University of Toronto Excellence Award
2026 applications are now open!
Award Value: Minimum of $7,500. $6,000 is provided by the University, and must be matched by a minimum of $1,500 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: 16 weeks starting May 4, 2026
Deadline: February 23, 2026, by 12pm. 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 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 list of eligibility criteria, please visit the UTEA page.
2026 EEB Eligible Supervisors. Explore their research interests through the EEB Faculty page.
What to Submit
Submit to undergrad.eeb@utoronto.ca the following (in order) as a single combined PDF, and name your file “UTEA-NSE, Student Last Name, Supervisor Last Name”
- Completed UTEA Application Form. The student completes Parts I & II, faculty member completes Part III. Select the program “UTEA-NSE (natural sciences & engineering)” in Part I.
- 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.
