Graduate Student Conference Travel Award

• Conference presenters may receive up to $600. To be eligible for presenter-level funding, students must be presenting original research either via a paper/poster/art presentation, or a keynote/talk. 
• Students attending, but not presenting, at a conference may receive up to $300 per conference. To be eligible for this funding, students must be attending a purely research-related academic conference where others present their original research. 
• Graduate students are eligible to receive up to $600 per academic year in conference award funding, and this funding may be spread over multiple conferences.

• Must be a graduate student enrolled in a UC graduate program (doctoral, master’s, graduate certificate, or artist diploma). Students who are solely in an MD, JD, PharmD, or undergraduate program are not eligible.
• Must be an active graduate student. That is, you have registered for at least 1 graduate credit hour in the academic year.
• Must be enrolled in a UC graduate program as of the start date of the conference. That is, conferences that occur following a student’s graduation date are not eligible for funding (unless the student is enrolled in another graduate program). 
• Presenters: Must be presenting original research either via a paper/poster/art presentation, or a keynote/talk. 
• Attendee-Only/Non-Presenters: Must be attending a purely research-related academic conference where others present their original research.
• Must complete and submit a Student Travel Authorization Form prior to travel (see application instructions below for more information). 

This award is specifically for research-related academic conferences. It cannot be used for field work, training sessions, career events, networking events, auditions, job interviews, other types of conferences, nor any other type of event.

As part of the application process, the student's graduate program will be required to verify that the conference meets eligibility criteria and that the theme/topic is appropriate for the student’s course of study and professional development.

A program representative will be automatically notified upon the student’s submission of the application and prompted to log in for review. 

All University of Cincinnati students are required to follow university travel requirements as set forth in the UC Student Travel Policy 1.10.2 (PDF). (To view this document, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download.) The policy on Travel Expenses is available on Bearcats Landing.

The Conference Travel Award funds may be applied towards the following expenses:

• Conference registration (membership fees/dues will not be covered).
• Lodging (room only – room service or other add-ons will not be covered).
• Flight, for coach/economy seating or equivalent (ticket only – baggage fees, seat selection fees, or seat upgrade fees will not be covered).
• Ground transportation and related expenses. The charge for a car rental is limited up to intermediate size or lowest rate classifications for individual travelers; add-ons and insurance fees will not be covered. Other eligible charges include taxi/ride-hailing service, bus, subway, tram, train, gas costs, parking fees, and so on. This award will not reimburse mileage.  

Starting Tuesday, February 18, visit this page to complete the Graduate Student Conference Award Application to secure conference funding before your travel. You will log in with your UC credentials.

To submit this application, you will need to provide:

• The name and email of your primary advisor
• Conference information
  • Conference name
  • Conference website
  • Conference start date
  • Conference end date
  • Modality: In-person or virtual conference
  • Conference location (city/state or city/country)
• Type of conference attendance:
  • Presenter (ex., paper, poster, talk/keynote)
  • Attendee-only (non-presenter)
• For presenter funding:
  • Type of presentation (paper, poster, talk/keynote, or other)
  • Title of presentation
  • Summary/description of presentation (max 150 words)
  • Confirmation of presentation acceptance from conference organizers (upload). This confirmation email must include the your name. 
• All applicants: explain how this conference will impact your academic and professional development. (max 150 words)
• A completed Student Travel Authorization Form (PDF). (To view this document, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download.) 
  • Your advisor or an appropriate program representative signs this form under “approved by sponsoring department/organization.” 
  • For students seeking to secure funding prior to travel, this TA Form will only be accepted via the application; do not email to the Graduate College.
  • The TA Form is not required for virtual conferences with no travel.
• Travel budget of all estimated expenses, including those that exceed the award limit amount. Expenses can be partially covered, if the budget exceeds the maximum award amount. (For example, if a round-trip ticket costs $700, then a presenter may receive $600 toward the cost of that flight.)

The Graduate Student Government’s “After Travel” Conference Travel Award Application will remain open through the end of March, to allow for a transition period. Whenever possible, students should apply for funding before traveling, using the process above.

Students will continue to be funded via this “After Travel” application. This process will continue to require that a completed Student Travel Authorization Form be submitted via email to Megan Carroll (carrolm2@ucmail.uc.edu) one week prior to the travel departure date.

• Access the blank Student Travel Authorization Form (PDF). (To view this document, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download.)
• Your advisor or an appropriate program representative signs this form under “approved by sponsoring department/organization.”

The deadline to apply through the GSG's "After Travel" application is Monday, March 31, 11:59 PM. 

Contact Graduate College program director Megan Carroll (carrolm2@ucmail.uc.edu).