Methacrylic acid (MA) was graft polymerized onto starch using Ce4+ initiator in aqueous medium. The dependence of grafting on the reaction variables, such as monomer and initiator concentration and time and temperature, was studied in detail. Acid hydrolysis and infrared (IR) spectroscopy were used for the confirmation of graft copolymer formation. Further, a representative graft copolymer was characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). The solubility/swellability and the gelatinization characteristics of the copolymers are also reported.