Funding conference travel  

Finding the financial resources to present your research, scholarly, or creative activities can be a real challenge, but the professional benefits are worth the effort.

Develop a reasonable budget:

Volunteer to work at the conference: check the conference website to see if there are discounts on registration and funding for travel/housing for student volunteers

• Take advantage of early registration discounts
• Search out the least expensive transportation option(s)
• Consider NOT staying in the conference hotel (these are often quite expensive, even at the conference rate).  Search online for nearby accommodations that are more reasonably priced.
• Find a roommate (or 2 or 3) to share the cost of housing
• Consider NOT attending the entire conference, especially if it is a week-long affair

• Start with your research mentor, who
  • may have some funding available to help you
  • may suggest other sources of funding (e.g., department, college)
• NAU
  • OVPR – Student Travel Awards program (available for both graduate and undergraduate students)
  • ASNAU – undergraduate students should work with your college senator to propose an Individual Allocation
  • GSG - graduate students should follow the directions on the Graduate Student Travel Award website
• CUR (Council for Undergraduate Research): some divisions (e.g., biology, social sciences) offer travel awards
• Conference student travel awards: many conferences offer competitive grants to cover travel costs; search the conference website for “student travel”