Travel Awards & Grants

GPSG established the Travel Award program to provide financial assistance and recognition to graduate and professional students who are participating in academic conferences. Applicants must currently be enrolled as a student at the University of Pittsburgh. There are two levels of funds available: $200 Travel Award and $100 Travel Grant.  We now only accept applications via our new electronic form; paper forms are no longer accepted.

Forms You'll Need

Electronic Pre-Approval Form

Complete this fully before attending your conference.  Pre-approval is required for all grants (see Step 1 below).

T&B Expense Form

Following the conference, and if you received pre-approval, fill out and submit the Travel and Business (T&B) Expense form within 30 days of the end of your conference. Follow the directions below (see step two) for infomation on how to fill out this form.

Step 1: Obtain Pre-Approval from GPSG

Students may receive a maximum of two GPSG travel awards or grants while at Pitt.  And they are eligible for one GPSG travel award or grant per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) based on the date of the conference. Please note that the tabulation of travel grants toward each students' total does not include GPSG grants approved prior to October 1st, 2009. All applications must be pre-approved, and funds for each cycle are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The type of event in which the applicant is participating must be listed on the Pre-Approval Application form. Unqualified events include internships, job fairs, travel for coursework, and other non-academic events, as determined by GPSG.

An applicant attending an event in Allegheny County is eligible only to receive $50 towards the price of registration.

Remember to include proof of participation in the conference as noted on the application. These documents must demonstrate that the conference is academic or professional in nature and that you have participated at the level for which you are requesting an award. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Please be advised that GPSG travel grants can only be used for lodging, transportation, and conference-specific expenses only.  There will be no reimbursement given for expenses such as food, beverages, souvenirs, etc. 

Timeline for Submitting Travel Grants (for any given year)

Step 2: Submit a Travel and Business form

1. Type and Sign the Travel and Business Expense form (T&B). The 'expense distribution by account number,' 'authorizing name and title,' and 'authorizing signature' sections are for departmental use only.

2. Include original receipts, affixed to the front of one or more 8x11 sheets of paper with tape, no staples. T&B's turned in with copies of receipts and/or stapled receipts cannot be accepted.
3. Submit all paperwork to the GPSG offices within 30 days of the conclusion of your conference. GPSG retains the authority to redistribute or withhold funding from any student not meeting this requirement.
4. If you are receiving funding from more than one organization or department within the University of Pittsburgh, you should use only one T&B form and receipts. This T&B will be sent from department to department for approval.
5. GPSG strongly prefers to receive students' T&B's with multiple department accounts after all other contributing university organizations/departments have signed it.

Attention A&S GSO recipients:  If you are also applying for A&S GSO or A&S PBC travel grants, you MUST include a copy of the GPSG Travel Grant approval e-mail with your T&B submission to A&S so that they are aware you are receiving additional funding from GPSG.  Failure to do so may result in your NOT being reimbursed for GPSG approved funding.