University of Toronto Excellence Award
The 2025 competition is now closed.
Award Value: Minimum of $7,500. $5,250 is provided by the University, and must be matched by a minimum of $2,250 from the student’s supervisor or the academic unit. Any supplement above this level may be set at the supervisor’s or department’s discretion.
Duration: 14 weeks between May 1 and September 30
Deadline: March 14, 2025 at 4pm ET. Late applications will not be considered.
The purpose of University of Toronto Excellence Award (UTEA) is to provide opportunities for research experience at the undergraduate level; to augment the formal research courses offered by the University of Toronto; to give undergraduate students opportunities to experience different approaches to research in various fields; to help students learn and appreciate the investigative methodology of areas of particular interest; and, to provide students with an experience that will allow them to make informed decisions about pursuing careers in research.
This is a competitive two-stage process that involves an initial nomination at the Departmental level, followed by a final decision by the Faculty of Arts & Science divisional expert committee. Evaluative criteria includes: the quality of the research project, the student’s academic excellence, clear learning outcomes, and the degree of supervisor engagement.
Students who have submitted an application for the NSERC USRA will also automatically be considered for the UTEA. Note that international students are eligible for UTEA and should submit the UTEA application only.
Eligibility Requirements
For a full listing of eligibility requirements, please visit the UTEA homepage.
What to Submit
Submit to undergrad.eeb@utoronto.ca and cc colleen.kerluk@utoronto.ca the following (in order) as a single combined PDF, and name your file “2025 UTEA – Last Name, First Name”
- Completed application form. The student completes Part I, faculty member completes Part II.
- The most recent academic history report from ACORN. To do this, navigate to the Academic History page via the left navigation. Click “Complete Academic History” towards the top of the page. Next, click the “Print Academic History” button to save your academic history as a PDF.
