***The 2024 WL IURA proposal submission deadline has been extended by one-week to February 6, 2024.***
Designed for International undergraduate students who are interested in research, the Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Awards (WLIURA) subsidizes professors to hire students to work on their research projects. The program provides students with workplace experience through undergraduate research opportunities, particularly for students interested in research as a career. Through the program, professors gain valuable help in furthering their research and supporting students in their learning.
These funds will be transferred to the faculty supervisor at the end of the work term in September/October via the Worktag that is used to pay the student’s salary in Workday.
As an update, UBC will not be receiving updates on the BC minimum wage increase until the new year in 2024, so for now UBC will hold off on updating details on minimum wage in the website and WL IURA Appointing Student Information Sheet until this information is made available.
(Based on BC’s current minimum wage requirements (min. wage of $16.75/hour), the minimum pay for the tenure of the award of 16 weeks is $9,755.20, inclusive of 4% vacation pay. In addition, supervisors are required to fund benefits (CPP, EI, WCB) amounting to approximately 7.48% of the monthly wage. Hence, the minimum top-up from the supervisor is $4,484.89.)
The Faculty of Land & Food Systems has Eleven (11) WLIURAs available for 2024.
Program Timeline
- The Call for Research Project Proposals will be from November 20, 2023 – January 30, 2024. (Deadline extended to February 6, 2024)
- Note: Faculty members will need to submit a proposal(s) on UBC CareersOnline. A student can work with a faculty member to submit a proposal together.
- The Career Centre to send all research project proposals pertaining to the Faculty/School by February 9, 2024.
- Deadline for Faculty/School offices to submit their list of funded proposals by February 29, 2024.
- The Career Centre will send funding decisions to faculty members on the week of March 6, 2024.
- For faculty members who have not indicated an internal candidate for their position(s), it will be posted on UBC CareersOnline for students to apply from March 11 – 24, 2024.
Important reference documents and resources
- UBC CareersOnline Submission Guide for Faculty Supervisors
- Information sheets for:
- Additional information about the program can be found on the Faculty and Staff webpage
- Student eligibility information is available on the student website
- It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they have the necessary work authorization documents to work in Canada.
Note: Graduating international undergraduate students may be eligible for the program.
- It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they have the necessary work authorization documents to work in Canada.
- Please review the FAQ for Summer 2024.
LFS selection criteria
- 50% Outline of Research Project
- 50% Description Student Role and Skills Gained
Potential supervisors should aim to select candidates who meet the academic eligibility criteria for the NSERC USRA (i.e. a B- average over previous years of study).
LFS review process
LFS (Associate Dean of Research in consultation with other faculty members) will review the WL IURA research project proposals and rank them using the above selection criteria. A list of chosen projects (the ‘A’ list) will be forwarded to the UBC Career Centre by February 29, 2024. At the same time, a ‘B-list’ of projects who meet the basic eligibility criteria will also be forwarded in the event that more funding become available or an A-list research project fails to recruit an eligible student.
Have a question?
Please contact LFS Undergraduate Student Research Awards lfs.nserc-usra@ubc.ca if you have any questions.