The Department of Political Science supports graduate students presenting a paper/poster at a conference/symposium, as a round table presenter, or as a panel discussant/participant at professional conferences such as APSA, MPSA, ISA, etc.
STUDENTS MUST APPLY BEFORE TRAVELING TO PRESENT. Note: You may forfeit the travel award if you don't apply prior to traveling.
Students must be in good standing in the program in order to receive any travel support from the department (e.g. no incomplete grades, 3.3 minimum GPA, on track with milestones – prelim exams, etc.). If you are uncertain about this, please contact the Grad Program Coordinator.
STUDENTS CAN ONLY BE REIMBURSED FOR EXPENSES LISTED IF THEY SUBMIT RECEIPTS WITHIN 20 DAYS OF THE TRANSACTION/DATE OF PURCHASE.
Students can be reimbursed for the following expenses: airfare, membership dues, conference registration, local transportation, prepaid lodging (i.e. Airbnb or Expedia).
Meal per diems are reimbursable after travel so long as it remains within 20 days of completion of the conference/travel.
To keep us in line with University Policy, if you plan on using lodging that is classified as a vacation rental (i.e. VRBO/Airbnb), you will need to fill out form UM 1636.
- In the "Reason for Exception" section, you will need to include justification for choosing this type of lodging. Reasoning can include: "it provided a cost savings" (it's cheaper than a hotel room), "it provided a geographical advantage" (it was closest to the location, which eliminated the need for rideshare or auto rental), etc.
- You will need to utilize the GSA website and include the maximum allowable lodging rate for your location. You can also google search GSA rates for any given city if you have trouble using the search feature on the site itself.
- Please send to Corey Dawson your receipts, conference acceptance letter, and signed reimbursement request form per the instructions laid out in your travel award email. Please contact Corey with any questions.
Students in Academic Years 1-6 are eligible for these travel funds.
To apply: Complete the Travel Support Request Form. Students will receive email notification with reimbursement instructions once travel support is approved.
Other awards considered as the budget allows are: 1) partial funding to attend workshops or courses (e.g. ICPSR, Gregynog, FLAS language study); 2) archival research support; 3) scheduled APSA interviews for students on the job market. Contact the Director of Graduate Studies for approval in addition to completing the form.
Travel support levels per fiscal year (July 1st - June 30th)
- $400 for each domestic conference - up to two per year
- $600 for conferences in Canada or Hawaii
- $1000 for international conferences
- $600 for students presenting at one domestic conference for the year
Students are allowed an annual maximum equivalent to 2 domestic conferences ($800) or 1 international conference ($1000). There are many permutations of this however, the maximum overall will be $1000 annually. All travel funds awarded by the department must be reimbursed in the same fiscal year in which they were requested and approved. Travel funds do not carry over into the next fiscal year. The University's fiscal year is July 1st - June 30th.
Students are also encouraged to apply to COGS for additional travel support.