Student Travel Awards

Giving students a chance to present their research at national conferences:  If you are interested in supporting student scholarships and student travel awards, please visit our CSU Foundation website and consider designating "Psychology".

 

How to Get Funding to Present your Research at a Conference

Updated Spring 2024: If you are a graduate student applying for travel reimbursement this semester, please use this updated version of the form, complete with a directions page. If you'd like full explaination of procedures and policies, continue reading below. All questions and completed forms can be sent to the Psychology Adminstrative Coordinator: Mads Meridian at m.meridian@csuohio.edu 216.687.2552 UN 716

Note:  The information on this page is intended to assist Psychology students who are interested in getting travel funding by pulling together information from various sources.  It is not a substitute for understanding CSU Travel Policies, nor is it meant to guarantee any reimbursement even if you follow these steps.  Finally, the availability of funding and policies regarding reimbursement are subject to change.

Sources of Funding

SOURCES OF POSSIBLE FUNDING:	UNDERGRADUATES ELIGIBLE	GRADUATES ELIGIBLE	NOTES
Department of Psychology	YES	YES
College of Arts and Science	YES	YES
College of Graduate Studies	NO	YES	Eligible only if student has been funded by both the Department & College of Arts and Sciences
Office of Research - Graduate Student Research Award (GSRA)	NO	YES	Proposals must focus on dissertation or thesis research that requires funding in excess of what can be supported through normal academic program operating budgets.
Student Life/Student Government Association (via student org to which you belong)	YES	YES	Student organizations submit a budget request and group application to Student Life/SGA.
Your Researcher or PI (usually only if they have a grant)	YES	YES	Rarely, a researcher may have budgeted for student travel

Getting through this process takes time. Please aim to submit this a month and a half before travel. It takes at least a week at each office to get these signed.

Pre-Approval Forms:

College of Arts & Sciences Travel Pre-Approval Authorization:

• To obtain pre‐approval for travel, please complete page one of the form below and submit it alongside a breif explanation of what conference or event you're travelling to, why you're going, and a short description of planned activities. If you are presenting, please provoide documentation of your proposal's acceptance. If you are attending for informaitonal/educational purposes, please describe or copy & paste a few sessions that align with your studies or professional areas of interest.
• Your department chairperson/school director will review and sign the form, and forward it to the CAS Dean for approval.
• If the pre‐approval is for international travel, allow additional time for approval by the Provost, and attach a detailed memorandum explaining the nature of the travel and its importance, as well as a description of plans (if any) for any dates of personal travel that may occur within the international trip's overall time period.

Travel Approval & Expense Report:

• You must fill out the first page ("Travel Authorization") before travel for pre-approval. 
• The second page ("Travel Expense Report") will be completed when you return from travel.
• To calculate per diems for lodging and meals and incidentals, you need to get the Government Per Diem M&IE rate for your destination.
• Destination = City/State; Purpose = what conference you'll be attending and if you are presenting

College of Arts & Sciences Student Travel Fund Request:

• Currently, forms are not needed for requesting funding support from the College of Arts & Sciences. The "Travel Approval & Expense Report" is sufficient notification to obtain funding support from A&S.

Graduate College's Graduate Student Conference Travel Fund Request:

• This one includes an area where each previous level (Department and College) must sign to demonstrate their willingness to contribute a certain amount to fund your travel.
• Grad College may cover up to 1/3 of the travel, matching the level of Department or College. 
• The requestor must not have received maximum funding ($500) during the current fiscal year

Pre-Approval Process: 

• Turn in all of these forms and attachments to the Psychology Department Coordinator (Mads in UN 716) as a packet AT LEAST 4 WEEKS BEFORE TRAVEL.
• The Coordinator will review the information you have provided and then the packet of forms can make the rounds for funding approval from Department, College, and Grad College.

Approval:  

After your paperwork has been submitted and reviewed, you will receive an email from CAS with the details of your travel funding, if any.  

Travel:

• During travel, keep all of your receipts except food.  For food reimbursement, you will request the M&IE per diem rate.  For the M&IE, you get 75% for the first and last day and 100% for each day in between.
• If you plan to rent a car, it must be from Enterprise, and see Steve before travel because there are extra regulations.
• If flying, TRY TO RETAIN YOUR BOARDING PASSES for submission with expense report.
• If you travel with others, we can only reimburse the person who pays for something. If you share a hotel room, we can only reimburse the person or persons who pay and have a receipt. 

Reimbursement after Travel:

• WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF TRAVEL, submit all of your receipts from travel including boarding passes.
• Hotel: can split up receipt total across multiple days, or note as a lump sum on the date of receipt.
• Food: Note that you cannot request reimbursement for a meal that was included in the conference fee.
• Receipts:  Originals, not copies.  Must show that the transaction was completed.
• Your travel receipts will be totaled on CSU Travel Authorization form (2nd page).
• After your receipts and paperwork have been processed, you will need to sign off
• PLEASE VERIFY YOUR MAILING ADDRESS before signing off on your travel reimbursement paperwork
• A reimbursement check should be sent within a week or two after submitting travel paperwork

To learn more about past award recipients, please visit our Student Award Recipients page.