TRAVEL GRANTS

The GPSG Travel Grant supports graduate and professional students at the University of Pittsburgh who have presented original work at academic or professional conferences. This grant is designed to help students contribute to their scholarly communities and pursue development opportunities by offsetting travel-related expenses.

Ready to Apply?

Award Information

The maximum award is $450, distributed as a reimbursement. Students may receive one GPSG Travel Grant per fiscal year (July 1–June 30). This is based on the date of the conference. To determine the grant amount, the VP of Finance and the Finance Committee will consider the:

Order in which complete applications are received
Completeness and quality of your application
Alignment with the GPSG Travel Grant’s mission
Available funds and overall demand
Additional context or factors surrounding your application

Please note that, due to the high demand for funds, the award is competitive and not guaranteed.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Be currently enrolled in a graduate or professional program at Pitt
Have paid the graduate student activity fee
Belong to a program in good standing with GPSG
Have presented/will present original work (not just attended)

They must also follow all provide instructions and adhere to the grant application timeline.

Reimburseable Expenses

Accommodation

Reimbursement is limited to the portion of the hotel cost attributable to you. For example, if you shared a room with one other person, only half of the total cost is eligible for reimbursement.

Registration

We will reimburse for the cost of the conference registration itself. Membership fees required to access the registration rate are not eligible for reimbursement.

Transportation

Eligible transportation expenses include airfare, ground transportation to and from the airport, gas or mileage (not both), tolls, and public transit fares. The current mileage rate is $.70 per mile. Checked baggage fees, seat selection charges, early boarding, and other flight add-ons are not reimbursable.

Other

We do not reimburse for food, printing, or other incidental expenses.

Please Read: Exceptions to Reimbursements

In accordance with SORC policy, only the individual who directly paid for an expense may request reimbursement—and only for their own portion. Reimbursements will not be issued for peer-to-peer payment methods such as Venmo

Attendees of conferences held in Allegheny County may only be reimbursed for the cost of registration.

If you have questions or need clarification, email us at gpsg@pitt.edu.

How to Apply

New application process as of September 1, 2025

Step 1: Find Your Application Window

Use the table below to identify when you should apply. Applications received outside of the correct window will not receive priority and may be rejected, depending on the application cycle.

If you submitted a complete application, you will receive a final determination by the 10th of the month following your submission.

Not sure when you should apply? Ask us by sending an email to gpsg@pitt.edu!

Step 2: Collect Your Documentation

You will need:

Proof of conference acceptance
An advisor letter (can be emailed directly from your advisor or uploaded to the form). This must include:
- Their acknowledgement for the GPSG travel award application,
- That they have reviewed the application,
- The student’s need for this travel award
A personal statement (limit 1500 characters or about 250 words)
Documentation of expected or actual expenses (a list of eligible expenses are provided above)

Applications will not be considered complete until ALL the above items are received.

Step 3: Submit Your Application

During the correct window, submit your application here.

Applications are reviewed by the VP of Finance and the GPSG Finance Committee. Submission does not guarantee funding. It may take some time for us to review your application and give you an update.

We may need additional information from you. Please respond promptly to our requests.

If you have any follow-up questions or need to update your application, please reach out at gpsg@pitt.edu. You should hear back from us by the 10th of the month following your submission. Your final status will be communicated to you via email from finance.gpsg@pitt.edu or gpsg@pitt.edu

Link to Application

Applying for GPSG funding prior to your conference travel?

We will only reimburse for the expenses submitted in your application.
Small changes to the expense (i.e., the flight is moved to a different time or is slightly more/less expensive) will not affect your reimbursement. However, you should report large changes in expenses or new expenses (+/- $50) to gpsg@pitt.edu as soon as possible to qualify for reimbursement.
You will still be expected to maintain original copies of receipts and proof of payment. Invoices do not qualify.

Step 4: Request Reimbursement

Congratulations on receiving a GPSG Travel Grant!

Along with your status notification, you should have received additional instructions on how to formally request reimbursement. Reimbursements are issued from the Student Organization Resource Center and may take four to six weeks to process. Please refer to the individual instructions you received and let us know if you have any questions.

If you applied for funding after your conference, you must request reimbursement within 10 days of notification of your award.

If you applied for funding before your conference, you must request reimbursement 10 days after you return from travel.

Failure to do so may result in forfeit of your award.