Advanced Undergraduate Research Activity (AURA) is a spring and summer program to promote advanced research and creative activities among UT undergraduate students. All current undergraduate students enrolled at UT are eligible to apply. AURAs will be awarded to support students who will work to advance their research or creative project under the mentorship of a UTK or UTIA faculty mentor.

Funding Schedule 

• Spring Semester – First Day of Spring Semester to Last Day of Spring Semester  
• Summer – Mid-May to Mid-August 

*The exact schedule should be independently arranged between the student and faculty mentor.

Funding Amount 

• $1500 + $250 research/creative activity expenses (ex. data, supplies, travel)

*Please note that all student funding will be disbursed through Financial Aid.

Application Schedule 

• Summer application deadline: February 27, 2026 at 5 p.m. (Extended to April 16, 2026 at 5 p.m.)

Award notifications are made 2 – 3 weeks after submissions close. 

Faculty Mentor 

The faculty mentor’s role is paramount, as they will guide the choice of a project and the practice of professional approaches and methods. The faculty mentor of an AURA recipient will receive a $250 allocation for materials needed to support the AURA recipient. This advanced research or creative activity experience can be applied to an international research project or creative activity as long as a faculty mentor at UT is involved.

Requirements

For Application 

• Students must first obtain a faculty mentor to support their efforts. This support includes choosing a research or creative topic, completing the proposal form, and completing the proposed project.
• A stipend will pay students to support their Advanced Undergraduate Research or Creative Activity (AURA).
• Projects may be a student’s undergraduate thesis, a part of the faculty mentor’s research or creative program, another project, or an ongoing project previously initiated. The key is that each student is involved in scholarly work independent of a classroom setting. Such work may be research, or it may be a creative activity involving the arts, including but not limited to the following:
  • A piece of creative writing (collection of poems, short stories, creative nonfiction, etc)
  • Writing, directing, producing, designing, and/or acting in a piece of theatre or film
  • Creating one or more 2D or 3D works of art
  • Creating and/or performing a piece of music
  • Designing and/or creating functional art (i.e. architecture, fashion design, furniture design, etc.)
• Students may receive an AURA for research or creative activity conducted during a course.

For Funding Term 

• Students funded by this program agree to present their results at the annual fall research and creative activity celebration, Discovery Day. If graduating in the same spring you receive the AURA funding you must present your research or creative activity at EUReCA or an equivalent venue.
• Students funded by this program agree to meet with the Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships for advising at least once during the award period to discuss their current research or creative activity and future research plans. 
• Students funded by this program must complete Phase 1, the “Career Kickoff modules,” of Vol Edge, which includes 5 assignments that are in the AURA Canvas Course. The final $500 of the stipend is withheld until this requirement and the advising requirement.  

How to Apply

The application can be completed in sections and saved for future additions and edits prior to submission. The application deadline for a Summer AURA award is February 27, 2026 at 5 p.m. (Extended to April 16, 2026 at 5 p.m.) Awardees will be notified once applications have been reviewed.

The application includes a general information form and a two-page research or creative activity proposal. You must upload your proposal to the application form as a Word document or PDF. The application will be forwarded to the faculty mentor for approval upon submission.

If troubles arise with the application process, please try the following actions:

• Try to open the site in a new single browser window (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari).
• Clear browser cache.
• Try an on-campus computer or alternative computer. The UT VPN might help.
• Let us know if issues continue to arise with the application after trying the above troubleshooting via email at urf@utk.edu.

To aid the proposal process, we offer the research proposal guidelines with an outline below.

Selection Process  

AURA is a competitive award, so please follow the prompt closely, spend time developing your application, and take advantage of campus resources (including URF AURA workshops, your faculty mentors, the Writing Center, etc.).. AURA awardees will be selected based on the merit of their proposal. Particular attention will be given to supporting various disciplines across the UT campus, with a preference for first time AURA student awardees. The applicants and their faculty mentors should read the following criteria to prepare applications. Please review the Research/Creative Activity Proposal Guidelines when writing your research proposal.  

Research/Creative Activity Proposal Guidelines 

You may submit either a research proposal or a creative activity proposal.

Your research proposal must include the following Headers and Sections to be considered a well-written, convincing, and complete project proposal. The proposed research should be manageable within the designated semester time frame. The entire proposal should be a maximum of two pages with formatting requirements applied. Project proposals that exceed the maximum page limit will not be reviewed. Reference pages do not count within the two-page limit. If you are submitting a creative activity proposal please follow the formatting and header guidelines but feel free to interpret the content suggestions broadly. 

• Title  

• • Choose a clear, concise, and compelling title that reflects the essence of your proposed research or creative project. 

• Introduction  

• • Specify the research type: qualitative, quantitative, mixed, or creative activity.  
  • Clearly outline the research or creative focus and its scope.  
  • Articulate the personal significance of the research or creative project and its alignment with your academic journey.  
  • Briefly detail your qualifications, preparation, and experiences relevant to project completion. For creative projects, you may describe your artistic influences, prior creative work, or relevant technical skills.   

• Background and Significance  
  • Provide a brief overview of existing literature, artistic influences, creative traditions, and/or contextual information that supports your research.   
  • Describe the significance of your project for your discipline, artistic field, or community.  
• Purpose and Research Question(s) or Themes 
  • Describe the overarching purpose of your research or the central creative objective. 
  • Clearly state the primary research question(s) your research aims to address or, for creative projects, the guiding creative intention(s), themes, narrative questions, or conceptual exploration driving the work.

• Methods and Data Analysis 

• • Describe the research methods and analysis you plan to use for the proposed project.  
  • For creative activity proposals: outline your creative process, practices, techniques, tools, and criteria for evaluating or refining your work. This may include drafts, sketches, prototypes, rehearsals, or iterative critique. 

• Faculty Mentor  

• • Describe the faculty mentor’s role in the proposed project.  
  • Describe the connection between your project and the mentor’s research, scholarly, or creative work.  
  • Describe the mentor’s past or present supervision of your coursework, research, or independent work.  
  • Explain how the mentor has prepared you to complete your project within the given timeframe.  

• Dissemination   

• • Describe how you intend to share your work, such as conferences, academic journals, and scholarship applications. For creative projects, you may also include exhibitions, staged readings, performances, screenings, publication submissions, portfolio showcases, or installations.    

• Timeline with Benchmarks for Successful Completion  

• • Establish benchmarks for successful completion.  
  • Identify 1-3 goals achievable within the grant’s timeframe and the metrics for measuring their success.  
  • Detail how you plan to achieve those goals, step-by-step.   

• Budget (optional)  
  • If you are requesting the $250 supply budget, outline a budget plan for your research or creative project, considering available resources and resources that would need to be procured. If you do not include this section, the $250 supply budget will not be provided.  
  • Creative projects may include materials such as art supplies, software, printing, equipment rental, costume or set materials, recording needs, etc. 

• References  

• • If necessary, provide a list of references supporting your proposal. Your references may go on to a third page, but no other material should appear on the third page.  

Research/Creative Activity Proposal Formatting Requirements  

• Font: Times New Roman  
• Font Size: 12  

• Line Spacing: 1 or Single  
• Margins: Normal or 1 inch on each side  
• Required Headers that are listed in the proposal guidelines 
• Headers: Must be the same font and font size but bold.   
• Page Limit: 2  
• Document Format for Upload: PDF  

Funding Details

• Students awarded an AURA will receive and complete an AURA Acceptance form that outlines the details of the program and funding.
• Upon receipt of the AURA Acceptance form, the department contact will be notified for payment administered by stipend through Financial Aid.
• Departments will not be reimbursed for work done outside of the program dates.