Our Mission and Values
We advise students and alumni wishing to pursue national and international fellowship opportunities.
The Office of Undergraduate Research and External Fellowships (UREF) provides high quality, holistic advisement and assistance to current UIC students and recent alumni in identifying and applying for nationally- and internationally-competitive fellowships, scholarships, and grants.
UREF is guided both by a mission to promote the full potential of fellowship candidates through the application process, and by a vision for student success that places high value on the personal and professional growth that students gain through the process of aspiring to and applying for prestigious fellowships.
As a whole, both sides of the UREF mission work together to help students maximize their time here at UIC and beyond: through involvement in undergraduate research and creative inquiry with the faculty mentoring that goes along with that, and through the pursuit of external fellowship opportunities that can increase their reach and impact in the future.