Travel Grants

Travel Grant Applications is closed until Monday, April 1, 2024!

Please see the Travel Grant schedule at the bottom of this page.

For any questions, please email gpssvpfb@uw.edu and gpssbs@uw.edu.

For the travel grants, we will start reviewing your applications once we receive the 2 forms below:

Student Application: https://depts.washington.edu/gpss/funding/travel-grants/student-form/

Faculty Recommendation: https://depts.washington.edu/gpss/funding/travel-grants/faculty-recommendation-form/

GPSS has allocated $30,000 to support graduate students for the 2023-24 academic year. The typical funding amounts are:

  • up to $300 for travel in the U.S.
  • up to $500 for international travel (please ensure you have registered your travel with UW GTS).
  • up to $300 for virtual conference registration

It is also our goal to assist as many graduate students as possible. We will score applications using this travel grants rubric. The GPSS Travel Grants Committee (TGC) comprises graduate students from various academic backgrounds, so the content of your application should be written in a style for non-experts.

Requirements / Prioritization for Travel Grants Application

  • Have presentation / engage actively in the event (e.g. panel chair)
  • Whether is in the final year of their study
  • Attend Only

We will review applications on a rolling basis. The departmental contact is usually NOT your advisor/PI. Historically, this has caused the most delays in students receiving their travel grant. You will also need to identify one faculty recommender.

Should you have any questions, please email Linh Pham, our Budget Director, at gpssbs@uw.edu and cc Jon Choi, our VP of Finance, at gpssvpfb@uw.edu.

Important Notice

Please read below for specific information regarding the funding transfer in light of UW’s Financial Transformation to Workday. We recommend you share this with your Shared Environment Accountants or other fiscal support staff who will administer this funding.

  • The HUB will initiate the transfer of funds to your department’s Cost Center and other provided tags (Program, Grant, Gift, Activity, or Project).
  • All funds will use the Services and Activities Fee Resource (RS100298).
  • All purchases made by your department using these Travel Grant funds should use the Services and Activities Fee Resource.
    • Purchases made using any other Resource Tag will need to be reclassed, by your department’s Shared Environment Accountants, to use the Services and Activities Fee Resource in order to apply the Travel Grant funds to the purchase.
  • Other questions pertaining to purchasing methods and funding transfers should be directed to your Shared Environment Accountants or other fiscal support staff. HUB Finance and Business Operations does not have the capacity to provide support beyond initiating the transfer.

Travel Grants Operation Timeline

Month Submission Opens Submission Closes Results Released By
October Sun, October 1 Fri, October 13 Fri, October 27
November Wed, November 1 Mon, November 13 Thu, November 30
December Fri, December 1 Mon, December 11 Fri, December 29
January Mon, January 1 Mon, January 8 Fri, January 26
February Thu, February 1 Mon, February 12 Thu, February 29
March Closed Closed Closed
April Mon, April 1 Sun, April 14 Sun, April 28
May Closed Closed Closed
June Closed Closed Closed
July Closed Closed Closed
August Closed Closed Closed
September Closed Closed Closed

FAQ

  1. When should I apply?

    • GPSS strongly suggested applicants to apply beforehand, at least one month in advanced is preferred due to the evaluation processing time among different unit.
  2. Can I apply after the conference ends?

    • No, we only accept applications where the event / conference is happening in the upcoming future. Application with passed event date or event date that is occurring within 10 days will not be considered, since it usually took up to at least 2 weeks for the evaluation process to be completed.
  3. I don’t know my school’s budget number, what should I do?

    • The GPSS does not have access to your department’s budget information.
    • Please reach out to your department/program’s Shared Environment Accountants or other fiscal support staff who will administer the funding.
    • The HUB will initiate the transfer of funds to your department’s Cost Center and other provided tags (Program / Grant / Gift / Activity / Project).
    • All funds will use the Services and Activities Fee Resource tag (RS100298).
    • All purchases made by your department using these Travel Grant funds should use the above Services and Activities Fee Resource tag.
      • Purchases made using any other Resource tag will need to be reclassed, by your department’s Shared Environment Accountants, to use the Services and Activities Resource tag in order to apply the Travel Grant funds to the purchase.
    • Other questions pertaining to purchasing methods and funding transfers should be directed to your Shared Environment Accountants or other fiscal support staff. HUB Finance and Business Operations does not have the capacity to provide support beyond initiating the transfer.

Eligibility

UW graduate and professional students who are currently enrolled and in good academic standing may apply for this travel grant. Applications for conferences that have already occurred will NOT be accepted.

Only one application per conference event/presentation is permitted. Though students may apply only once per conference event, students may apply as many times as they like during their UW student career for different events/presentations. Students may only receive a maximum of two awards during one’s UW graduate and professional student career.

Application Process

The following items are required for an application to be considered complete.

  1. https://depts.washington.edu/gpss/funding/travel-grants/student-form/

  2. https://depts.washington.edu/gpss/funding/travel-grants/faculty-recommendation-form/

     (Note: you are responsible for ensuring your faculty recommender submits the form to GPSS)

Completed applications will be reviewed within 3 weeks of submission. The Applicant is responsible for ensuring all components of the application are received by the GPSS Budget Director (gpssbs@uw.edu). Applications missing any component will not be accepted.

Grading

At least three members of the Travel Grants Committee will grade each application. The process is competitive, with an approval rate of about 45%.

Travel Grants Rubric

International Travel Registration Approval

All International travel applicants MUST register with UW Global Travel Security for non-curricular travel (https://www.washington.edu/globalaffairs/global-travelers/). Your registration may require departmental chair approval.

Travel Restrictions: https://www.washington.edu/globalaffairs/global-travelers/travel-restriction

Alternative Funding

For the times we are unable to cover travel, there is a competitive process by the UW Graduate School which offers an equivalent amount of funding as GPSS: https://grad.uw.edu/graduate-student-funding/funding-information-for-departments/awards-and-funding-resources/graduate-student-conference-travel-awards/

 

[Archived] February 2024 Update

Thank you for your submissions! The Travel Grants Committee received 42 complete applications, and have started reviewing the applications.

The February submission window is now closed, and we will re-open the application on February 1. Eligible travel will only include travel that will occur: (1) two weeks after date of submission or (2) after January 31, the earlier of the two.

For any questions about the Travel Grants, please email:
Jon Choi (he/him), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssvpfb@uw.edu
Van Mai (she/her), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssbs@uw.edu

The UW Graduate School offers an equivalent amount of funding for travel as GPSS: https://facstaff.grad.uw.edu/advising-resources/funding-management/awards-funding-support/graduate-student-conference-presentation-awards/

[Archived] January 2024 Update

The January submission window is now closed, and we will re-open the application on February 1. Eligible travel will only include travel that will occur: (1) two weeks after date of submission or (2) after January 31, the earlier of the two.

For any questions about the Travel Grants, please email:
Jon Choi (he/him), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssvpfb@uw.edu
Van Mai (she/her), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssbs@uw.edu

The UW Graduate School offers an equivalent amount of funding for travel as GPSS: https://facstaff.grad.uw.edu/advising-resources/funding-management/awards-funding-support/graduate-student-conference-presentation-awards/

[Archived] December 2023 Update

Thank you for your interest in Travel Grants. December submission window is now closed, and we will re-open the application on January 1. Eligible travel will only include travel that will occur: (1) two weeks after date of submission or (2) after January 31, the earlier of the two.

For any questions about the Travel Grants, please email:
Jon Choi (he/him), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssvpfb@uw.edu
Van Mai (she/her), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssbs@uw.edu

The UW Graduate School offers an equivalent amount of funding for travel as GPSS: https://facstaff.grad.uw.edu/advising-resources/funding-management/awards-funding-support/graduate-student-conference-presentation-awards/

[Archived] November 2023 Update

Thank you for your interest in Travel Grants. October submission window is now closed, and we will re-open the application on December 1. Eligible travel will only include travel that will occur: (1) two weeks after date of submission or (2) after December 31, the earlier of the two.

For any questions about the Travel Grants, please email:
Jon Choi (he/him), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssvpfb@uw.edu
Van Mai (she/her), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssbs@uw.edu

The UW Graduate School offers an equivalent amount of funding for travel as GPSS: https://facstaff.grad.uw.edu/advising-resources/funding-management/awards-funding-support/graduate-student-conference-presentation-awards/

[Archived] October 2023 Update

Thank you for your interest in Travel Grants. October submission window is now closed, and we will re-open the application on November 1. Eligible travel will only include travel that will occur: (1) two weeks after date of submission or (2) after November 30, the earlier of the two.

For any questions about the Travel Grants, please email:
Jon Choi (he/him), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssvpfb@uw.edu
Van Mai (she/her), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssbs@uw.edu

The UW Graduate School offers an equivalent amount of funding for travel as GPSS: https://facstaff.grad.uw.edu/advising-resources/funding-management/awards-funding-support/graduate-student-conference-presentation-awards/

[Archived] August 2022 Update

Thank you for your interest in Travel Grants. We will open the application the week of September 19 with the re-launch of our website. Eligible travel will only include travel that will occur AFTER September 28, regardless of registration time.

Please send inquiries about the process to:
A.J. Balatico (he/him), GPSS President, gpsspres@uw.edu
Van Mai (she/her), GPSS VP of Finance, gpssvpfb@uw.edu

We are aware there is a gap in coverage of summer travel. The GPSS part of the process is usually very quick since we grade applications as we receive completed materials, which include the student form, conference acceptance, and faculty recommendations. However, communications with departmental budgeting staff is usually slow during the summer and we have no way of ensuring that travel funding has been received by students.

For the times we are unable to cover travel, there is a competitive process by the UW Graduate School which offers an equivalent amount of funding as GPSS: https://grad.uw.edu/graduate-student-funding/funding-information-for-departments/awards-and-funding-resources/graduate-student-conference-travel-awards/

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL UPDATE:
All International travel applicants must register with UW Global Travel Security for non-curricular travel (https://www.washington.edu/globalaffairs/global-travelers/). Your registration may require departmental chair approval.

Travel Restrictions: https://www.washington.edu/globalaffairs/global-travelers/travel-restriction

[Archived] Spring 2022 Update

SPRING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL UPDATE: All International travel applicants must register with UW Global Travel Security for non-curricular travel (https://www.washington.edu/globalaffairs/global-travelers/). Your registration may require departmental chair approval. Please email proof of registration to A.J. Balatico (he/him), GPSS Vice President of Finance (gpssvpfb@uw.edu) and Bree Murrin (she/her), GPSS Budget Specialist (gpssbs@uw.edu).

We will not be able to take applications for travel from June 10 until late August. We cannot accept applications past this date, and we cannot approve travel past this date.

Thank you for your interest in GPSS Travel Grants. The Travel Grants Committee (TGC) has formed for the 2021-22 academic year, and has decided to funded in-person and virtual conferences, workshops, and performances.

The previous senate has allocated $25,000 to support graduate students for the 2021-22 academic year. The typical funding amounts are:

  • up to $300 for travel in the U.S.
  • up to $500 for international travel (please ensure you have registered your travel with UW GTS).
  • up to $300 for virtual conference registration

Although applications are competitive, it is also our goal to assist as many graduate students as possible. We will score applications using this travel grants rubric. The TGC comprises graduate students from various academic backgrounds, so the content of your application should be written in a style for non-experts.

We will review applications on a rolling basis. In the meantime, if you are planning to apply, please have your department’s budget or financial contact and obtain a UW budget code (##-#####). The departmental contact is usually NOT your advisor/PI. Historically, this has caused the most delays in students receiving their travel grant. However, you will also need to identify one faculty recommender.

[Archived] Spring 2021 Update

For the duration of the suspension of in-person learning activities at the University of Washington, GPSS Travel Grants Committee will be considering applications for non-presenting attendees to remote conferences or seminars. These applications will be held to the same standards as traditional Travel Grants and reviewed on a rolling basis; applications should be reviewed within 2 weeks of submission. Any attendance grants awarded within this period will not count towards the travel funding limitations (once every three years and a maximum of two awards during one’s UW student career).

In an effort to help improve graduate and professional student life at the University of Washington, the GPSS Travel Grants Program contributes funds to qualifying individuals’ travel expenses for participation in domestic or international conferences.

The goal of this is twofold: first, to facilitate and promote the intellectual and professional development of graduate and professional students, and also to encourage mutually beneficial interaction among students and GPSS Senators. GPSS Travel Grants further contribute to the strengthening of UW and its prominence in the greater scholarly community through broadening students’ personal and academic development through exposure to the work of others elsewhere.

Students whose conference participation might otherwise be underfunded and are making fair progress towards their respective degrees are encouraged to apply. The amount of funding awarded will be based on conference location, with typical awards being up to $300 for conferences in the United States and $500 for international conferences.

The GPSS Travel Grants Committee reserves the right to make individual award adjustments based upon an applicant’s expressed need of both an individual applicant or the applicant pool as a whole.

For any questions regarding travel grants, please email gpssbs@uw.edu.