THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

The Conference Travel Grant (CTG) provides funds to assist PhD and MFA students attending virtual (remote) academic/professional conferences or traveling to/attending in-person academic/professional conferences on behalf of Northwestern University.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a quarterly basis. The application form for a particular quarter will remain open until the funding cap has been reached and the maximum number of CTGs has been awarded for that period. The application portal will open approximately five weeks prior to the first day of the travel period

• Fall travel period: First day of conference travel is between August 17 and November 30
• Winter travel period: First day of conference travel is between December 1 and February 28 (application portal will open on October 25)
• Spring travel period: First day of conference travel is between March 1 and May 31 (application portal will open on January 24)
• Summer travel period: First day of conference travel is between June 1 and August 19 (application portal will open on April 25)

Applications must be submitted at least one week prior to the conference start date, but students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as funds are limited and there is no guarantee that funding will be available for the entire quarter. Under no circumstances will approval be given retroactively if an application is submitted after the conference has begun.

Eligibility

• Students must be active (not discontinued, graduated, or on leave) in PhD or MFA programs administered by The Graduate School (TGS) and within their degree time limitation at the time of the conference travel. Should students graduate or otherwise depart the University prior to travel and/or expenditure of funds, funds will not be available.
• CTG awards may only be used for voluntary attendance at academic/professional conferences in furtherance of a student’s own academic/career interests. CTG awards may not be requested or used to attend conferences that are required as part of a graduate student’s employment, or to attend courses, trainings, or extended programs.
• Students are eligible for a maximum of two grants, each up to $600/$800 (depending on discipline—see Award information below), over the entire course of their graduate career in The Graduate School and subject to availability of funds.
• A student is eligible to receive only one travel grant award during a fiscal year and cannot have already received a CTG in the current fiscal year.
• Students traveling outside of the United States must adhere to all graduate student travel policies. Failure to do so could result in revocation of the Conference Travel Grant.
• International Students: F-1 or J-1 students must obtain work authorization before accepting any payment, honorarium, or compensation (such as travel or lodging reimbursements) from external sources outside of Northwestern for conference attendance. Compensation from Northwestern does not require work authorization and is considered on-campus employment. Contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services with questions at intoff@northwestern.edu.

Award

• $600 for students in:
  • all PhD programs in the McCormick School of Engineering and Feinberg School of Medicine
  • the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences PhD programs of Astronomy, Chemistry, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Physics, and Plant Biology and Conservation
  • the IBiS, Applied Physics, and NUIN interdisciplinary PhD programs
  • all PhD programs in the Bienen School of Music, Kellogg School of Management, and School of Education and Social Policy
  • all PhD and MFA programs in the School of Communication
  • all Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences PhD and MFA programs not listed above
  • the Computer Science & Learning Science and Technology & Social Behavior interdisciplinary PhD programs

  Expense reports must be submitted within 60 days of the last date of travel or by August 15, whichever comes first, and must include prepaid expenses such as Egencia. Failure to submit expenses within 60 days of the end of travel (or by August 15, whichever comes first) will result in cancellation of the award, barring exceptional circumstances.
  

  • Conference registration fees
  • Airfare/airline fees at the most reasonable and economical rate. Travel for Northwestern purposes should be booked through a preferred provider.
  • Ground transportation: Taxi fares or ride shares (e.g. Uber, Lyft), including tips, are reimbursable where public transportation is not practical. Rail transportation is reimbursed if it does not exceed the cost of the least expensive airfare. Private automobile transportation is reimbursed per mile at a rate set by the University for trips up to 300 miles.
  • Meals: Travelers should use reasonably priced restaurants and dining options. Alcohol is never an allowable expense. A per diem may be used for meals instead of tracking itemized receipts.
  • Commercial rental vehicles: Commercial rental vehicles (economy, compact or subcompact) should be used only when it is impossible to use other forms of ground transportation, and when car rental does not exceed the cost of the least expensive airfare.
  • Lodging: Travelers must book standard accommodations in reasonably priced, commercial class hotels, motels, and Airbnbs. Conference site hotels will be reimbursed at the actual cost. To verify the conference site hotel rate, attach the conference literature to the expense report when requesting reimbursement.
  • Tolls and parking fees: Tolls and reasonable parking charges will be reimbursed.
  • First class, business class, or economy plus airfare
  • Airline, hotel room, or car upgrades
  • In-flight Wi-Fi
  • Alcohol
  • Books, magazines, newspapers
  • Childcare, babysitting, house sitting, pet-sitting (see the Dependent Care Professional Development Grant for information on funds for dependent care during conference travel)
  • Clothing, gifts, luggage, haircuts, laundry, dry cleaning
  • Passports, vaccinations, visas
  • Personal entertainment (in-flight movies, headsets, social activities)
  • Meals and hotel stay during local (Chicagoland) conferences within a 25 mile radius of Evanston
  • Non-refundable fees that result from trip cancellation
  • Fees/costs related to attending or traveling to courses, extended programs, trainings , or other meetings/ events that do not fall into the category of professional or academic conference s .
  • Other expenses not directly related to traveling to/from and participating in the specific conference for which the CTG was approved

  Application instructions

  Students must submit a Conference Travel Grant application as outlined in the Deadline information above.
  

  Review process

  The Graduate School will review Conference Travel Grant applications within 5 to 10 business days. Students will receive a notice via email once a decision is reached. If a Conference Travel Grant is awarded, the student's program will be copied on the email notification.

  Contact

  For more information, please email: gradfund@northwestern.edu.

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