Graduate & Professional Student Travel Grants

Tulane's Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OGPS) awards a limited number of travel grants of up to $400 each for graduate and professional students to present at a professional conference. All Tulane graduate and professional students are eligible to apply. Preference is given to applicants presenting a paper, but those presenting posters or participating as a discussant at a conference, biennale or arts festival may also apply. Preference is also given to applicants pursuing terminal degrees. Requests for funds must be received before travel is initiated. Eligible travel costs include airfare, conference registration, hotel, meals, and local transportation (parking, taxi, rental car, train pass etc.). Travel funds are also available through GSSA and some Dean's Offices.

Application Materials

1. A completed Travel Grant Application Form [available in pdf and Microsoft Word].
   
2. A copy of the notification of acceptance to present or serve as a session chair or panel discussant. (If notification is pending, an application should still be submitted by the deadline.)
3. A one-page CV.
   
   

Deadlines

Applications are accepted three times per year:

• December 3 for travel in the spring semester (January through May)
• May 1 for travel in the summer (June through September)
• September 7 for travel in the fall semester (October through December)

Note that an application should be submitted in PDF format by the appropriate deadline even if acceptance notification is pending. In these cases, OGPS can make conditional grants contingent upon receipt of notification. If the paper/poster is not accepted, the grant will be withdrawn.

Applications should be submitted via e-mail to OGPS (ogps@tulane.edu) by 5:00 p.m. on the due date. Awards will be announced via e-mail approximately two weeks after the deadline.

Review Criteria

Travel grant applications are reviewed with the following criteria:

Event Visibility & Impact - 50%

• Is the student presenting a paper/poster or is he/she serving as a discussant?
• Does the event organizing committee provide a travel stipend for students?
• Is the student presenting in lieu of a faculty advisor?
• What is the professional significance of the event?

Student Development - 25%

• Has the student ever presented at a national or international event before?
• How will this event benefit the student's professional advancement?
• What is the likelihood that this event will improve the students dissertation/thesis?

Budget - 25%

• Are the estimated expenditures reasonable?
• Has the student applied for other travel funds (GSSA, Dean's Office, advisor's funds)?
  
  

Reimbursement

The travel grants are awarded on a reimbursement basis to the awardee. Keep all receipts from your trip and submit them to OGPS within two weeks of completing travel. Meal receipts must be itemized; credit card receipts for meals are not sufficient. If OGPS is paying for your airfare, submit your boarding passes and your flight itinerary. If OGPS is not paying for your airfare, submit the flight itinerary as proof of travel. OGPS grants do not cover travel insurance or the purchase of alcohol, whether consumed with a meal or not. Submit receipts to OGPS (ogps@tulane.edu, mailing address: 200 Gibson Hall).

Report

Awardees must submit a brief, one-paragraph summary of their travel experience, including professional development outcomes and any recommendations for improving the OGPS Travel Grant Program. The report can be submitted via e-mail to OGPS or as a hard copy when submitting the receipts.