Travel Awards

Please note

Please note:

  • Travel Booking Restrictions: Domestic booking, including all U.S. territories, reopened July 1, 2021. International travel remains restricted.
  • Exceptions will be granted for essential international travel, which is travel critical to UWM’s mission, which cannot be rescheduled and is for work that must be conducted in person.  Public health guidance should be reviewed before requesting an exception.
  • Exceptions will be managed and approved by Risk Management and designated campus leadership through the TMEA (Travel and Miscellaneous Expense Authorization) process. Each request will be reviewed for health and safety considerations. Approved travel may be booked through Concur or with an agent.
  • If you must request an exception for international travel, please read the university’s International Travel Policy. This policy establishes procedures and restrictions for certain international travel that may pose increased risks.
  • Students may apply for travel assistance from the Graduate School by submitting a Graduate Student Travel Support Application. In the application, students must upload proof that they are presenting, performing or exhibiting at the specified event.
  • Please email gs-studenttravel@uwm.edu for questions and assistance or contact Tiffany Nation, graduate student travel coordinator at the Graduate School at tmnation@uwm.edu. Or call 414-229-7108.

Overview

The Graduate Student Travel Awards offer funding to UWM master’s and doctoral students for presenting scholarly and creative works developed in UWM graduate degree programs. Students can use travel awards to participate in academic or professional activities such as conferences, performances or exhibitions. These can be important professional development opportunities where students can receive feedback on their work and grow their professional networks. Travel awards are most often used to present work at major regional, national or international meetings in students’ disciplines. Because students receive a single allocation for their entire time in their degree, they should consult their advisors on how to use this support most effectively. Funding is provided as reimbursement of expenses after the travel has been completed.

Eligibility

  • Travelers must be enrolled in a graduate degree program (not a certificate).
  • Travelers must be actively presenting, performing or exhibiting at the conference or other academic event, and must be officially recognized by the sponsoring organization. Evidence confirming participation is required before funds will be released. This typically takes the form of a letter or notice of acceptance, or of a link to, or PDF of, the program schedule. If this is not available in advance of travel, a student may apply with a contingent approval letter from some other source (such as a research advisor), but reimbursement will not be provided after travel without official confirmation.
  • Because forms of academic presentation and engagement are variable, other justifications for travel can be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Applications are not accepted for travel occurring after graduation from the program.
  • Travel that is not eligible for these awards includes: travel for conference attendance without presenting; job interviews; accessing libraries, galleries or other research archives, and travel for fieldwork or off-campus placements.

Application

  • Please visit the Graduate Student Travel Support Application to apply.
  • Travelers will be asked to detail the expected expenses in their request for funds.
  • Travelers are encouraged to submit applications as far as possible before the event.
  • Applications must be completed and submitted before travel occurs. Post-travel applications will not be accepted.
  • Travelers are also encouraged to seek travel support through their degree program to supplement any award received through the Graduate Student Travel Awards.

Limitations

Doctoral students are allotted a total of $1,000 for travel expenses while enrolled in their UWM degree program. Master’s students are allotted a total of $500 for travel expenses while enrolled in their UWM degree program. These funds can be spent on a single trip or can be spread across multiple trips. The Graduate School will retain records of the amount of funds available to each student based on the expenses incurred.

A student who receives support as a master’s student and subsequently enrolls in a UWM doctoral program can be allotted the full amount for both degrees, a total of $1,500. The allocation for the doctoral portion of the degree cannot be used until the master’s degree is completed.

Travelers can combine Graduate School travel funding with travel funding from AOP or university fellowships. Students who have travel funding from fellowships must use fellowship funding for travel first, because it likely will not carry over beyond the term of the fellowship.

The maximum amount of travel funding from all Graduate School sources, including funding from Travel Awards, AOP, DDF, DGSF and other Graduate School fellowship travel funding, cannot exceed $1,500 for a single trip. Exceptions will only be made in extraordinary circumstances with the approval of the dean of the Graduate School.

Travel Awards can be augmented with travel funding from extramural or program-level sources other than AOP and Graduate School fellowship travel funding.

Travel Guidelines

  • Awardees must comply with the state and campus travel policies and procedures and any other school or college instructions. This includes the rule that travelers will only be reimbursed for eligible expenses for the least expensive method of travel, which is not necessarily by automobile. In other words, you may travel by whatever method you choose, but your reimbursement will be limited to the least expensive method.
  • Students who are planning to drive personal vehicles or rental cars must register to become a UWM Authorized Student Driver before travel occurs by completing an online Vehicle Use Agreement (Driver Authorization) form.  Approval must be received from Risk Management before rental car use in order to be reimbursed for driving expenses.
    • The cost of driving must be less than the cost of commercial airfare, including necessary costs of lodging, meals, and other incidentals that may be associated with automobile travel.
    • If it’s not completed, you will be ineligible for mileage reimbursement on your trips.
    • Please complete your Vehicle Use Agreement (Driver Authorization) via the online https://fleetportal.wi.gov/.
  • The Guide to Receiving Your Reimbursement has important information on making travel arrangements and the documentation that you will need for reimbursement of eligible expenses.