Travel Grant Frequencyly Asked Questions:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When do I apply for funding?

GSA evaluates travel grant applications three times a year:

Return date between:	Application due to treasurer on or before:
January 1 and April 30	March 1
May 1 and August 31	July 1
September 1 and December 31	November 2

If the due date (first of the month) falls on a weekend or holiday, the application is due the following business day by 5 pm. Receipts, boarding passes, and other financial documentation are due to the GSA Treasurer two weeks after the end of your trip.

2. Who is eligible for GSA travel grants?

Students from academic programs overseen by the Graduate School fall under the jurisdiction of GSA (see the full list of Graduate Academic Programs). If your academic department/program is represented at GSA meetings, you can apply for travel grants.

3. What kind of travel can by funded by GSA?

The majority of applicants use grants to attend academic conferences. GSA travel grants can also be applied to activities related to professional development, such as workshops, pre-conference activities, acting as invited speaker (when costs of the trip are not already covered by the inviter), and when you must attend a meeting to fulfill obligations as an officer of a professional organization.

4. After submitting my travel grant application, how much time will it take to process? When can I expect my check?

Checks will be dispersed two to six weeks after you turn in receipts. The wide range of expectation for dispersal is due to the variable workload of the University's accounting department.

5. Where do I get my check?
6. What paperwork do I need to submit to obtain funding?

You need to turn in the completed application.

1. A letter of recommendation from one of the professors in your area of study;
2. Abstract/outline/written description of your presentation (or explanation of reasons for attending the professional development activity)
3. A photocopy of the page(s) on the conference program that includes your name and activities.
4. The original receipts (airplane ticket, hotel, etc.) for expenses you are asking to be reimbursed. An acceptable receipt must show the amount and form of payment. For air travel, include your credit card or bank statement that includes the payment (blacking out sensitive information) as well as the original boarding pass. Reimbursement for airfare CANNOT be awarded if the original boarding pass is not provided. For hotel or registration fee, the receipt from the hotel or professional association is fine so long as it shows your payment (and not just the charges). The credit card or bank statement showing the payment works for any type of expense. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

See the application for more information

7. Where do I submit my paperwork?

Turn in your completed application to the GSA mailbox (Graduate School, 210 Jesse Hall) or to a GSA representative (to be given to the treasurer at the next meeting) Please make sure that your application should be submitted before the due date by either ways.

If submitting by campus mail, send it to 210 Jesse Hall, in care of the GSA treasurer.

If submitting by off-campus mail, the address is:

GSA Treasurer
c/o The Graduate School
University of Missouri
210 Jesse Hall
Columbia, MO 65211


8. How much funding can I expect from a GSA travel grant?

Awards from the past year averaged $150 for an academic conference and $50 for professional development. We prefer to give numerous awards of smaller amounts to assist as many people as possible, but we sometimes must adjust our policies if unexpected fluctuations in funding arise.

9. What is the maximum amount I can expect?

GSA travel awards are capped at $200.

10. Who has priority on receiving travel grant funding?

Individuals who have not previously received a travel grant from the GSA have priority.

11. What kind of expenses does GSA cover?

GSA travel grants allow reimbursement for conference registration fees (not including professional organization membership fees), lodging, airplane tickets, airport parking, transport to the airport, and mileage when driving (current reimbursement rates). Considering the limited dollar amount of award the GSA can provide, they can virtually always be limited in application to these main categories of expenses. We do not reimburse for meals or for gasoline.

12. The airline, hotel, and/or other receipts of payment for my trip were in the name of another person with whom I traveled. Can I be reimbursed for these expenses through the GSA?

First, the GSA cannot directly award a grant to a person with whom you travel who is not a current MU-Columbia graduate student, such as a professor, a family member, or a friend who is not a graduate student. Second, you can be reimbursed for the share of the expenses for which you reimbursed the party on the original receipts.

Please submit:

1. the copy of the original receipts of payment in the other party’s name;
2. a signed and dated letter from the other party confirming that you reimbursed him or her, including the amount;
3. documentation of the reimbursement, such as a copy of the check paid to the other party, a receipt of cash payment, or a credit card or bank statement.
13. Can I be awarded a GSA travel grant if I attended a conference but did not present a paper or poster or otherwise participate other than by my attendance?

The GSA gives the lowest priority to these travel applications.

14. I am traveling internationally and they use a different form of currency. What can I do to make my reimbursement go smoothly?

Since your credit card or back statement converts your international purchases into dollars, providing it as your receipt for international travel makes processing simpler for the accountants and therefore is likely to make the application process go more smoothly.

15. What is the application process for summer travel?

The application process is the same year round.