Department of Biology

Graduate student travel reimbursement policy

Updated 3/8/16

Enabling graduate students to travel to academic conferences contributes to both their professional development and to the visibility of the department. Therefore, to the extent possible, and within the financial constraints of an approved annual budget, the department will support graduate student travel according to the following guidelines.

  1. To be eligible for departmental funds, students must…
  2. be invited to present a research paper at the conference (simply attending a conference does not count);
  3. be enrolled in the Biology Ph.D. program, in good standing, at the time of the conference (with some exceptions allowed on a case by case basis for interdisciplinary students in underfunded labs);
  4. have the support of his or her advisor/mentor to participate in the conference.
  1. Funding is limited. It is expected that students will use personal funds and/or funds from other sourcesfor many of the travel costs. Some sources include:
  1. Graduate Student Senate,
  2. Executive Council of Graduate & Professional Students,
  3. International Programs (for travel outside the U.S.),
  4. Relevant research or training grants
  1. Travel awards are limited to one conference per student per fiscal year. The number of awards,and the annual award amount, is determined by the availability of funds and number of graduate students enrolled each year.
  2. Thecurrent maximum amount of award is $400
  3. The current maximum # of awardsper year is 6
  1. Application procedures:
  2. Application due dates: For travel occurring between January 1st – May 31st, applications are due by December 1st of the previous year; for travel during June 1 – December 31st, applications are due by May 1st of that year. Applications received after the deadline will be considered only if the maximum # for that year has not been met, and may be awarded retroactively in some cases.
  3. Process: Complete a graduate student travel request form located here: Send to faculty advisor through workflow for approval and then it will be forwarded to the Biology office for review.
  4. The application will be reviewed by an accountant for availability of funds and by the departmental DEO for other eligibility requirements.
  5. You will be notified by email as to the status of your award no later than 2 weeks after the deadline. If approved, your email message will include a departmental MFK that you can use for travel expenses up to the total amount of the award.

Questions may be directed to Michelle Worrell, , 143 BB, 335-1052.