GPSC Travel Grants
IMPORTANT CHANGES
Starting July 1, 2017, the GPSC Travel Grants Program will have four rounds per fiscal year (with deadlines in September, November, February, and April) covering travel dates within the same fiscal year (July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018).
For more information, please read the following letter from the Travel Grants Director.
The GPSC awards travel grants for graduate and professional students who are attending or presenting research at academic or professional conferences. In certain cases, funding may be awarded to students who are attending competition or are conducting research elsewhere. However, these students should contact the Travel Grants Program prior to applying. In cases where an applicant will not be making a presentation, the student statement and the faculty letter of recommendation should explicitly explain the importance of attendance for the student's professional development. Please submit all correspondence concerning the Travel Grant Program to gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu.
Travel grants are made possible by funds provided by the GPSC, the Graduate College, Student Affairs fees, the Confluencenter, and the UA Alumni Association. Thank you to all of our partners for their contributions to this great program and Graduate & Professional Students.
*If you experience problems submitting or completing an application, please contact gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu.
Last updated: 6/1/2017
Range of Support
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information belowAwards are contingent upon the availability of funds and the number of applications received. As of the 2014-15 fiscal/academic year, the evaluation committee will award up to a maximum of $750 per applicant per year, even though the cost of attending the conference may exceed that amount. A maximum of three (3) nights' hotel stay and four (4) days per diem will be covered.
Students are highly encouraged to apply according to their financial need. Realistic award amounts will receive a higher score during evaluation. The student's effort to obtain sources of funding will be viewed positively by the committee.
The GPSC Travel Grant is not a guaranteed source of funding. Travel grant awardees are not guaranteed to receive funding before their travel begins. We encourage students to submit the required application materials by the earliest eligible travel grant deadline.
Eligibility
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information below- The applicant must be enrolled as a student in a graduate or professional degree program at the University of Arizona (i.e. must pay student service fees).
- Travel must be completed prior to graduation.
- Applicants who plan to graduate during that same term, must turn in their travel expense report prior to being funded. If your travel has already taken place at the time that your application is due, you must submit your expense report along with your application. For instance, if you apply during the March grant round and your travel took place sometime in February, you must submit your expense report along with your application.
- The applicant must be in good academic standing.
- Applicants are eligible to receive one travel grant per fiscal year; the fiscal year begins on July 1. For the purposes of implementing the 'one award per year' policy, all awards are treated as given on the application deadline. A student may apply as many times as desired per year until they are granted an award, as long as they apply within the rules of the program.
Note: Group applications are not allowed. If several students are attending the same event, each student must apply separately for funding, and each student must be responsible for creating their own application. Identical applications will be automatically disqualified from that round of funding.
Submission Deadlines
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information belowA Travel Grant application can only be submitted for travel that will begin no later than six months after the travel grant deadline, or which began within one month prior to the deadline. The travel eligibility dates for each travel grant round are as follows:
- September 12 deadline: Applications accepted beginning August 1
- Eligible Travel Dates: June 1 through March 12
- November 1 deadline: Applications accepted beginning October 1
- Eligible Travel Dates: October 1 through April 30
January 1 deadline: Applications accepted beginning December 1Eligible Travel Dates: December 1 through June 30
- Combined January/March. March 1 deadline: Applications accepted beginning December 1
- Eligible Travel Dates: December 1 through September 1 (following year)
- May 1 deadline: Applications accepted beginning April 1
- Eligible Travel Dates: April 1 through October 31
July 1 deadline: Applications accepted beginning June 1Eligible Travel Dates: June 1 through December 31
For example, to be eligible to apply for the September 2014 grant round, travel would need to take place anytime between August 2014 and February 28, 2015. Another way to look at this, is if for example, a student is attending a conference in February 2015 and would like to request funding from GPSC, the student would be eligible to apply for the September, November, January and/or the March grant rounds.
Applications and the required letter of recommendation, for each applicant must be submitted through our online system by 12:00 (midnight) Arizona Time on the deadline date. In the event that a given deadline does not fall on a business day, applications must be submitted by 12:00 (midnight) Arizona Time of the first business day following the application deadline. Aside from the preceding exception, there are no deadline extensions and late applications will not be considered.
If the student submits well before the deadline but is missing any component of the application, the student will at times may be contacted as a courtesy and asked to submit the missing components prior to the deadline.
The GPSC sends a notification email within two business days of receiving an application. If you have not received a confirmation email within this timeline, please contact gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu.
Selection Criteria
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information belowApplications are reviewed by graduate students from various colleges across campus. Each application will be reviewed by two judges, who will both evaluate the same group of applicants. Each judge will give a score, and the two scores will be combined to give a composite score for each application. After the judges submit their evaluation scores, a cutoff score is generated based on the number of applications and the amount of funds available. Officers and staff of the GPSC and the Graduate College do not evaluate the applications.
For more information regarding the criteria used by the travel grant judges to evaluate the travel grant applications, please refer to the GPSC Travel Grant Evaluation Rubric.
Travel Grants Judges
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information belowServing as a Travel Grants Judge is a wonderful experience and allows you the opportunity to get an insider's perspective on evaluating travel grant applications and could improve your chances of receiving a future travel grant award. Other reasons to be a judge, includes:
- You can formulate a more competitive application for future travel rounds by reviewing actual applications
- You have something additional to write in the service area of your CV or resume
- You will get an insider's perspective on an evaluation process similar to how major granting agencies such as the NSF/NIH/NEH evaluate dissertation and other academic and professional research grants
- You can be involved in a small but central part of student governance
The evaluation process should take no more than 2-3 hours of your time, including going over the guidelines. If you are interested in serving as a Travel Grants Judge for the upcoming travel grant round, please follow the registration directions posted below.
PLEASE NOTE: You MAY NOT serve as a Judge for the same grant round in which you apply.
IMPORTANT POLICY CHANGE FOR 2016-2017
As of July 2016, all awardees must serve as a judge for at least one travel grant round that year. Awardees will be automatically assigned as judges for the next round. In the event you are unable to serve as a judge for the round subsequent to your award, please contact us at gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu.
How to Register to be a Travel Grants Judge
As we transition to the new website. Please email us if you are interested in becoming a travel grants judge. Thank you in advance for your support!
Additional Information for International Students
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information belowIn order to receive a Travel Grant award, a student must have a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN). For more information, visit the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid's (OSFA) Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
How to apply:
- A student may apply at the local Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Taxpayer Assistance Center:
Internal Revenue Service
Taxpayer Assistance
300 W Congress
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 670-4687
- The IRS will return to the student a copy of the W-7 with a stamp including the date received. The student needs to bring the stamped W-7 to International Student Programs & Services (ISPS). ISPS will contact OSFA to release the FSN hold from the student's account.
- International students may also be required to provide proof of residency. A referendum approved by Arizona voters in November 2006, Proposition 300, provides that university students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or who do not have lawful immigration status, are not eligible for in-state tuition status or financial aid that is funded or subsidized by state monies. For additional information see Proposition 300 FAQ's.
If you are a nonresident alien and you receive a Travel Grant award, your award will be subject to tax withholding (14% if you are in F or J status, 30% for other non-immigrant status), unless you are exempt under an income tax treaty. Also, effective November 1, 2007, international students who receive any payment from the University of Arizona are required to create an account in GLACIER. For additional information, visit Tax Withholding by UofA.
Notification of Awards
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information belowAll applicants will be promptly notified whether they will or will not receive a travel grant, once all the applications have been reviewed. The process of award determination generally takes between six to eight weeks. If awarded a travel grant, the money will be distributed through the applicant's Bursar's account.
Award Refund Policy
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information belowIf you are awarded a Travel Grant but are unable to attend or would like to decline your award, please notify the Travel Grants Director at gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu immediately. If notified in time, your award will be retracted. Otherwise, you may be required to reimburse the GPSC Travel Grant Program. If this is required, please follow the steps below.
As of July 1, 2011, GPSC has made it a requirement that all students who receive a Travel Grant must spend at least 90% of their award. If a student's travel expenses are less than 90% of the original award, then that student will be required to reimburse the GPSC for the unspent funds. If a student fails to reimburse the GPSC, that student will not be eligible to apply for a future travel grant until reimbursement is made.
How to Reimburse GPSC
Write a check for the difference (Amount of Award less Amount Expensed). Make the check out to "The University of Arizona" and write "GPSC Travel Grant Refund" in the memo field. You can either hand deliver the check to the Travel Grants Director at the GPSC Office (located in the Student Union, Room 323A), or you can mail the check to the GPSC mailing address posted below.
The University of Arizona
PO Box 210017
Student Union Memorial Center
Administration Office, Room 403
Attn: GPSC Travel Grants Director
Tucson, AZ 85721
Travel Expense Report
Click or enter to reveal information below Click or enter to hide information belowGPSC Travel Grant awardees are required to submit a Travel Expense Report within TEN(10) business days after completing travel or receiving an award announcement. Please include all items of expense incurred during your trip. Keep the original receipts of all expenses incurred during your travel.
IMPORTANT: Please do not submit a Travel Expense Report until AFTER you are awarded a Travel Grant.
Refer to the document flowchart to keep track of your document flow. For more information, refer to the GPSC Travel Guide Brochure, which we recommend you print out and take with you to your travel destination. In addition, the Sharing Hotel Rooms and Other Expenses Q&A document addresses issues related to sharing hotel and transportation expenses.
How to Submit Your Travel Expense Report
Once you have completed your travel expense report, you have several different options on how to submit your report and travel expense receipts. You can:
- Submit a hard copy to the GPSC office located in the Student Union, Room 323. You can deliver the report directly to the Travel Grants Director or leave it at the information desk on the main floor of the student union (directly across the walkway from the bookstore).
- Mail in a hard copy to the GPSC office
Graduate & Professional Student Council
PO Box 210017
Student Union Memorial Administration Office Room 403
Tucson, AZ 85721
- Or you can submit it electronically via email at gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu. If you choose this option, please make sure that you sign both pages with your electronic signature.
IMPORTANT: Failure to submit the required travel expense documentation may result in the withdrawal of your GPSC travel grant award and make you ineligible for future GPSC fund support.
