Graduate Student Travel Awards

The Graduate Student Travel Award is currently closed for travel for the rest of the fiscal year. We are accepting applications for travel in June 2023 and beyond.

The College of Graduate Studies is pleased to offer Graduate Student Travel Awards. This award is open to any matriculated graduate student in good academic standing at SJSU who wishes to apply and will support registration costs and other fees associated with virtual (up to $500) or in-person travel. The college will cover registration costs for those approved for attending a conference and up to $1,500 for students presenting at a conference within the US or up to $2,000 for students presenting at an international congress. Applications are submitted via this application form and will be reviewed by the College of Graduate Studies in the order they are received. Please submit applications no later than 3 weeks before the travel date to ensure a timely review. Note that reimbursement is only allowed for awards approved prior to the attended event.

Normally, all awarded travel expenses are reimbursed after the travel. However, if paying for the travel in advance is an economic hardship, please contact us here, and we may be able to assist.

Applications for travel awards will be evaluated based on the following priorities:

  • Highest priority – travel to collect data or visit an archive or site to advance an active RSCA project.
  • High priority – travel to present or perform the student’s RSCA work at a conference or similar disciplinary venue.
  • Lower priority – travel to attend a conference or meeting that is valuable to the student’s education, but where the student is not presenting.
  • Not awarded – funds for travel that does not advance the student’s graduate education. Travel for study abroad programs is not eligible for this award. Students wishing only to attend an international conference are not eligible for a travel award.

Preference will be given to travel that significantly benefits your graduate education. Please note that the description of how the travel will benefit your graduate education that you submit in your application will be used to assess the merit of your proposal.

Rules, Requirements, and Restrictions

  • Travel awards are limited to the actual expenses, but in no case more than $1,500 for domestic travel and $2,000 for international travel. 
  • Applicants will be asked to provide full information of proposed work for travel to visit sites to advance an active research project or provide proof of invitation to present at a conference.
  • In all cases where an award request is above $300, the applicant’s listed advisor will be sent a memo to 1) approve the travel request, and 2) determine if the advisor, department, or college can match funding requests.
  • Only one student per advisor may be awarded travel per fiscal year; however, if an advisor is able to cost match for the student’s travel, one additional student for that advisor may be eligible for an award.
  • Partial funding through this program may be supplemented by travel funds from other sources* but in such cases documentation must be provided to assure that the various sources are not funding the same specific expense.
  • No graduate student will be approved for an award more than once per fiscal year (July-June). Specific dates depend on fiscal year end timelines.
  • Award recipients will be required to create an Open Research and Contributor ID (ORCiD) account. Registration is free and an account can be created here.
  • Students must adhere to SJSU and CSU travel policies. More information can be found at the SJSU Finance and Business Services website. Also refer to the Travel FAQ page which includes details about virtual/webinar travel. 
  • California Assembly Bill 1887 is state legislature that prohibits state funds from being used to travel to states with discriminatory laws. Therefore the College of Graduate Studies will not provide awards for states on the banned travel list.

*Other sources of funding to support graduate student travel include:

  • Departmental or College Travel Funds
  • Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (RSCA) Grant Initiative
  • Associated Students Travel Fund (request funds here)
  • Conferences often have travel award programs for students
  • COAST
  • CSUPERB