The Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry is pleased to award graduating students with cords recognizing significant accomplishments in research and inquiry. In order to be eligible for a graduation cord, students must meet both of the following criteria:

  • Successful completion of at least one OURI research grant (SURF and/or URI); and
  • Presentation of research at a peer-reviewed, disciplinary conference/exhibition OR publication in a peer-reviewed, disciplinary publication.

Please complete the application by April 30 to ensure cords will be ready in time for graduation.

Applications for the 2025-2026 Undergraduate Research and Inquiry Grants must be written jointly by both the student(s) and faculty mentor(s), with the faculty member(s) responsible for submitting the application online through Submittable. This grant is intended to be a collaborative effort between students and faculty members from idea generation through project completion. Please note instructions denoting student(s) and faculty member(s) contributions on the application. Faculty from diverse disciplines will be reviewing these grant proposals, so please make sure that the application is written for review by individuals outside your discipline. 

Approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is not required at the time of application, but all projects requiring interaction with human subjects must be approved by the IRB prior to participant research being initiated. Likewise, projects involving non-human vertebrate animals will require Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval before research can be initiated. Notification of IRB or IACUC approval must be provided to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (OURI) when granted in order for grant funds to be released.
 

Failure to follow the guidelines may prevent your application from being funded.

Please direct any questions to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (OURI@ut.edu). 

At the end every URI and SURF grant, each student is required to provide information about their university-funded accomplishments. In order to close out your grant and receive your final round of funding, please answer the following questions by April 15. Note: Each student is expected to submit an individual report, but those reports may include material developed collaboratively with other team members.
 

Be sure to include a description of any outcomes such as conference presentations (past or future), manuscripts (in-preparation, submitted, or accepted/published), recitals, exhibitions, or any other scholarly outcome. 

Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry