There is currently increasing interest in using SU-8 photoresist to build microstructures for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). This report describes an effective bench-top method to modify the surface properties of SU-8 photoresist. This strategy relies on the residual epoxide groups present on the surface of SU-8 following fabrication. These epoxide groups are converted into hydroxyl groups by oxidation with a high concentration of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) and nitric acid. Subsequently the surface hydroxyl groups are used as initiation sites for graft polymerization catalyzed by CAN in the presence of acid. A number of water-soluble polymers including poly(acrylic acid), poly(acrylamide), poly(ethylene glycol) were successfully grafted onto SU-8. The presence of surface-linked polymers was confirmed by contact angle measurements, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and toluidine blue adsorption. This method was particularly useful for tailoring the surface properties of complex or enclosed microstructures, for example, microfluidic channels. In addition the grafted polymers could serve as sites for high density protein immobilization or cell attachment on Bio-MEMS.