PURE
Program for Undergraduate Research Experience
Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE)
PURE is an exceptional undergraduate research experience that empowers UCalgary students to gain mentorship and learn valuable skills for their future. It provides up to $7,500 for undergraduate students in all disciplines to embark on an eight-, 12- or 16-week summer research project with a supervisor in a field they are passionate about.
The program offers students a first-hand look into how research contributes to new knowledge and solutions to society's greatest challenge providing students with valuable experiential learning that fuels creativity, discovery and innovation.
We strongly encourage applications from students in the early stages of their undergraduate degrees.
Contact:
Office of Experiential Learning (OEL)
pure@ucalgary.ca
Cenovus PURE EDI program
Opportunity and mentorship are particularly critical for underrepresented students and reducing barriers for participation in undergraduate experiential learning opportunities is key to ensuring the diversity of tomorrow’s workforce. With a contribution of $500,000, 60-65 underrepresented students will benefit from mentored research experiences over the next three years.
Students' Union Quality Money: creating equitable pathways to undergraduate research
Fear of rejection, uncertainty, and hesitation in reaching out to supervisors often hold underrepresented students back from engaging in research experiences. Thanks to a $448,800 contribution from the Students' Union Quality Money Fund, we are closer to breaking down those barriers by providing essential resources and funding for over 50 underrepresented students to pursue valuable, mentored research experiences.
What is the purpose of a PURE award?
The Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) Award program offers funded opportunities for University of Calgary undergraduate students to conduct research with a faculty supervisor over the spring and summer terms. Award recipients learn how research projects are developed and conducted, and how research results can contribute new knowledge and insights in their field of study and in the wider community.
Each PURE studentship is a unique opportunity to develop research skills through experiential learning. Students explore personal research interests, develop the abilities to collaborate, think critically and creatively, and communicate with the research community. PURE Award experiences enrich and extend undergraduate learning at the University of Calgary.
Award Value
PURE Awards are funded for periods of 8, 12 or 16 weeks between May and August. 16-week awards are in the amount of $7,500, 12-week awards in the amount of $5,625, and 8-week awards in the amount of $3,750. Students holding PURE Awards will be paid $1,875 from the Undergraduate Awards Office once a month for the duration of the studentship, in accordance with the award values.
Eligibility
PURE is open to UCalgary undergraduate students in any faculty and any discipline. It is intended for University of Calgary undergraduate students in good academic standing. We encourage applications from students in the early stages of their programs. PURE awards are only available to continuing undergraduate students in the following fall academic term. Students who have completed the requirements for their degree program are not eligible for a PURE award. Students planning to graduate in June are ineligible.
Minimum GPA
Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to apply for a PURE award. A cumulative GPA includes all courses that count towards a student’s current program of study. As the PURE awards application deadline is in February, a student’s GPA includes their recent Fall semester grades. We strongly encourage students to connect with a faculty advisor to help accurately calculate their cumulative GPA.
Reporting
As part of their commitment, all PURE recipients must submit final reports upon completion of their projects.
Students are also strongly encouraged to showcase their projects at the annual Students' Union Undergraduate Research Symposium.
PURE award holders must file reports summarizing the results of their research in late September.
Details on the submission process for final reports will be communicated in June.
The final report description and template will be shared with award recipients during the research term. The report will ask students to describe their research project and results and reflect on their experience.
Applications generally close at the end of January/beginning of February. Check the Summer Studentships page for current deadlines.
PURE is open to UCalgary undergraduate students from all faculties and disciplines.
PURE is intended for University of Calgary undergraduate students in good academic standing. We encourage applications from students in the early stages of their programs. PURE awards are only available to continuing undergraduate students in the following fall academic term. Students who have completed the requirements for their degree program are not eligible for a PURE award. Students planning to graduate in June are ineligible.
Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to apply for a PURE award. A cumulative GPA includes all courses that count towards a student’s current program of study. As the PURE awards application deadline is in February, a student’s GPA includes their recent Fall semester grades. We strongly encourage students to connect with a faculty advisor to help accurately calculate their cumulative GPA.
International students may apply if they are registered, full-time undergraduate students. We will require valid Study Permit numbers instead of Social Insurance Numbers. This number can be found on the back of your passport.
Students from other universities are not eligible.
Every summer studentship is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. You are responsible for finding your own supervisor and they may be from your own faculty or a different faculty.
Download How to find a supervisor tip sheet PDF >>
You can find more information about finding a supervisor on the Summer Studentships page.
Past PURE recipients
The PURE program started in 2009 and has funded 500+ undergraduate research projects in the last five years alone.
In 2023, 113 undergraduate students conducted research with the support of PURE.
Stories about PURE research
‘I found my passion’: How a UCalgary student discovered his Vietnamese identity through an undergraduate research project
Billy ‘Me’ Wijaya traced his family's roots over the course of a transdisciplinary undergraduate research summer studentship
One summer student’s exploration of social media virality
Evangeline Dorval’s PURE project investigates the role of moral emotions in social media
Beyond the binary: Piecing together research on gender diversity
Emilie Lui's student research project explores gender diversity and identity through an immigrant lens
Student finds her passion in an unexpected place: UCalgary summer program
How 3 summers inspired master’s candidate Megan Harmon to pursue a career in data science and health research
Looking back on a year of exceptional undergraduate research experiences
In 2023, students researched everything from natural dyes to AI detection tools during summer studentships
How a summer research project helped an undergrad heal
Student-researcher Nick Basilio uses PURE award to create autoethnography on his experience as a queer, racialized runner