Travel Awards

The Graduate and Professional School’s Graduate Student Research and Presentation (RAP) Travel Award supports educational and professional development opportunities for graduate students. The program reimburses students up to $1000 for travel expenses associated with academic conferences and research projects in the United States and abroad.  

Additional support for the Graduate and Professional School’s Research and Presentation Travel Awards is generously provided by the George & Barbara Bush Foundation. The George & Barbara Bush Foundation is dedicated to the idea that public service is a noble calling. It works to preserve the historic legacy of President George Bush and support the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, The Bush School of Government and Public Service and the local community.   

Here you can find information on how to apply for the Travel Award, application eligibility guidelines, and access to the application portal. It is the applicant’s responsibility to review all information provided below before applying. Please direct questions to grad-travel-award@tamu.edu.

UPDATE 07/13/2024

The Graduate & Professional School has updated the Travel Award, eligibility requirements, application components, award amounts and reimbursement process. The August 1st, 2024 deadline for travel in September, October and November is the first deadline with these new requirements. Awards received prior to the August 1st, 2024 deadline must follow the reimbursement process outlined in their award email notification.

Changes to the eligibility and application requirements of note include:

1.  The applicant’s Committee Chair and Department Head are no longer required to approve the application by the deadline date. The Committee Chair and the Academic Department’s Business Coordinator will be notified of the student’s application submission.

2. All travel applications (domestic and international) must meet current Texas A&M travel guidelines AND have an approved Concur Travel Request before travel.

   
   

   • INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: All graduate and professional students pursuing an independent international experience MUST register with Education Abroad. Registration is a prerequisite for CONCUR approval and must be completed before submitting your CONCUR Travel Request.

   • All graduate students traveling for university business using university funds must submit a Concur Travel Request and have it approved prior to travel (both domestic and international travel). You must include a copy of your submitted Concur travel request in your Travel Award application.

NOTE:  The Concur Travel Request does not need to be approved at the time of application for the Grad School Travel Award, but must be approved before travel can occur. Please upload it with its current status and email grad-travel-award@tamu.edu when it is approved.

• If you are not employed by the University, please work with your Academic Department's Business Coordinator to submit your Concur Travel Request. 

1. REQUIREMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: Per university foreign travel rules (Standard Administrative Procedures 21.01.03.M0.02), all graduate and professional students pursuing an independent international experience MUST register with Education Abroad. If awarded, any cost associated with registering with Education Abroad will be covered by the Graduate and Professional School up to $50 (i.e. students do not need to use part of the $1,000 international travel award to cover these costs). Education Abroad tracks and assists students participating in international experiences that meet one of the following criteria.

  i.      Experiences granting credit (TAMU credit or transfer credit from another institution),

  ii.      Non-credit bearing experiences (e.g., opportunities to research, intern, teach abroad, volunteer, or attend a conference/workshop/training), 

  iii.      Experience funded by a TAMU entity (e.g., departmental support for a conference or research), or

 iv.      Experiences that satisfy a degree or graduation requirement (e.g. thesis or dissertation research).

3. Education Abroad services include but are not limited to, assistance in the event of an emergency, guidance on pre-departure preparations, as well as access to affordable international medical insurance while abroad. For details about the registration process, visit https://global.tamu.edu/ea/students/programs  (scroll to the bottom). There are different registration links by credit type. Additionally, students can contact Education Abroad at 979-845-0544 or abroad@tamu.edu.

We recommend you start your Travel Award application 2-4 weeks before the appropriate application deadline. Please do NOT submit Travel Award applications more than 6 months in advance. 

NOTE: Education Abroad registration and Concur Travel Requests should be submitted as early as possible to ensure approvals can be made before your travel date (a recommended 4-6 weeks in advance of your travel date, depending on travel location). For questions about the Education Abroad registration, contact abroad@tamu.edu or 979-845-0544. For questions about the Concur Travel Request process, contact your Academic Department’s Business Coordinator.

Changes to the reimbursement process of note include:

1. The reimbursement will be processed through Concur by submitting a Concur Expense Report (linked to the Concur Travel Request).
2. Students must follow Texas A&M Travel Receipt Requirements and can submit actual expenses up to the GSA Rate for meals.
3. Applicants will now be able to use a Department Travel Card or DART card, if they have one. Applicants who do not have one, will pay out-of-pocket and be reimbursed up to the awarded amount within Concur.
   • The Graduate & Professional School will NOT provide Travel Cards or DART cards.

Please note, applications are reviewed after the deadline closes, and it will take 5-10 business days from the deadline date to receive your decision.

Eligibility

Before submitting your application, read through the following carefully and ensure that you meet all of the requirements for eligibility.

Guidelines

Deadlines

We are unable to accept applications after the deadline has closed. Please submit your application by the deadline (even if you have not received your abstract acceptance yet).

Selection Process

The Research and Presentation Travel Award is designed to support graduate and professional students who are unable to secure FULL funding for travel. The Travel Award reimburses travel expenses AFTER other funding sources have been applied.

Limited budget for the Research and Presentation Travel Award program requires a selective application process. The Grad School will base award selection on the quality of the application as determined by the Review Committee. Priority goes to students presenting at conferences, traveling for research, or traveling to attend a conference, in that order. The Grad School will consider other types of travel award applications (e.g. unpaid internship, training courses) that do NOT represent a required part of the student’s academic degree program. The review committee, at their discretion, may make adjustments to ensure an appropriate distribution of awards among students from the various Schools/Colleges of the University.

Reimbursement

The Graduate Student Research and Presentation Travel Award reimburses travel expenses ONLY up to the award amount and AFTER other funding sources have been applied. Covered expenses include: lodging, airfare, car rentals, shuttles, gas, conference registration fees, meals, etc. The Award DOES NOT reimburse for meal receipts that include alcohol, materials (e.g. poster printing), supplies, books, equipment, membership fees, or any extra-curricular activities during your trip. Approved awards for virtual conferences or conferences held in the Bryan/College Station area will only cover the conference registration fee. Annual membership fees will not be covered. The Grad School will not reimburse for travel outside of your travel window or if the travel does not occur. Students must follow Texas A&M Travel Receipt Requirements.

Award Categories

Application Requirements

The Graduate and Professional School will only consider complete applications for the Graduate Student Research and Presentation Travel Award. In order to complete your application, ensure that you’ve included all the required information. Please review the application requirements before beginning your application.

FAQS- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Check out some of our FAQs regarding the Award application process.

OTHER TRAVEL SUPPORT OPTIONS

Check with your college, department and/or the conference you are attending for other travel funding opportunities. Some conferences provide travel awards or waive registration fees for spending some time volunteering during the event.