Ready to catch the ultimate wave in your academic journey? The Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is your crest to discovery and innovation! This fellowship is designed for individual students to work with a faculty mentor to complete a creative activity, work of scholarship, or research project. Each student awarded a SURF must travel to attend or present their work at a professional conference by the end of the project period. So, for example, a creative writing student could work with a mentor to translate a short story written in another language during the spring semester. They could then attend a conference on translating creative works into other languages or present a session on the challenges of translating short works of fiction into English.
Eligibility and Funding Amounts
Eligibility Funding Amounts
30 or more hours of credit toward degree by January Student Stipend, Spring Only: $1250
Minimum GPA: 3.25 Student Stipend, Two or More Semesters: $2500
US citizen or permanent resident alien (must present a green card with submission materials in order to apply) Student Travel (Required): $750
Not a post-baccalaureate or graduate student Mentor Costs (Salary, Materials & Supplies, or Travel): $750
No more than 2 years of previous SURF funding
Application Deadlines and Materials
| Annual Date | Deadline/Event |
|---|---|
| 2nd Wednesday in February | SURF Spring Open House. All mentors and students are invited to visit Torreyson West Ste. 328 for Q&A. |
| 2nd Wednesday in September | SURF Fall Open House. All mentors and students are invited to visit Torreyson West Ste. 328 for Q&A. |
| September 15 | DEADLINE: Mentors should fill out the Intent to Apply Form by 4:30p. |
| October 1 | DEADLINE: Contact the Research Compliance Officer by 4:30p if you plan to conduct research on human participants or animal subjects. |
| 1st Wednesday of October | DEADLINE: Send narrative components to OGSR@uca.edu by 4:30p if you would like feedback on the narrative components of your application from an editor. |
| Day before Fall Break | DEADLINE: All materials must be submitted to the assigned pre-award administrator for institutional routing and approval. |
| November 1 | DEADLINE: OGSR Director will submit all applications to ADHE through their encrypted portal. |
Once you have completed the form, a representative from our office will contact the mentor to arrange a meeting to discuss the budget, budget justification, and the Cayuse system for internal routing and approvals of SURF projects.
To begin writing your application, click the button for the project period of your SURF proposal.
Spring Only Project Period All Other Application Periods
October 1, 2026: Contact the Research Compliance Officer if you plan to conduct human participant or animal subject research: researchcompliance@uca.edu. This action should be completed by October 1 during the application process if there will be any surveys, interviews, biologic collection, or animal subjects, etc.
October 7, 2026: Application Deadline for Comprehensive Review
If you would like our proposal grant writer & developer to provide feedback on all or part of the narrative components of your proposal, you must submit your application by October 7, 2024 to OGSR@uca.edu with the subject line “SURF Comprehensive Review.” This action should be completed by the first Wednesday of October if you wish to have an editor provide feedback on your application.
October 14, 2026: All Completed Applications Must Be Submitted
Representatives from the Office of Grants and Sponsored Research will begin reviewing your budget and budget justification and routing your application packet for university approval. The deadline is the Wednesday before Fall Break.
Link to Evaluation Criteria
ADHE-selected peer reviewers use the form in the link below to evaluate SURF applications.
SURF Evaluation FormLink to Funded and Unfunded Applications
If you would like to review examples of funded and unfunded applications, please click the button and sign in with your UCA credentials.
UCA OGSR Policies and Procedures
UCA SURF Policy and Procedures
UCA OGSR SURF Presentation
Final Reports and Travel Deadlines
| Project Period: Spring Only | May 1 |
| Project Period: Spring & Summer | August 1 |
| Project Period: Spring, Summer, Fall and Spring and Fall | December 1 |
No-Cost Extensions
If you require additional time to complete your project or conduct your research due to extenuating circumstances beyond your control such as a conference being cancelled or rescheduled, personal or family illness, called to active service in the military, etc., please complete the following in the order indicated:
- Submit a request for No-Cost Extension from ADHE directly by contacting quinton.morgan@adhe.edu. If you receive approval, complete Step 2.
- Fill out OGSR’s No-Cost Extension Form through DocuSign. The faculty mentor’s name should be used as the PI, with the mentor’s dean and department chair.