FAQs

No. Students at any Canadian university can apply to SURP, as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements.

Yes.

Students in their final year of undergraduate studies can apply to the program, as long as they are enrolled in courses in their undergraduate degree program until April.

For example, if you would like to participate in SURP 2025, and you are in your final year of undergraduate studies, you must be enrolled in courses until April 2025.

No.

Aside from medical school, students enrolled in other professional programs are not eligible to apply.

Yes. You can participate in SURP again, as long as you meet all other eligibility requirements. 

Please note that students are only eligible to receive joint funding for two years with the same supervisor. 

While this is an academic program and not a job, students are expected to be working on their research for a minimum of 35 hours/week for the duration of the program.

How often you are expected to be in the lab is something you will have to discuss with your supervisor.

Lab work requires commitment and dedication. Time management is important in order to ensure you stay on top of ongoing experiments and successful project completion.

Yes.

Students are expected to attend the summer seminar series every week. Attendance will be taken at the seminar series. All weekly seminars, unless otherwise stated, will be in-person. No virtual options or alternatives will be available.

It depends.

If you are an international student who:

• is currently studying at a Canadian university
• has a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN)  that starts with a 5 or 6
• has a Study Permit that is valid at least until the upcoming Fall Semester

you can apply as a domestic applicant for SURP.

No, SURP is a full-time in-person summer research program. No virtual options are available.

Generally speaking, information for an upcoming SURP is updated in December. Please continue to monitor the website for updates.

SURP information will be updated in due course. Emails regarding updates from prospective SURP students will not be responded to.

Yes, you can apply to more than one summer undergraduate research program. However, if your application is successful, you must only participate in one summer undergraduate research program.

Enrolment and participation in multiple undergraduate research programs is prohibited.

No. Late and incomplete applications will not be accepted for consideration.

An electronic version of your official transcript is preferred.

If your university does not offer electronic versions of transcripts, unofficial transcript/academic history from your student portal is permitted.

Screenshots of transcripts are NOT permitted.

Your CV should highlight any university level:

• awards (entrance awards, Dean's List, science awards, etc.)
• research experience
• publications/manuscripts
• presentations
• extracurricular activities

No. Due to the large volume of applications we receive, students will not be notified individually of an application submission.

Those who successfully submit an application package should see the "Your response has been recorded" message from Google Forms following submission.

Successful SURP students will be notified in mid-March via email

This means that your supervisor will be providing you all the funds (for SURP 2025, $6,974). These funds may come from an operating grant, affiliated research facility funds, etc.

The IMS is not responsible for administering the full funding option to students. 

This means the IMS will provide $2,500 and your supervisor will provide you with the remaining funds ($4,474).

Please note this option is competitive and not guaranteed.

This means that your funding source is coming from outside of the University.

No. We have a limited number of joint funded awards, and these are awarded on a competitive basis.

If you have applied, but did not receive joint funding, you and your supervisor should come to an agreement on alternate plans for funding. 

It depends.

If you are funded through an external award or grant you will be paid through this award.

If your are receiving full funding from your supervisor, you will be paid through your supervisor's research site.

If you are receiving joint funding, you will be paid partially through the IMS ($2,500) and partially through your supervisor ($4,474).

No.

You are required to initiate your own student/supervisor match by contacting supervisor(s) directly, before submitting your application. 

Students who are able to secure a supervisor but whose applications does not meet the minimum eligibility requirements will not be considered for funding.

In December, a list of supervisors looking for summer students for SURP for the following year will be listed on our website here.

You need to contact the supervisors you are interested in working with.

It depends. If they are an IMS faculty member, yes, they may still be able to supervise your summer research project.

However, you will not be considered for joint funding and they must provide full funding.

IMS faculty members with a 'restricted to teaching' membership are unable to supervise SURP students.