Graduate Student Travel Award

The Graduate School offers a limited number of competitive awards to selected graduate students who are in good academic standing. The 2023/2024 Travel Award will support the cost of conference registration to professional meetings that are relevant to their degree. Please see the abbreviated list of changes to travel award eligibility instructions and requirements. All applications must be completed before the deadline to be considered for a travel award. We are now accepting applications for presentations that occur during the 2023/2024 academic year. Please read through the instructions on this page before submitting your application and contact us if you have any questions.

To be eligible, graduate students:

• Must have a $100-$500  match already secured from the applicant's department, college, or another appropriate source. These funds are matched on a 1:1 (or dollar-for-dollar) basis. Maximum TGS match $500. 
• Must be presenting research or a creative activity that they have authored/co-authored. It must have been peer-reviewed and accepted for presentation. If acceptance is pending, students can still apply, but the final award is contingent upon acceptance for presentation. Students who are merely attending a meeting without any active participation are ineligible for travel award funding.
• Must have an approved degree plan on file in the Graduate School.
• Must attend at least 3 TGS Professional Development Graduate Workshops per academic year for which you are applying. You can attend these workshops in person or live online stream. If you are unable to attend a workshop, videos are available online.  Please list the name and date of the workshops you attended or watched on the appropriate application field.
• Must complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training. This requirement can be met in one of two ways:
  • Online CITI Training – Provided by the UNT Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC). Registration is free for all UNT affiliated students. Students will receive a certificate after completing the course, and TGS will keep a record on file to verify completion.
  • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) workshops – Students may use attendance at one of our designated RCR professional development workshops for credit. Please check workshop descriptions to ensure that they meet the requirement. For questions, please contact ORIC or your advisor.
  • Note: RCR Workshops do not count towards the three workshops requirement when applying for the travel award.
  • Note: Research Breaks are not accepted.

Applying for a Travel Award

1. To begin, download the required form:
   • Faculty Evaluation for Travel Award Applicants: Give this to the appropriate faculty members who will verify matching funds and provide a quick evaluation. This form must be completed with the appropriate signatures, match information, and rating, and attached to your application.
2. Gather your conference acceptance and workshop requirement information. Applications and all Toulouse Graduate School requirements must be fully completed before the deadline to be considered. Next, please log in and fill out the online application (closed)
3. 
   
4. Once your application is submitted, you'll receive a confirmation message. Your application will be reviewed during the next evaluation period and you'll be notified of acceptance or denial within four weeks of the submission deadline. 

Evaluation Periods

Travel award applications may be submitted during the following three evaluation periods. Applications must be submitted, and travel must occur within the same academic year (Fall through Summer).

Priorities & Limitations

• Preference will be given to students who are first-authors of scholarly research or creative presentations.
• The maximum amount awarded will range between $100 - $500.
• Students may only receive 1 Travel Award for the academic year.
• Students must apply to receive a travel award within the same academic year that the travel takes place.

Here are a few common mistakes.

Please keep in mind that the process is competitive and applying does not guarantee an award. 

• Incomplete Faculty Evaluation forms
• Make sure that you have every section of the Faculty Evaluation form completely before submitting it. This includes the Match Approval (chart string must be listed) and the “ranking” at the bottom of the page. Appropriate faculty/staff signatures are required.
• ​Missing degree plans
  Students must have an official degree plan on file with the graduate school. Please take care of this before applying for a travel award.
• Missing workshop requirements
  Please attend at least 3 professional development workshops during the academic year you're applying to meet the workshop requirement. If you cannot make it to campus, you can watch workshop videos online. Note: RCR Workshops do not count towards the 3 workshops requirement.

Please remember that a degree plan must be on file, and 3 workshops must be completed before the application deadline in order to be considered for an award.

FAQ’s

• How do the matching funds work?
  Students must secure $100 to $500 in matching funds from their department, chair, advisor, or another appropriate source. Toulouse Graduate School will match these funds on a 1:1 (or dollar-for-dollar) basis.  This means that students who have $100 in matching funds can receive $100 from Toulouse, whereas students who have $500 in matching funds can receive up to $500 from Toulouse. 

• How do I receive matching funds from my department, chair, advisor, etc.?
  The full travel award will be administered through your department or college.

• I already attended my conference. Can I still apply for funding?
  Yes - students can potentially receive retroactive funding for a conference that they have already attended, but travel must have occurred within the same academic year. For example, you may retroactively apply for funding during the March (Spring) and June (Summer) award periods for a conference that you attended during the fall semester.

• Where do I submit my reimbursement form and receipts?
  Students will turn in all receipts and documentation to their department for reimbursement. Please do not submit receipts to TGS.
   
• I was granted a travel award; when will I receive my funds?
  Please follow the instructions detailed in your award letter to facilitate payment. You will need to contact your department for reimbursement instructions. You will need to submit receipts to your department and complete the online evaluation form no later than 2 weeks (14 days) after you return from your conference. Travel awards are always reimbursed after you return from travel; we do not send funds in advance. If advance funding is needed, please contact the Student Money Management Center.
   
• How are travel award funds disbursed?
  You will receive your travel award as a refund from Travel Accounting. Please contact your department representative for questions about your reimbursement status.
   
• I was not granted a travel award during the previous award period. Will my application be automatically rolled to the next evaluation period to be considered?
  We do not roll applications over to the next evaluation period. You might apply during each application cycle if you wish to be considered for a travel award.

Other Opportunities

The Division of International Affairs administers the UNT International Travel Grant. The UNT International Travel Grant provides funding to UNT graduate students who receive a Toulouse Graduate School Travel Award to participate in a professional meeting abroad. Read more about the International Travel Award.

Questions? E-mail us: Travel.Grants@unt.edu

This page contains PDF documents.  You can download a free PDF reader here.

Updated Travel Award Eligibility Requirements and Other Information for Faculty and Staff Use