Student RSC Travel Grants
Purpose
Gustavus has a small pool of money to support students traveling for the purpose of dissemination of their research, scholarship, or creative activities (Student RSC Travel Grants). All students presenting their work are eligible to apply for student travel grants. In order to equitably distribute the travel funds the following procedures and criteria will be implemented beginning on January 16, 2023.
Read and follow college travel policies.
Eligibility
All Gustavus students are eligible to apply for travel funds as long as they are currently enrolled at Gustavus and intend to return to Gustavus the next academic year. Graduating seniors are eligible through the summer following graduation. Students can apply for a Student RSC Travel Grant multiple times but preference will be given for first time awardees.
Application Procedure
Students can apply for a Student RSC Travel Grant as soon as they know they will be attending a conference, they do not need to be accepted; however, the distribution of funds is contingent on proof of acceptance to present at the conference. One third of the annual funds will be awarded for travel in each of the following periods: between June and September, September and December, and January and May.
If an application is not successful for the period in which the conference travel occurs, it may be rolled forward to the next funding cycle.
All applications will be reviewed by a four person selection committee including: the Director of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creativity, one member of the Research and Sponsored Programs office, one student, and one member of the RSC Advisory Council. Members of this committee will be replaced if they have a conflict of interest with an applying student (e.g., research supervisor, roommate, etc.).
Application deadlines for each period will occur 2 months before the funding period (e.g., April 1 deadline for travel between June and September) and will be advertised in student-l, faculty-l, on the research website and on the Gustavus Research Instagram. If a student misses the application deadline they are still encouraged to apply, however preference will be given to applications received before the deadline.
Selection Criteria
All applications will be evaluated through a competitive process by the selection committee. The criteria for evaluation are below.
- First time grant awardee
- Project completed as part of an independent research experience and/or honors or capstone project
- Competitive, peer-reviewed conference
- Conference is specifically relevant to the student’s discipline
- Matching funds have been sought or procured from other sources
- Presentation occurs during the current funding cycle
- Student clearly articulates the value of the conference/meeting to their academic and professional goals
- Faculty sponsor demonstrates support for student travel
- Student clearly articulates their involvement in the research and the importance of the research
- Student is first author on the project/presentation
Eligible Expenses
The most common expenses are mileage, conference registration fees, poster printing, parking, airfare, and hotel costs.
Meal, beverage, and food expenses will not be considered for the award.
Award Amounts
Typically, requests for $200 or less will be fully funded. For amounts greater than $200, awards will generally not exceed 50% of the total expenses, so that more students can benefit from the fund. As a general rule, no student is likely to be funded for more than $500. Students are expected to secure funding for the remainder of their expenses from other sources including departmental and/or personal sources.
How to Apply
Complete this application form. Upon completion a form will be sent to your faculty supervisor to support your application.
In order to help prepare your application, questions on the application form can be found here. Student RSC Travel Grant Applications PDF
Reimbursement
Students will receive reimbursement for documented expenses following completion of the activity being funded, submission of the Student Travel Report form (below), and completion of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity online form .
Students must receive prior approval before the expenses are incurred. Students must request reimbursement within a month of their return.