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 $750 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 a dynamic learning environment 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. 

UPDATE 01/30/2023:

In compliance with current TAMU travel policies, the Graduate and Professional School is

1. Accepting Travel Award applications for domestic travel. (Follow pre-Covid travel guidelines)
2. Accepting Travel Award applications for international travel that demonstrates IN THE TRAVEL AWARD APPLICATION that it meets current TAMU travel guidelines  AND provides all CONCUR approvals in the application.
   1. For international applications please do not submit your application until your CONCUR travel request is approved.
   2. Please download a copy of your approved CONCUR Travel Request Report and include it in the “Travel Purpose and Activities Essay (.pdf)” file that you upload on screen 4 of the application.  
   3. TO DOWNLOAD: Log into Concur, click on “Requests” at the top, click on the specific travel request, then in the top right click “Print/Email” and select “Travel Request Allocation Report.” 
      
      

Applications are considered SUBMITTED when both Committee Chair and Department Head (or proxy) approvals have been received. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm that those approvals are completed and the application is submitted to Grad School Review before the deadline. Please note, applications will be reviewed in the order they are received, and it will take 5-10 business days from the deadline date to receive your decision. We recommend you submit your application as early as possible to allow time for any corrections in the event an application requirement is missing. 

We will review the TAMU Travel Guidelines at the first of every month and reevaluate our policy as needed. Please direct questions to grad-travel-award@tamu.edu.

Eligibility

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

Guidelines

Deadlines

For travel beginning December 1st, 2022 and beyond, the Travel Award deadlines will revert to our normal quarterly deadline system (see the Travel Dates and Deadlines table below).

Note: Applications are accepted for two deadlines at a time. If you are unable to select your travel dates, please wait until your window opens.

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 from their Committee Chair and/or Department. Committee Chair and Department Head approvals verifies that, to the best of their knowledge, the information provided in the application is accurate and that the student’s chair and department do not have the funds to fully support the student’s travel request.

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 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 will only cover the virtual 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 submit itemized receipts for ALL expenses.

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.