Travel Grants

Travel Grant applications for Summer 2025 are OPEN!

The Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) is committed to increasing the quality of graduate education at the University of Colorado at Boulder. As part of this mission, GPSG awards funding to individual graduate and professional students to support travel to academic conferences, meetings, or other events related to a student’s studies. These awards aim to facilitate graduate student travel that benefits academic and career development. Students from all disciplines and schools are encouraged to apply. All fields are given equal preference.

Eligibility

All CU Boulder graduate and professional students who have not previously received a GPSG Travel Grant are eligible to apply. Students can receive travel aid only once in their tenure at CU Boulder to allow more students to get funding. 

International Students - You are eligible to receive a travel grant! Please ensure you will not receive extra taxes on the grants (check out this link). 

Please Note: The GPSG Travel Grant differs from the Graduate School Student Travel Grant. Applying to the GPSG Travel Grant does not affect your eligibility to apply to the other and vice-versa.

Funding Amounts and Policies (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY) 

GPSG Travel Grants award funding up to $500 to individual graduate students. The GPSG travel grant is paid as a reimbursement, meaning that you will not receive the grant directly to your account; instead, you should provide receipts/documentation on your expenses related to the event stated in your application. Travel grants can cover travel costs such as airfare, rental cars, accommodations, conference registration fees, and other travel-related expenses. However, it can not be used to cover per-diem food expenses or personal expenses. Also, ALL TRANSPORTATION COSTS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE UNIVERSITY BEFORE BOOKING A TRIP (BY PLANE OR OTHER MEANS OF TRANSPORT)! If you plan to use your grant money for transportation expenses such as airfare or rental cars, you must work with the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) before purchasing your flight ticket. 

GPSG Travel Grants may not be used for travel outside the United States except to Canada, Mexico, and U.S. Territories. This is consistent with CUSG Fee Regulations Section 6.2.2.C.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All transportation costs must be approved before booking a trip! All university funding, including GPSG Travel Grants, must be approved and follow the Procurement Service Center (PSC) rules. Any travel not approved and booked properly through the Concur Travel Booking System CANNOT be funded through a GPSG travel grant due to these policies. Please contact CSI in advance for transportation bookings. See the PSC website for further information on airfare: https://www.cu.edu/psc/internet-airfare. Other eligible expenses covered by GPSG Travel Grants, such as conference membership, registration fees, and accommodations do not need to be booked through Concur. 

For complete financial policies and application rules, see the GPSG Travel Grant Bylaws.

Award Timeline

There are three grant series per academic year, one each semester and one in the summer. The Fall period covers travel commencing September 1 - January 31, the Spring period covers travel commencing January 1 - May 31, and the Summer period covers travel commencing June 1 through August 31. Applicants will be notified of decisions approximately two weeks after the application deadline.

How to Apply

Please click the Application for Travel Grant button below to see the application form. The application form for each Travel Grant application cycle will be posted here during the application period. There are two components to the application:

  1. Applicant information:
    1. Name
    2. @colorado.edu Email Address
    3. 9-Digit Student ID Number (required to process reimbursements)
    4. Department/ Degree Program
    5. Degree Type
    6. Dates of Travel
    7. Travel Destination
  2. A one-page essay addressing the purpose of travel, your academic and career goals related to the event, and specific personal and/or academic benefits. Please see the below example essays and the essay grading rubric to get an idea of the level of detail requested. Essays should be single-spaced with one-inch margins, 12 pt font, Times New Roman. Essay files should be uploaded as PDFs.
    1. Travel Grant Essay Grading Rubric

Essays must be anonymous. Your name, advisor's name, or other potentially identifiable information should not appear in your essay. The file name of your essay should also not include your name. Applications found in violation of these criteria shall be immediately disqualified at the discretion of the GPSG Awards and Grants Committee. Since travel is often tied to a particular project that may be identifiable to students in similar programs, Travel Grant applications are graded by GPSG members in other departments. For example, an application from a student in Computer Science will not be graded by another student in Computer Science or another closely related engineering department.

Travel Grant Applications must be the sole effort of an individual student. Students may not submit identical essays as part of a group. Applications found in violation of these criteria shall be immediately disqualified at the discretion of the GPSG Awards and Grants Committee. 

Application for Travel Grant 

Applications will close on Sunday April 13th at 11:59pm MT. 

Information for Travel Grant Awardees

Instructions to Redeem Your Travel Grant 

FAQ 

  1. Question: I have already bought my flight ticket. Can I still use the grant money? Answer: All transportation costs must be approved before you book them. Therefore, you cannot submit flight tickets for reimbursement. However, you may submit other receipts, such as registration fees or lodging.
  2. Question: How can I book my flight ticket through university? Answer: Contact the Center for Student Involvement from CSIFinance@colorado.edu so that they can book it for you through the university's travel management system (Concur).
  3. Question: Should I fill out the reimbursement form before or after my trip? Answer: You may fill out either before or after. However, if you plan to use your grant money for transportation expenses such as airfare or rental cars, you must work with the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) before purchasing your flight ticket.
  4. Question: I have found another source of money/funding for the event (such as a conference/fair) I am attending. Can I use this grant for another event I attended (or plan to attend)? Answer: No, it should be the same conference stated in your application.
  5. Question: Will the university pay my event registration fee or should I pay it with my own funds? Answer: You will pay it first by your own means, then submit your receipts to receive a reimbursement. (Except for transportation costs, this applies to all eligible expenses.)
  6. Question: I want to use the grant money for the conference registration fee, but it is above the $500 grant amount. Can I still submit this invoice/receipt? Answer: Yes, you can still get your reimbursement with this receipt; however, you will only be reimbursed up to $500, the travel grant amount, in Fall 2023.
  7. Question: Does professional clothing count as an authorized type of expense? Answer: No, it is considered a personal expense.
  8. Question: I was selected for the grant but I do not need it at the moment (e.g. event canceled or another funding is available). Can I postpone it? Answer: No, the grant cannot be postponed to use for another event in the future. 

Further Questions?

Please contact the GPSG Awards and Grants Committee at applications.gpsg@colorado.edu with any questions regarding the Travel Grant application process. For reimbursement and financial questions, please get in touch with the GPSG Director of Finance at finance.gpsg@coloroado.edu. (Please be patient; we may receive many emails during the grant application dates.)