GSG Travel & Research Awards

Eligible NAU graduate students may only receive one award, regardless of type (domestic or international), during each academic year (however, if a student chooses to relinquish their travel funds, they are eligible to apply for another travel award within the same year). Only degree-seeking graduate students enrolled in non-online programs are eligible for travel funds.

Applicants must:

• Be in good academic standing
• Have no academic integrity violations on their record
• Be active in their program (i.e., new students must have started their fall or spring semester to be eligible)
• Have not graduated by the time of travel (as determined by the travel return date, not the application date)
• Student has not been awarded any other GSG travel award within the academic year.

Submitting an application for a travel award does not guarantee funding. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling timeline ending April 30th for travel continuing through June 30th. It is possible students may be awarded less than the amount listed or their applications may be denied due to funding limitations. Retroactive funding (funding requested to support travel that happened prior to the request date) is not available.

A travel award must be used for the specific activity/conference for which it was awarded. Official documentation of acceptance to present at a conference prior to travel and follow-up documentation that the presentation was completed are required. If a student received funding at the presenting level (Tier 1) but then only attended the conference (Tier 2), funding may be withdrawn completely, or reduced.

Adherence to deadlines and providing complete and accurate information are essential to processing requests in a fair and organized manner. All submitted applications must be complete and accurate. The GSG is not responsible for inaccurate or incorrect application information.

Awards will be distributed based on the tiers below.

Tier 1: Presenting at a national, regional, state, or local conference will be awarded UP TO $1,000.

Tier 2: Attending a national, regional, and state conference will be awarded UP TO $500.

Eligible Expenses:

Funding may only be used to cover the following expenses:

• Conference and registration fees
• Transportation expenses to and from the conference, competition, or research site
• Lodging accommodations

Note: Food and meal expenses are not approved as reimbursable expenses by the GSG travel awards.

**IMPORTANT** If you plan to split the cost(s) with other students traveling to the same conference, the student who paid the cost directly to the vendor (ie. hotel, Airbnb, VRBO, Uber, Lyft) will be the only one reimbursed up to the awarded amount.

1. You MUST submit a valid copy of receipt(s) for registration, lodging, and/or transportation and official documentation that you attended the conference. Examples include a copy of your conference name badge,  a program listing you as a conference presenter, or photo evidence. All documents must be submitted to NAU’s Employee Service Center (ESC) within 5 days of your return or your travel award will not be approved.

The 5 Rules of a Receipt

1. DATE of Purchase
2. Name of VENDOR where the purchase was made
3. ITEMIZATION of WHAT was purchased
4. Total AMOUNT PAID – with itemization of tax, shipping, tip, etc.
5. PROOF of PAYMENT – with a notation of payment method

If even (1) of the above is missing, it will not be accepted. 

**When submitting a receipt, note WHO paid and if paid out-of-pocket or by PCARD**

Mileage

If you are driving to and from a conference to be reimbursed for mileage, please upload the one-way directions from your starting location to the conference location. Directions from websites such as Google Maps or MapQuest are acceptable.

2. Once this documentation is received, NAU’s Employee Service Center (ESC) will process your reimbursement. This process can take six to eight weeks.

3. You will receive your reimbursement through a choice of direct deposit or paper check available for pickup or mailed to your current mailing address in LOUIE. Note: if you select direct deposit, and you have a balance on your account in LOUIE, the reimbursement will first be used to pay off any remaining balance on your NAU student account.

*for the purposes of policy, Hawaii and Alaska are included under international travel

International travel awards are available for outstanding NAU graduate students traveling to a conference outside of the contiguous United States. Application deadlines will be November 15th for travel during the Fall 2024 semester and May 1st for travel during the Spring 2025 semester. Award winners are announced by December 1st and March 1st, respectively.  Awards can be used for travel within the academic year.

International travel awards will be distributed based on the tiers below.

Tier 1: Presenting at an international conference will be awarded UP TO $2,000.

Tier 2: Attending an international conference will be awarded UP TO $1,000.

To be eligible to apply, students:

1. Must be enrolled in a program that requires research, scholarship, or creative work capstones (including, but not limited to, thesis and dissertations) at the time of the conference.
2. Must have a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA.
3. Must have completed at least one year of their graduate program.
4. Must be presenting at a conference that is outside of the United States.
5. Student has not been awarded any other GSG travel award within the academic year.

Apply here