Travel Subsidy Program
The Office of Graduate Studies is pleased to offer a limited number of travel subsidies annually to encourage student participation in academic meetings and conferences within the United States. Subsidies will be awarded to full-time masters or doctoral students presenting at a gathering in an impact role. Each award can be worth up to the sum of $200 plus registration. Students can only receive one grant per fiscal year (July to June).
To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a full-time doctoral or master’s program at Drexel and must be presenting at the meeting or conference. To apply, students should complete the Travel Subsidy Request or go to "forms" on the left-hand side of this webpage and submit the complete application to the Graduate Studies Office along with all supporting materials: detailed budget, statement of support from their research advisor, personal statement, proof of their presentation’s acceptance, information about the conference such as a website or brochure, and details about any other potential sources of funding.
The amount of support awarded will be based on the type of participation and anticipated visibility in the conference, the subsidy funds available and any other funding the student is receiving to help cover expenses; students intending to attend international meetings are not eligible for this program (but please see below). All award determinations will be based on the discretion of the Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Studies. The student will be reimbursed only upon submission of appropriate receipts, which must conform to University policy on allowable travel reimbursements.
The Office of International Programs offers funding for students and faculty participating in foreign conferences through the International Travel Award Program. For more information on this program please email OIP or call them at 215-895-6372.
Reimbursement Procedures
When offered a Travel Subsidy, students who are also receiving funding from their departments or professors will be offered a choice to follow the procedure outlined below, or to have the Graduate Studies Office transfer those funds to the department/professor. Students should consult with their advisor or a department representative for their input on the decision. Please note that no reimbursements will be made without conference/meeting reports.
The following is a summary of the most pertinent parts of the university's travel expense reimbursement policies. For a full description, please refer to the Business Travel Expense Policy and Procedure on the Accounts Payable website. You can also find a description of reimbursable expenses there.
Only actual expenses will be reimbursed. This means we cannot refund you for money that you did not spend (i.e., your professor paid for your conference registration or you shared a room and the other travel paid the bill). Whenever possible, please try to pay for your expenses yourself. If a situation arises where you will need to pay someone back, please contact Taz Kwok in the Graduate Studies Office to discuss options.
Receipts should be submitted to the Graduate Studies Office in Randell 240 within 2 weeks from the last day of travel. Please fill out and submit with your receipts Sections 1 and 2 of the university’s Check Request Form . All requests for reimbursement must be submitted together on one form. To keep all reimbursements on the same form, if you have received funding from another department, please include a note informing us where to send your paperwork for additional reimbursements and we will forward your receipts within a few days. If any of your travel funding is coming from a grant, you must fill out a Travel Expense Reimbursement Report in addition to the Check Request.
All submitted receipts must be originals. All small receipts must be taped to 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper.
Submitting only printouts from airline or train reservation websites will not be accepted by Accounts Payable. The original tickets, boarding passes, or passenger receipts must be submitted. If the original tickets/boarding passes/passenger receipts are no longer available, the original bank statement showing the ticket purchase must be submitted. Remember to black out the account number on the bank statement before submitting it. Please also submit your printouts from the travel Websites (e.g., Orbitz, Expedia) used to book your flight or reserve your train or hotel as well as the payment receipt.
You must submit either an official conference registration receipt (something showing you have paid, not just the cost of registration) or the bank statement showing the registration payment along with the email confirmation. Confirmation e-mails alone will not be accepted by Accounts Payable as proof of payment for conference registration. Again, please black out the bank account number before submitting the bank statement.
If you are using a personal vehicle, please review the university's Business Mileage Reimbursement Policy and use the current mileage rate when determining your reimbursement amount.