program and the NSERC USRA.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A URA AND USRA?
A URA is a part-time, paid research position conducted during an academic term and a USRA is a full-time, paid research position conducted while on a co-op term.
FURTHER QUESTIONS
If you have any further questions, please contact either Dr. Wei-Chau Xie, URA Coordinating Professor, ext. 33988, or the URA Program Administrator at doe.admin@uwaterloo.ca, ext. 44885.