President's Research Award Application

About the award

Part of the President’s Upper-Year Award program, this award ($1,500) is available to eligible students who are pursuing a full- or part-time University of Waterloo research experience, under the supervision of a University of Waterloo researcher.

Eligibility criteria

• You must have received the President’s Scholarship of Distinction in Year One (awarded to students with a minimum admission average of 95%).
• You must have completed Year One with a minimum cumulative average of 80%.
• You must be a continuing full-time undergraduate student registered with the University of Waterloo.
• You may claim two President’s Upper-Year Awards during your undergraduate career.

Research criteria

• The research position must be under the supervision of a University of Waterloo researcher and for a University of Waterloo research facility - either in person or remotely.
• Research undertaken as part of course requirements is not eligible for the purpose of this award.
• It may be a part-time position during a full-time study term, a full-time co-op placement term, or a full-time summer term.
• Part-time research positions should normally include approximately 50-60 hours over the course of the term, but the actual time commitment will be based on faculty guidelines related to part-time research opportunities.

Required steps

• Review your faculty’s website and/or speak to your Dean’s office or undergraduate office about research experiences available in your faculty.
• If you are participating in an undergraduate faculty research program, you are required to complete your faculty's research application form(s) by the posted term deadline.The following are accepted undergraduate faculty research programs:
  • Mathematical Undergraduate Research Award (MURA)
  • Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA)
  • Undergraduate Research Fellowship (URF)
  • Undergraduate Research Internship (URI)
  • Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA/NSERC)
• For other research opportunities, connect with the research supervisor and/or complete any required documents to be able to participate.
• Ensure that you are fully aware of the requirements of the research placement including timelines, deliverables, milestones, etc.
• Once you have secured a research opportunity, you can apply to claim the award funds by completing this online form.

Award application deadlines

The following deadlines pertain to claiming the President’s Research Award only. Plan ahead - explore research opportunities well before the term that you wish to claim the award.

• Fall-term research: October 1
• Winter-term research: February 1
• Spring-term research: June 1

Award payment

• The award will be given either in lieu of or to supplement salary, as appropriate based on the time commitment and based on faculty or department guidelines related to research opportunities.
  • For part-time experiences, the award will normally be given instead of other salary. If you apply after the term deadline or for a past term, award funding will be declined if you already received research program salary.
  • For full-time experiences, the award will normally be given in addition to other salary.
• The award will be paid through your Waterloo student account on Quest following the application deadline. All submissions are subject to verification. Awards may be adjusted if you fail to complete the assignment.

Questions

Contact Student Awards and Financial Aid if you have questions about specific award requirements, completing the form, or award decisions.